Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced Tuesday that prosecutors will not seek the death penalty against Nick Reiner, charged with fatally stabbing his parents in their Brentwood home in December 2025.

The decision means Reiner, 33, faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted. He has pleaded not guilty.

Hochman made the announcement outside the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles before a pretrial hearing in the case, LA Magazine reported.

"We did speak with Nick Reiner's siblings," Hochman said, according to The New York Times. "They made their views very clear. We took their views into consideration in ultimately deciding not to seek the death penalty."

Hochman described the process as a "rigorous review" of aggravating and mitigating factors, NPR reported. He said a trial is not expected to begin until at least 2027, citing the volume of evidence and ongoing legal proceedings.

The killings

Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Singer Reiner, 70, were found dead around 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 14, 2025, inside their home in the 200 block of Chadbourne Avenue, according to the Westside Current. The Los Angeles County medical examiner determined both died from multiple sharp force injuries.

Nick Reiner had been living in a guest house on his parents' property, the Los Angeles Times reported. Family friends told the Times that Rob and Nick Reiner got into an argument at a holiday party at the home of talk show host Conan O'Brien hours before the attack.

Nick Reiner was arrested in the Exposition Park area near USC the evening of Dec. 14 and has remained jailed without bail.

A grand jury indictment unsealed Aug. 12 charged Nick Reiner with two counts of murder with special circumstance allegations of multiple murders and lying in wait, according to the LA County District Attorney's Office. He also faces a special allegation of personally using a knife.

The case is being prosecuted by the DA's Major Crimes Division and investigated by LAPD's Robbery-Homicide Division.

Reiner is represented by Deputy Public Defender Kimberly Greene. Defense attorney Alan Jackson withdrew from the case in January, citing "circumstances beyond my control," after anticipated family funding did not come through.

A separate hearing on whether Reiner can access more than $1.5 million in trust funds to pay for his defense is scheduled for Oct. 23, Spectrum News reported. His legal team argues the presumption of innocence shields him from California's "slayer statute," which bars a killer from inheriting from their victim.

Family and context

Siblings Jake Reiner, 35, and Romy Reiner, 28, have advocated for leniency while remaining estranged from their brother. In an interview with ABC7 released Aug. 27, Jake Reiner called the situation a "living nightmare" and said he has not spoken to Nick since their parents' deaths.

Rob and Michele Reiner were both described as death penalty opponents, according to NBC News.

Hochman's predecessor, George Gascón, had barred prosecutors from seeking death verdicts. Hochman reversed that policy when he took office in late 2024 but has not sought a death sentence in any case, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Rob Reiner, known for directing films including "The Princess Bride" and "When Harry Met Sally," won a posthumous Emmy on Sept. 6 for a guest role on "The Bear." The next court date is the trust fund hearing before Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ruben Garcia.