Rob Reiner’s 32-year-old son Nick Reiner pleaded not guilty Monday to two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the fatal stabbing of his parents in December, the Associated Press reported.
Nick Reiner’s attorney, Deputy Public Defender Kimberly Greene, entered the plea on her client’s behalf as he stood “behind glass in an enclosed custody area of the packed Los Angeles courtroom,” the AP said.
‘We will be looking at all aggravating and mitigating circumstances.’
Nick Reiner has been held without bail since his arrest after his famed Hollywood director father and his mother, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead Dec. 14 at their home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, the AP said.
The outlet added that Reiner appeared in court with his head shaved and wearing brown jail clothes — but notably not the suicide prevention smock he donned in his first court appearance in December.
The judge told Reiner to return to court April 29 for the scheduling of a preliminary hearing where prosecutors will present evidence — and a judge will decide if there’s enough of it to proceed to trial, the AP said.
RELATED: Nick Reiner will be charged with murder in the killing of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner: Prosecutors
District Attorney Nathan Hochman said his office hasn’t decided if it will seek the death penalty for Reiner, the AP said.
Hochman added that the death penalty decision “goes through a very rigorous process. We will be looking at all aggravating and mitigating circumstances,” the outlet noted.
Notably, Reiner’s not guilty plea is common for criminal defendants at this stage of a case, the AP said.
Reiner’s high-powered former attorney, Alan Jackson, said last month he had to quit the case due to “circumstances beyond our control — but more importantly beyond Nick’s control.”
Jackson added at the time that he was “legally and ethically prohibited from explaining all the reasons why” he withdrew from the case but noted that he and his team “remain deeply, deeply committed to Nick Reiner and his best interests.”
Jackson also told reporters that “we’re not just convinced — we know — that the legal process will reveal the true facts of the circumstances surrounding this case, Nick’s case” and that “we’ve investigated this matter top to bottom, back to front. What we’ve learned — and you can take this to the bank — is that pursuant to the laws of this state, pursuant to the law in California, Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder. Print that! Print that!”
Deputy District Attorney Habib Balian said Monday that his office is still awaiting a full autopsy report in the case, but all other evidence has been turned over to the defense, the AP noted.
Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Singer Reiner, 70, died from “multiple sharp force injuries,” the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner said in initial findings, the outlet also reported, adding that authorities said they were killed hours before the bodies were discovered.
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