Nick Reiner Pleads Not Guilty in the Killing of His Parents

Mr. Reiner, 32, was charged with murdering his parents, the Hollywood director Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, last year.

Nick Reiner, the youngest son of the Hollywood director Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, pleaded not guilty on Monday in the murder of his parents, more than two months after they were discovered stabbed to death inside their Los Angeles home.

With the plea, lawyers for Mr. Reiner dealt with what was essentially a legal formality and moved further discussion of their client’s defense into the future. It is not uncommon for lawyers to enter a not guilty plea initially only to modify it later. The entire proceeding on Monday took only minutes.

Mr. Reiner, who had a shaven head and was wearing a brown prison uniform, said “Yes” in a clear voice when the judge asked if he waived his right to a speedy trial.

The judge set April 29 as the day when lawyers will attempt to set a preliminary hearing. But prosecutors warned it could take additional time because lawyers must sift through evidence and wait for more information, such as a report from the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner.

Kimberly Greene, Mr. Reiner’s lawyer from the Los Angeles County public defender’s office, did not address the news media or provide clarity about a possible defense strategy. Nathan J. Hochman, the Los Angeles County district attorney, told reporters after the hearing that “the case is on track” but did not take questions.

Mr. Reiner was charged in December with two counts of first-degree murder in the killing of his parents, who were found in their home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles.

The counts carry what are known as “special circumstances” that could add time to a sentence if Mr. Reiner is convicted. He faces the possibility of either life in prison without a chance at parole or the death penalty.

On Monday, Mr. Hochman said his office was still going through its process to determine whether it would seek the death penalty.

After Mr. Reiner’s arrest on Dec. 14, Alan Jackson, a prominent criminal defense lawyer, was hired to represent him. But after conferring with the judge in her chambers at a hearing in January, Mr. Jackson removed himself from the case with little explanation. The judge, Theresa McGonigle, then assigned the case to Ms. Greene.

Prosecutors and the police have provided few details about what they believe led to the murders and what a motive might be. The judge has issued a protective order, barring prosecutors or defense lawyers from publicly releasing any discovery materials.

The New York Times has reported that Mr. Reiner has a serious mental illness. He has been diagnosed at different times with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder, and was placed into a yearlong mental health conservatorship in 2020, underscoring the severity of the mental health challenges he faced in recent years, according to people familiar with the situation. One of those people told The Times that Mr. Reiner had been struggling in the weeks before his arrest with a change in his medication.

In announcing the murder charges last year, Mr. Hochman told reporters that the case would be particularly difficult to prosecute because of the intimacy between the victims and the accused.

“These cases, involving family members, are some of the most challenging and most heart-wrenching cases that our office faces,” Mr. Hochman said at the time.

Tim Arango contributed reporting.

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