Rob Reiner and his wife Michele's autopsies are still incomplete

The Reiners' son Nick Reiner, 32, pleaded not guilty to murder in connection with the December 2025 killings of his parents when he appeared in court on Monday (23.02.26.)

People reported: "At the arraignment, prosecutors say they're still awaiting completed autopsies of the slain couple."

Nick appeared at a downtown Los Angeles courtroom on Monday, shackled and wearing a brown jumpsuit, with a shaven head and sunken eyes.

He stood before the court charged with two counts of first-degree murder after his father Rob and mother Michele were found massacred.

Nick waived his right to a speedy trial and smiled briefly when his lawyer approached him but largely didn't speak outside of entering his plea.

The screenwriter was accused of fatally stabbing his parents, with prosecutors alleging the killings followed an argument the night before at a party.

Nick was charged with two counts of first-degree murder with a special circumstance allegation of multiple murders.

He has been held without bail in solitary confinement at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility and faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.

His next court appearance is scheduled for 29 April 2026.

Nick is represented by public defender Kimberly Greene, after his former lawyer, the famed criminal defence attorney Alan Jackson, withdrew from the case before a January hearing, saying at the time his team had "no choice but to withdraw and ask to be relieved".

The LA County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed Rob and Michele died from "multiple sharp force injuries" and ruled that their deaths were homicide.

Nick was arrested and charged shortly after their bodies were discovered.

At his first court appearance that month he wore a suicide prevention smock, though he was seen without it during a subsequent hearing.

Nick has struggled with drug addiction for years and has been in and out of rehabilitation.

Rob's close friend, the cinematographer Barry Markowitz, told Page Six everything was "business as usual" between the Reiners when he stayed with them weeks before the killings.

Barry said: "(Nick) helped out, he took out the garbage, he watched TV, he washed dishes. He'd bring me something to drink. He was just normal in that sense." He also said Nick seemed to be "on the upswing" and "looked great."

Nick's siblings, Romy Reiner, 28, and Jake Reiner, 34, have remained out of the public eye as they mourn their parents.