- Jake and Romy Reiner express unimaginable pain after the murder of their parents.
- Nick Reiner faces two counts of first-degree murder in the killing of Rob and Michele Reiner.
- Nick Reiner's arraignment has been continued; he will continue to be held without bail.
- Authorities have yet to reveal the motive or details surrounding the case.
Three days after the murder of their parents, Jake and Romy Reiner are speaking out for the first time.
The statement from Rob and Michele Reiner’s children comes after their brother, Nick, was charged in the murder of their parents.
On the same day that Jake and Romy Reiner released a statement about the death of their parents, Nick Reiner appeared in court for the first time for his arraignment.
Statement from Jake and Romy Reiner
“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 released by a family spokesperson on Wednesday. “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 continued: “We are grateful for the outpouring of condolences, kindness, and support we have received not only from family and friends but people from all walks of life. We now ask for respect and privacy, for speculation to be tempered with compassion and humanity, and for our parents to be remembered for the incredible lives they lived and the love they gave.”
Romy Reiner, 28, is the one who found her parents’ bodies on Sunday afternoon in their Brentwood home, per ABC News.
Nick Reiner appears in court for the first time
Nick Reiner, 32, was charged on Tuesday with two counts of first-degree murder, with the special circumstance of multiple murders, for allegedly stabbing his parents to death on Sunday, per ABC News.
Because authorities keep details close during active investigations, many aspects of the case are still uncertain.
Conviction on the charges would carry a penalty of life in prison without parole, or the death penalty, per CNN.
On Wednesday morning, Nick Reiner made his first appearance in a Los Angeles courtroom, three days after allegedly killing his parents.
He was flanked by his attorney, Alan Jackson, and two other lawyers during the brief hearing. A judge approved Jackson’s request to continue Nick Reiner’s arraignment to Jan. 7, per the Los Angeles Times.
The lawyer did not answer any questions, even as reporters asked him about his client’s mental health and who was paying for his legal services.
Nick Reiner will continue to be held in Los Angeles County jail without bail, according to the LA Times.
He was arrested by Los Angeles police officers about six hours after his sister found his parents’ bodies.
Nick was Michele and Rob Reiner’s middle child and had long, documented struggles with addiction.
Authorities have not released any information about a possible motive in the case. They have also declined to provide a specific timeline of the attacks or describe the weapon that was used to commit the murders.