Nick Reiner, 32, was formally indicted Wednesday by a Los Angeles County grand jury on two counts of first-degree murder in the stabbing deaths of his parents, Hollywood director Rob Reiner, 78, and photographer-producer Michele Singer Reiner, 70, who were found dead in their Brentwood home on December 14, 2025.
He pleaded not guilty in court Wednesday. He is held on no bail and next appears September 15 for a pretrial hearing.
The indictment, returned by the grand jury on July 20 and unsealed Wednesday, adds a significant new allegation not in the original charges, that Nick Reiner was lying in wait before attacking his parents.
Lying in wait means prosecutors allege he waited or hid to ambush them, demonstrating premeditation.
Combined with a murder conviction, the lying in wait allegation makes Reiner eligible for the death penalty. Prosecutors have not yet announced whether they will seek it.
The grand jury route bypasses a public preliminary hearing, a decision that LA District Attorney Nathan Hochman said brings the case "one step closer to a trial and achieving justice."
"This was a profound betrayal by someone who was loved and trusted by the very people he is accused of killing," Hochman said.
Rob Reiner directed This Is Spinal Tap, Stand by Me, When Harry Met Sally and The Princess Bride.
His wife Michele was a photographer and producer. Nick Reiner had been living on his parents' property at the time of their deaths. He has not been convicted of any crime.