Reiner's murder trial was postponed until September, with autopsy reports pending
The murder trial against Nick Reiner will not proceed until September, due to a delay in the release of detailed autopsy reports for his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, court officials said Wednesday.
Reiner, 32, has been charged with murdering his parents in the bedroom of the family's Brentwood estate last December. Rob and Michele were found stabbed to death on December 14, and their son was arrested in Exposition Park about 12 hours later. He pleaded not guilty.
During a brief hearing in downtown LA on Wednesday, Deputy Dist. He said. Jonathan Chung said prosecutors still have about two terabytes available to give to the defense. Chung said the autopsy reports in the case have not been prepared.
It is not clear why these reports have not been completed more than four months after the murder. Kelly Vail, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, said both cases remain “protected by a court order initiated” by the Los Angeles Police Department.
A spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney's office declined to comment outside court. Representatives for the LAPD and the Los Angeles County Public Defender's office, which represents Reiner, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Reiner appeared wearing a yellow prison jumpsuit with short hair. He did not speak during the hearing except to answer “yes” to a few questions from Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Sam Ohta.
The motive for the killing has not been released, although Reiner has spoken publicly about his struggles with mental health and addiction. Father and son worked together to make the 2015 film “Being Charlie,” in which the actors' thinly veiled versions of Rob and Nick explore how drugs can damage the relationship between a successful actor and his down-on-his-luck son struggling with addiction.
Nick Reiner entered his plea of not guilty in February, but his case has been put on hold due to procedural delays.
High-profile attorney Alan Jackson left the case earlier this year, and has yet to publicly explain why. The public defender's office has not said what or how the client's mental health and addiction struggles will factor into the defense.
Prosecutors have charged Reiner with aggravated murder, so he could face the death penalty if convicted. County of Los Angeles County. He said. Nathan Hochman has not said when prosecutors will make a decision about the death penalty.
Acclaimed director and comedy actor, Rob Reiner was known for his work in classic films, including “When Harry Met Sally…,” “Stand by Me” and “This Is Spinal Tap.” Rob and Michele met on the set of “When Harry Met Sally …,” and Rob later said that he changed the ending so that the central couple stayed together after Michele fell in love during filming.
The couple's eldest son, Jake, last week published a touching story when he heard about the death of his parents.
He wrote: “We lost more than half of our family that night in the most violent way imaginable.
