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Nick Renner is accused of stabbing his parents to death in their home
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The defendant is charged with two counts of first-degree murder
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Not guilty plea expected after 3-week adjournment of arraignment
By Steve Gorman and Lisa Richwine
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The young son of slain Hollywood film producer Rob Reiner was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday to enter a plea to murder charges stemming from the fatal stabbing of his parents in one of the most shocking celebrity murder cases in Los Angeles history.
The initial court appearance of Nick Renner, 32, was abruptly cut short on December 17 when the judge postponed the arraignment for three weeks at the request of the defense. Hopefully he won’t plead guilty on Wednesday.
Renner has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the fatal knife attacks on his parents actor-director Rob Renner, 78, and photographer-producer Michelle Renner, 70, whose bodies were found inside their West Los Angeles mansion on Dec. 14. Prosecutors have said the pair were murdered that morning.
Rob Reiner had an illustrious showbiz career, from co-starring in the hit 1970s television comedy “All in the Family” to directing the beloved 1989 film “When Harry Met Sally…” and he was also a prominent Democratic Party activist and donor.
Authorities have revealed few details about the circumstances of the crime and have offered no explanation about the reasons for the killings. Autopsies found that both victims died from “multiple sharp force injuries”.
If convicted, Nick Renner faces life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.
District Attorney Nathan Hochman said prosecutors have not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty.
The death penalty is still on the books in California, but no one has been executed in the state since 2006, and Governor Gavin Newsom imposed an indefinite moratorium on executions in 2019.
quarrel before murder
It was widely reported that the son had a fight with his parents while the three were attending a holiday party hosted by comedian Conan O’Brien the night before the couple was killed.
Nick Reiner, who has publicly acknowledged a years-long struggle with drug addiction and periods of homelessness, lived in a guest house on his parents’ property. He was arrested near a Downtown Los Angeles park several hours after their bodies were found.
The murders sparked dismay among Hollywood veterans, with whom Rob Reiner had worked for decades as an actor, director and screenwriter, as well as in Democratic Party circles, where he was active in various political causes.
According to the former first lady, the assassination occurred just hours before a planned evening gathering with former Presidents Barack Obama and Michelle Obama.
Nick Renner’s attorney, Alan Jackson, did not explain his reasons for stopping his client’s preliminary hearing in court last month. Speaking to reporters afterward, he referred only to “very complex and serious issues” that he said “need to be considered and examined thoroughly but very carefully.”
‘Meathead’ to director of beloved films
Nick Reiner’s repeated battles with substance abuse and in and out of rehabilitation programs since the age of 15 were the inspiration for the 2015 film drama “Being Charlie”, in which father and son collaborated as directors and co-writers.
He is the younger of two sons and the second of three children of his parents, who were married in 1989.
As an actor, Rob Reiner is best remembered for his role on “All in the Family” as Mike “Meathead” Stivic, the son-in-law and liberal foil of 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,” “Stand by Me,” “A Few Good Men,” “Misery” and “The American President.”
His final film, the sequel to the mockumentary “This Is Spinal Tap”, was released in September, 41 years after the original film.
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 while he was directing “When Harry Met Sally…” and married in 1989.
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