Son charged in killing of filmmaker Rob Reiner and wife

The son of acclaimed filmmaker and actor Rob Reiner and his wife, photographer and producer Michelle Singer Reiner, has been charged with killing the couple at their Los Angeles home, according to county prosecutors.

The charges were announced on Tuesday by Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman. Hochman said Nick Reiner will be charged with two counts of first-degree murder, with a special circumstance allegation of multiple murders.

Hochman said prosecutors will also allege that Reiner personally used a dangerous and deadly weapon, identified as a knife.

The charges carry a maximum possible sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty, though Hochman said no decision has been made on whether the prosecution will seek the death penalty.

Reiner is being held without bail and is undergoing medical clearance before his initial court appearance.

Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said officers from the department’s West Los Angeles Division responded on Sunday to a death investigation at a home in the 200 block of South Chadbourne Avenue, in the Brentwood section of L.A.

Upon entering the residence, officers discovered the bodies of Rob and Michelle Reiner and determined that a crime had occurred, McDonnell said.

McDonnell said detectives launched an immediate investigation, which led to the arrest of Nick Reiner later that night. He was taken into custody without incident in a public area near Exposition Park.

Police became involved after the Los Angeles Fire Department, which had responded to the scene first, requested assistance, McDonnell said.

Nick Reiner, 32, had previously spoken publicly about a long struggle with drug addiction that included periods of homelessness and repeated treatment efforts