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Nick Reiner Indicted on Lying-in-Wait Charge in Parents' Deaths

Unsealing the grand-jury indictment accelerates the case toward trial, elevating potential penalties to life without parole or death.

Overview

  • The Los Angeles grand jury returned the indictment on July 20 and it was unsealed on Aug. 12, replacing earlier charges and letting prosecutors skip a public preliminary hearing.
  • Prosecutors charged Reiner with two counts of first-degree murder and added special-circumstance allegations of lying in wait, multiple murders, and use of a knife as a deadly weapon.
  • Reiner pleaded not guilty at the Aug. 12 arraignment, remains jailed without bail, and is set for a pretrial hearing on Sept. 15.
  • Authorities say the county medical examiner listed both victims as dying from multiple sharp-force injuries, but prosecutors have not publicly disclosed a motive and many investigatory details remain sealed.
  • Defense posture is unsettled: a private lawyer withdrew earlier this year, a public defender now represents Reiner, and he has petitioned to access a reported $1.5 million trust to pay for private counsel.