Nick Reiner pleaded not guilty on Monday in the deaths of his parents, Rob and Michele, who were found stabbed to death in their Brentwood home on Dec. 14.
Reiner, 32, appeared in Los Angeles Superior Court, and spoke only once, agreeing to a future court date of April 29.
Reiner is facing two counts of murder with an enhancement that could carry the death penalty or life without parole if he is convicted.
He is being represented by Kimberly Greene, a deputy public defender who took over the case after his initial lawyer, Alan Jackson, withdrew last month.
No mention was made of Reiner’s mental state during the brief hearing.
Reiner is being held without bail at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in downtown Los Angeles. He was arrested around 9:15 p.m. on Dec. 14, hours after his parents’ bodies were discovered by his sister.
“Rob Reiner was one of the greatest filmmakers of his generation,” said District Attorney Nathan Hochman, who called the Reiners’ killings “shocking and tragic.” “We owe it to their memory to pursue justice and accountability for the lives that were taken.”
Nick Reiner was open about his years-long battle with drug addiction. He told interviewers that he attended 18 rehabs between the ages of 15 and 19. In an interview for Anna David’s recovery podcast, he said he had thrown a rock through a window to prove he needed medication.
“I was insane,” he said. “And I said, ‘I’m insane.’ And they said, ‘No, you’re not.’ I was like, ‘Well, they’re not taking my word for it. I might as well demonstrate what crazy is.’”