Nick Reiner appears with Deputy Public Defender Kimberly Greene during his initial arraignment in Los Angeles in February. (Chris Torres / EPA / Pool)

Prosecutors unsealed a murder indictment Wednesday against Nick Reiner in the fatal stabbing of his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, inside the family's Brentwood home in December.

Reiner, 32, made a brief appearance on the 13th floor of downtown Los Angeles' criminal courts building on the newly released indictment, which replaces the original murder counts filed in 2025.

The new indictment includes the allegation of lying in wait, a special circumstance that makes a person at sentencing subject to life without parole or the death penalty.

Rob and Michele Reiner were found stabbed to death in their master bedroom on Dec. 14, and their son was arrested in Exposition Park roughly 12 hours later. Their daughter Romy after entering the home on a Sunday afternoon discovered her father's body in the bedroom and ran out to a friend, who called 911.

The indictment allows prosecutors to avoid a preliminary hearing and speeds up the process for the case to proceed to trial. It also avoids witnesses appearing publicly and testifying about the bloody circumstances and history of Nick Reiner.

"This was a profound betrayal by someone who was loved and trusted by the very people he is accused of killing," Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman said. "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."

On Wednesday, Reiner pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder with the special circumstance allegations of multiple murders and murder by means of lying in wait after the indictment was unsealed. The indictment returned July 20 also includes a special allegation that he personally used a dangerous and deadly weapon, a knife.

Dmitry Gorin, a former prosecutor who defends accused killers, said, "The prosecution's theory may be that he was lying in wait — concealing himself and waiting for his parents before launching the attack.

"If the evidence supports that theory, it could establish premeditation and support a lying-in-wait special circumstance, significantly increasing the seriousness of the charges and potentially exposing him to life without parole or, depending on the prosecution's decision, the death penalty."

A motive in the slayings has not been made public, though Reiner had spoken publicly about his struggles with mental health and addiction.

The father and son worked together to create the 2015 film "Being Charlie," in which characters that were thinly veiled versions of Rob and Nick explored how drugs could damage a relationship between a successful actor and his privileged son who was in the throes of addiction. Nick Reiner was living in the guesthouse at the time of the killings.

A celebrated director and comedic actor, Rob Reiner was known for his work on classic films, including "When Harry Met Sally … ," "Stand by Me," and "This Is Spinal Tap." Rob and Michele met on the set of "When Harry Met Sally ... ," and Rob later said he changed the film's ending so the central couple would stay together after he fell in love with Michele during filming.

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