AILSA CHANG, HOST:
This afternoon in Los Angeles, the LA County district attorney announced formal charges against the son of director Rob Reiner. Thirty-two-year-old Nick Reiner is charged with special circumstances murder in connection with the death of his parents. The bodies of Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner were found in their home on Sunday. Joining us now from the DA's office in downtown Los Angeles is Steve Futterman. Hi, Steve.
STEVE FUTTERMAN, BYLINE: Hi, Ailsa.
CHANG: OK, so first explain these charges.
FUTTERMAN: Well, Ailsa, these are two murder charges - one for each of the killings. Take a listen to the announcement that was made earlier by the district attorney, Nathan Hochman.
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NATHAN HOCHMAN: These charges will be two counts of first-degree murder with a special circumstance of multiple murders. He also faces a special allegation that he personally used a dangerous and deadly weapon - that being a knife. These charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.
FUTTERMAN: Now, Hochman said no decision has been made yet on whether to seek the death penalty, and apparently the DA's office will take into consideration the wishes of the family in making that determination. Now, later, Hochman talked about the two victims and their standing in the LA community.
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HOCHMAN: Rob Reiner was a brilliant actor and director, an iconic force in our entertainment industry for decades. His wife, Michele Singer Reiner, was an equally iconic photographer and producer. Their loss is beyond tragic, and we have - we will commit ourselves to bringing their murderer to justice.
FUTTERMAN: Right now, Nick Reiner remains in a downtown LA jail. At the moment, because of the seriousness of the charges, this is a no-bail case.
CHANG: Right. And when do we expect Nick Reiner to make his first court appearance, do you think?
FUTTERMAN: You know, normally it would have taken place today, but Nick Reiner's attorney says he still needs to go through medical clearance, so that's been put on hold. His attorney is Alan Jackson. He spoke briefly with reporters today.
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ALAN JACKSON: Every single inmate goes through a medical clearance before they can be transported to court. Every one of them.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: OK.
JACKSON: And that's a process. It's just a procedural issue. And he has not yet been medically cleared, so he will be here, hopefully, tomorrow.
FUTTERMAN: Now, Alan Jackson is a highly respected attorney. He's a former prosecutor. He's had a number of high-profile cases here in LA - among his clients, Kevin Spacey, Harvey Weinstein.
CHANG: Meanwhile, we've been hearing a lot about how Nick Reiner has dealt with mental health issues over the years. How much do you think that is going to play a role, if and when there is a trial?
FUTTERMAN: Yeah. Well, it's very important. Sometimes there can be a settlement before the trial, but...
CHANG: Yeah.
FUTTERMAN: ...A mental health defense is very, very possible. Nick Reiner, as we've learned the last week or so, has been very open in discussing his struggles. And we know in recent weeks his family had grown quite concerned about his behavior. And just hours before the killings, Reiner had a heated argument with his father, Rob, as they attended a Christmas party. So his mental state and capacity at the time of the killings could very likely play a key role in his defense.
Now, we will certainly learn more about that decision - the decision by the defense team - what defense they're going to come up with in the weeks and months ahead. For the moment, we're waiting for his first court appearance, and that could come as early as tomorrow.
CHANG: That is Steve Futterman in Los Angeles. Thank you, Steve.
FUTTERMAN: Thank you, Ailsa. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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