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Nick Reiner has been indicted on charges of murdering his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, as prosecutors aim to expedite the process of getting to a trial.
Reiner, 32, has been held without bail since the day his parents’
bodies were found in their Brentwood home last December. He was charged initially with two counts of murder, along with a special circumstance of multiple murders, which makes the case potentially eligible for the death penalty or life without parole.
The grand jury indictment, returned on July 20 and unsealed Wednesday, adds a new special circumstance of “lying in wait.” Reiner pleaded not guilty to the revised charges on Wednesday.
The indictment means that prosecutors will not have to put on evidence at a preliminary hearing, and can skip straight to a trial.
No trial date has been set, but Reiner is due back for a pretrial hearing on Sept. 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. “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 $1.5 million in a trust account that would allow him to rehire a 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.
A hearing on that petition is set for Friday in probate court.
