Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman will not seek the death penalty against Nick Reiner in the killings of his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner. Sources with direct knowledge say the decision was driven in large part by the victims’ own views, Rob and Michele were against capital punishment.
The case has been devastating for Nick’s siblings, Jake and Romy Reiner. Sources say they would have a difficult time enduring a sentencing phase where their brother’s execution was on the table. The siblings are not aligned with Nick and have already decided not to fund his defense. Another factor is Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2019 moratorium on the death penalty, which halted 737 planned executions. California has not executed anyone since 2006.
Despite the death penalty being removed, prosecutors are still pursuing first-degree murder with special circumstances, lying in wait, which carries a possible sentence of life without parole. Nick Reiner has pleaded not guilty. He was arrested on December 14, 2025, for allegedly murdering his parents inside their Los Angeles mansion.
