Washington [US], August 13 (ANI): Nick Reiner has been indicted on charges of murdering his parents, filmmaker Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner, with prosecutors seeking to move the case toward trial without a preliminary hearing.
The grand jury indictment was returned on July 20 and unsealed Wednesday. As per Variety, it adds a special circumstance of “lying in wait” to the existing allegation of multiple murders. Reiner pleaded not guilty to the revised charges on Wednesday.
Reiner has been held without bail since his parents’ bodies were found at their Brentwood home last December.
He was initially charged with two counts of murder, along with a special circumstance involving multiple murders. That allegation makes the case potentially eligible for the death penalty or life without parole.
As per Variety, the indictment allows prosecutors to bypass a preliminary hearing and proceed directly toward a trial. No trial date has been set. Reiner is scheduled to appear for a pretrial hearing on September 15.
“This was a profound betrayal by someone who was loved and trusted by the very people he is accused of killing,” District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement, adding, “We hope that by having a grand jury return an indictment in this case it will bring us one step closer to a trial and achieving justice.”
Reiner is represented by a public defender. In June, attorneys acting on his behalf sought the release of USD 1.5 million from a trust account to allow him to rehire private defense attorney Alan Jackson, who briefly represented him in the murder case.
“Nick loved his parents, and he is devastated by their deaths,” the petition states, as per Variety.
A hearing on the request for funds is scheduled for Friday in probate court.
The latest indictment marks a procedural development in the case while leaving the charges to be determined through the criminal proceedings. Reiner has pleaded not guilty to the revised allegations. (ANI)
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