A Los Angeles judge has once again delayed a ruling on whether to keep the grand jury transcript sealed in the case of Nick Reiner, who is accused of killing his actor-director father Rob Reiner and photographer mother Michelle in December 2025.
After Reiner’s attorney, Kimberley Greene, requested more time, citing their need for introducing new evidence, including additional witness statements, during Tuesday’s hearing, Judge Sam Ohta decided the next hearing will take place on Jan. 13 to discuss a motion filed by Reiner’s attorney who requested the transcripts and exhibits from the grand jury proceedings remain under seal for a fair trial.
Explaining the delay, Greene cited the defense needs expert testimony and opinion on the coverage amid heavy media and public interest in the case.
Prosecutors Habib Balian and Jonathan Chung have also expressed that Reiner’s siblings, Romy and Jake, also oppose the unsealing of the grand jury transcripts, expressing “a strong desire for as much privacy as possible after these horrific and unimaginable murders.”
Reiner, 33, was present in the courtroom in a brown jumpsuit, appearing to have had a fresh haircut. He was not chained to the desk, but he remained handcuffed during the hearing. He remained mostly emotionless, but he quickly closed his eyes when his attorney asked for the next hearing to be held in January.
A coalition of more than a dozen media outlets and associates has filed an opposition to the defense’s request, with attorneys arguing in a court filing that “defendant Nick Reiner has not come close to overcoming the public’s right of access here.”
Reiner was indicted on murder charges in the deaths of his famous parents on Dec. 14 at the couple’s Brentwood residence. The murder charges include the special circumstance allegations of multiple murders and murder while lying in wait, along with an allegation that he personally used a knife in the commission of the crime. Reiner remains jailed without bail.
Special circumstance allegations can increase possible penalties at sentencing.
The medical examiner determined the Reiners’ deaths were caused by “multiple sharp force injuries.”
Nick Reiner is the second of the couple’s three children.
“Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day,” Jake and Romy Reiner said in a statement after the slayings. “The horrific and devastating loss of our parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, is something that no one should ever experience. They weren’t just our parents; they were our best friends,” the statement added.
The deaths of Rob Reiner, a celebrated director whose long list of successful films included “When Harry Met Sally…,” “A Few Good Men” and “This Is Spinal Tap,” and Michele Reiner, a talent photographer and producer, stunned the Hollywood community and led to an outpouring of tributes from entertainment industry colleagues, political figures and more. The family’s challenges with Nick, including battles with drug addiction, were well-documented.
In 2015, Rob and Nick Reiner worked on a coming-of-age film together called “Being Charlie.” Directed by Rob Reiner and co-written by Nick Reiner, the film explored the relationship between a son and father. In a 2016 interview with The Associated Press, they talked about the film.
“It forced us to understand ourselves better than we had,” Rob Reiner told the AP. “I told Nick while we were making it, I said, ‘You know it doesn’t matter, whatever happens to this thing, we won already. This has already been good.’ We’ve worked through a lot of stuff.”
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