Almost two days later, this Tuesday the prosecutor’s office and authorities have given updates on the case of the murder of the director and the photographer. The Attorney General of the District of Los Angeles, Nathan Hochman, has stated that two counts of aggravated first-degree murder, since they are multiple murders. “In addition, he has a special charge for using a dangerous and deadly weapon, a knife,” the prosecutor stated. The charges carry the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole.
At the busy press conference, the prosecutor was accompanied by the Chief of the Los Angeles Police, Jim McDonnell, as well as various investigators of the case. He explained that one of the questions he has received is whether Nick suffers from any mental illness or if it can be proven. “Evidence, if there is any, of mental illness, will come in time,” Hochman said. “We will follow the usual process. If there is evidence of mental illness, it will be presented in court.”
“You will hear rumors and speculation, but I ask you to trust trusted sources,” the prosecutor pleaded. Hochman has assured that the prosecution has not made a decision regarding whether it will seek the death penalty in this case.
McDonnell explained that investigators responded to a call in Brentwood and discovered the bodies of the Reiner couple and immediately began an investigation. Their son Nick was soon arrested and taken into police custody. “It is not only a difficult day for the Reiners and their loved ones, but for the entire city,” said the police chief of the Californian city in his brief appearance. They have barely answered questions.
The bodies of acclaimed filmmaker Rob Reiner, among thirty other titles, and his wife, photographer and producer Michele Reiner, 68, were found dead in their home last Sunday around four in the afternoon. His little daughter, Romy, was the one who raised the alarm to the police.
From the beginning, the main suspect was his middle son, Nick, and the police arrested him after nine at night that same Sunday without incident, the authorities indicated this Tuesday. Nick, 32, has dealt with addiction his entire life, and has spoken about it publicly over the years. He moved away from his parents and came to live on the street, but for more than a decade, he was reconnected with his family.
The double murder has shocked the world of American culture and politics since the bodies were found on Sunday.
