By Jane Ross and Steve Gorman
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The younger son of Hollywood film producer and political activist Rob Reiner was formally charged Tuesday with first-degree murder in the stabbing deaths of his parents, who were found dead in their Los Angeles home over the weekend.
Nick Reiner, 32, was arrested several hours after the bodies of his father, 78-year-old actor-director Rob Reiner, and mother, photographer-producer Michelle Reiner, 70, were found Sunday afternoon in the couple’s home in the affluent West L.A. neighborhood of Brentwood.
Evidence collected by the Los Angeles Police Department led homicide detectives to Renner, who was taken into custody without incident Sunday night in a park in downtown Los Angeles near the campus of the University of Southern California, authorities said.
Police investigators handed the case over to the District Attorney’s Office on Tuesday. A five-page criminal complaint charging Nick Renner with two counts of first-degree murder was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court later in the day.
The murders were ranked among the most shocking celebrity murders in Los Angeles history, with some comparing them to the 1994 stabbing murders of OJ Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and a friend, Ron Goldman.
“His loss is extremely tragic,” county District Attorney Nathan Hochman said of the Reiners at a news conference earlier in the day. “We will remain committed to bringing his killer to justice.”
Prosecutors considered harsher punishment
Hochman said the charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty, but prosecutors have not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty in the case.
He said prosecutors would “take into account the family’s views and wishes” when making such decisions.
According to the district attorney and charging documents, a knife was used in the murders, but no further details were given about the circumstances of the killing.
Authorities have not mentioned a possible motive.
Asked whether the murder weapon had been recovered, Hochman said that would be revealed in court. Officials said the autopsy, which has yet to be completed, will determine the exact cause, manner and time of death.
Various news media outlets have reported that Nick Renner had a heated argument with his parents at a holiday party hosted by comedian Conan O’Brien on Saturday night.
Nick Renner, the younger of the Renners’ two sons and their middle child, has publicly acknowledged a years-long struggle with substance abuse. He is being held without bail in a Los Angeles County lockup after being booked Sunday night on suspicion of murder.
Neither Hochman nor Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell would say whether Renner was under the influence of any drugs or alcohol when he was arrested, or whether he made any statements to police.
Alan Jackson, a prominent Los Angeles defense attorney representing Renner, said his client has not yet been medically cleared for his initial court appearance on Tuesday, but will likely be arraigned on Wednesday.
Hochman said obtaining medical clearance to appear in court was routine for all criminal defendants.
Rob Reiner’s Hollywood legacy
Nick Renner has spoken about the periods of homelessness that occurred when he refused to seek treatment for substance abuse, saying that in the first of several cases he entered rehab at the age of 15. Those experiences inspired the film “Being Charlie”, co-written by Reiner and his father.
“It was the most personal thing I’ve ever done,” Rob Reiner told podcaster Marc Maron in 2016.
As an actor, Rob Reiner is best remembered for his role in the TV comedy “All in the Family” as Mike “Meathead” Stivic, the son-in-law and liberal foil to the main character, working-class fanatic Archie Bunker, played by Carroll O’Connor.
Reiner went on to have an illustrious Hollywood career as a filmmaker, directing such popular films as “This Is Spinal Tap,” “The Princess Bride,” “When Harry Met Sally…,” “Stand by Me,” “A Few Good Men,” “Misery” and “The American President.”
A sequel to the mockumentary “This Is Spinal Tap” was released this year, 41 years after the original.
His wife, Michelle, was at one time a photographer who took the image of Donald Trump that appears on the cover of his book “Trump: The Art of the Deal.” She and Rob Reiner met when he was directing “When Harry Met Sally” and married in 1989.
Rob Reiner, a New York City native and son of the late comedy writer and actor Carl Reiner, was also known for his political activism and supporter of the Democratic Party.
His first marriage was to Penny Marshall, who starred in the TV sitcom “Laverne & Shirley” and was also a producer and director. He was the adoptive father of Marshall’s daughter.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without any modifications to the text.