Nick Reiner due back in court in killings of parents Rob and Michele Reiner
District Attorney Nathan Hochman is expected to reveal new developments.
Nick Reiner is scheduled to appear in court Monday on murder charges in the killings of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman plans to speak about new developments in the case at a news conference outside the Los Angeles court house, just minutes before Reiner is scheduled to appear before a judge for his pre-trial hearing.
A trial date could potentially be set during that hearing.
Reiner, 33, has been held without bail on two counts of murder since December.
His parents, film director Rob Reiner and photographer Michele Reiner, were stabbed to death in their home in the upscale Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles on Dec. 14. Reiner was arrested within hours and charged two days later.
Last month, a grand jury indictment was unsealed in the case. The indictment added the allegation that he was lying in wait before killing them. Reiner has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him.
The grand jury indictment is a major step toward trial and allows prosecutors to skip California's preliminary hearing process, where evidence is publicly aired.
Lying in wait means a suspect waited for or hid from victims in order to ambush them, and as an allegation it's meant to show premeditation. A finding that he was lying in wait along with a murder conviction would make Reiner eligible for the death penalty, but prosecutors said they haven't decided whether to seek it.
“This case is absolutely headed for trial,” said legal expert Neama Rahmani. “I think there’s no world where Nathan Hochman and the district attorney’s office offers any type of discount. This is a potential death penalty case.”
Reiner, who is currently being represented by a public defender, is looking to access more than $500,000 he says he's owed from a trust fund, saying he wants to use that money for his legal defense.
Just last month, Nick’s older brother, Jake Reiner, spoke exclusively to ABC7 in his first sit-down interview since his parents were killed.
He talked about the night of his parent’s killings, his brother’s arrest, his parent’s humanitarian work and how he's been trying to move forward since the tragedy.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
