Son pleads not guilty to killing movie producer’s parents

LOS ANGELES (AP):

Nick Reiner, the 32-year-old son of Hollywood luminary Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, pleaded not guilty on Monday to two counts of first-degree murder, more than two months after their deaths.

His attorney, Deputy Public Defender Kimberly Greene, entered the plea on his behalf as he stood behind glass in an enclosed custody area of the packed Los Angeles courtroom. The third of Reiner's four children, Nick has been held without bail since his arrest hours after the beloved actor-director and his photographer and producer wife were found dead on December 14 at their home in the upscale Brentwood section of Los Angeles.

Nick appeared in court with a shaved head and light facial hair, wearing brown jail clothes. He talked to his lawyer briefly through the glass before the judge began the hearing. At one point a low door in the enclosure was opened and they crouched down and spoke face-to-face. During the hearing, he spoke only to answer yes when the judge asked if he waived his right for next steps of the case to proceed speedily. Nick was not wearing the suicide prevention smock he wore in his first court appearance last December, days after his parents' killings. It was the third time he had been set to enter a plea, but issues surrounding the high-stakes, closely watched case, including a surprising change in defence lawyers, kept it from happening until Monday.

The judge told Nick to return to court on April 29 for the scheduling of a preliminary hearing where prosecutors will present evidence and a new judge will decide if it's enough for him to go to trial. The case will now be handled by longtime Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Sam Ohta. He has had many prominent murder, manslaughter and public corruption cases in his courtroom in recent years, but none have drawn the national media attention this case has.

District Attorney Nathan Hochman said outside court that his office still hasn't decided whether it will seek the death penalty. Hochman said the death penalty decision "goes through a very rigorous process".

"We will be looking at all aggravating and mitigating circumstances."

Nick's not guilty plea is common for criminal defendants at this stage of the case, whatever their longer-term plan might be. His former attorney, the high-profile private lawyer Alan Jackson, had to quit the case at the previous hearing, citing reasons beyond his and his client's control that ethics wouldn't let him reveal. But in parting, he adamantly declared that "pursuant to the laws of California, Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder", a stance made official by the defendant's plea.

Authorities have said nothing about possible motives, and leaks in the case have been virtually non-existent on both sides, leaving some of the most basic questions about the killing unanswered publicly.

Reiner, 78, and Singer Reiner, 70, died from "multiple sharp force injuries", the LA County medical examiner said in initial findings. Authorities said they were killed hours before the bodies were discovered. A court order has prevented the public release of more details. Deputy District Attorney Habib Balian said on Monday that his office is still awaiting the full autopsy report from the medical examiner, but all other evidence has been turned over to the defence.

Reiner was a prolific director whose work included some of the most memorable movies of the 1980s and '90s. His credits included Stand By Me, A Few Good Men, and When Harry Met Sally, during the production of which he met his future wife. They wed soon after and were married for 36 years.