DA Won't Seek Death Penalty for Nick Reiner
DA Won't Seek Death Penalty for Nick Reiner
The News
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced Tuesday that prosecutors will not seek the death penalty against Nick Reiner, who is charged with murdering his parents, director Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner.
Hochman made the announcement as Reiner appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom, and he took questions from reporters afterward.
Reiner still faces the murder charges; the decision only removes capital punishment as a possible sentence if he is convicted.
The Charges
A grand jury indictment charges Reiner with two counts of murder with special circumstances, alleging he personally used a knife to kill his 78-year-old father and his 70-year-old mother, according to The Independent.
The New York Times reported that Reiner, who is accused of fatally stabbing his parents last year, has a history of serious mental illness.
Timeline
Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Reiner, 70, are fatally stabbed. Prosecutors allege their son Nick killed them with a knife.
A grand jury indictment is unsealed charging Nick Reiner with two counts of murder with special circumstances, the count that made him eligible for a death sentence.
Nick Reiner appears in court in Los Angeles as prosecutors weigh whether to pursue capital punishment. TMZ and the Daily Mail report the death penalty is being taken off the table.
District Attorney Nathan Hochman confirms the decision publicly and holds a news conference on the case.
Reactions
Hochman said prosecutors will not seek death if Reiner is convicted, according to ABC News and the Los Angeles Times.
TMZ, the Daily Mail and the New York Post reported that the decision was driven in part by the views of the victims themselves: Rob and Michele Reiner were opposed to capital punishment. The Daily Mail attributed that reasoning to sources and framed it as respect for the couple's beliefs.
The Hollywood Reporter, writing before the announcement, spoke with experts who said family fame and money are "isn't an escape" from addiction and mental illness — the backdrop that has shadowed the case since the killings.
What's Next
The prosecution goes forward on the two murder counts, with the case moving through preliminary proceedings in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
No trial date was reported in Tuesday's coverage. Hochman's news conference was expected to address the reasoning behind the decision in more detail.
More
Rob Reiner was one of Hollywood's best-known directors and a prominent liberal political voice, which has kept national attention on a case that would otherwise be a county homicide file.
Capital charges are rare in Los Angeles County, and the district attorney has sole discretion over whether to pursue them.
Poll
Was the DA right to take the death penalty off the table?
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