At his pretrial hearing on Tuesday, Sept. 15, Nick appeared in a brown jail uniform, with his hair grown out after previously having a shaved head

Nick Reiner spoke aloud in court this week, moments after Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman announced his office would not seek the death penalty if Reiner is convicted of murdering his parents, director Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner.

At his pretrial hearing on Tuesday, Sept. 15, Nick appeared in a brown jail uniform, with his hair grown out after previously having a shaved head. He sat beside his public defender with his left wrist handcuffed to the chair, while his legs were free. He also wore white socks and black sneakers.

When Judge Sam Ohta asked if Nick intended to enter a general time waiver and if he understood what that meant, he answered, “Yes.” By entering the waiver, Nick gave up his right to a speedy trial. He is expected back in criminal court on Oct. 7.

Prosecutors have accused Nick, who turned 33 on Monday, Sept. 14, of fatally stabbing 78-year-old Rob and 70-year-old Michele in their Los Angeles home on Dec. 14, 2025. He was arrested hours later.

Nick has been held without bail on murder charges since then. His indictment, obtained by PEOPLE, also includes a special circumstance of lying in wait, in addition to the use of a knife. Nick has pleaded not guilty.

Before Nick’s hearing, Hochman spoke to reporters outside the courthouse about the decision not to seek the death penalty, citing the “views” of Nick’s siblings, Romy and Jake Reiner.

“This decision reflects our careful judgment about the most appropriate path to take in this case and does not diminish the severity of these crimes,” the district attorney said in an accompanying press release.

“I have spoken to the Reiner family and evaluated the mitigating and aggravating factors that are part of special circumstance murder cases,” Hochman continued. “Seeking capital punishment should be reserved for the most egregious instances, and we determined after a thorough review that the death penalty was not the appropriate resolution in this case.”

Nick is now facing a potential sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

In a statement to PEOPLE, Los Angeles County Deputy Public Defender Kimberly Greene said: “We are pleased to see the District Attorney’s Office make the right decision not to seek the death penalty in this case. Nick has a serious mental illness and a long history of struggling with self-medication. His circumstances are a tragic example of how difficult it can be for people experiencing significant mental health challenges to access and navigate the treatment and support they need. Nothing can undo the profound loss experienced by the Reiner family and those who loved them. Our hearts remain with the family and all those impacted by these tragic deaths. We will continue to approach this case with care, compassion and a commitment to ensuring that Nick’s circumstances are fully understood as the legal process moves forward.”

Also during the press conference, Hochman addressed a request from Nick’s siblings to keep sealed the transcripts from the grand jury proceedings that led to his indictment. Grand jury proceedings are conducted in secret, but transcripts can later become public as a criminal case moves forward.

Hochman said Romy and Jake have asked that the transcripts remain sealed because they contain details and evidence surrounding their parents’ killings that they do not want made public.

“They basically have said the disclosure to the public and the media of the details and evidence of the killing of their parents will cause them additional trauma and harm,” Hochman said.

Hochman said his office does not oppose the siblings’ request to keep the transcripts sealed.

During Tuesday’s hearing, the judge gave media organizations until Sept. 30 to file a motion opposing the siblings’ request to keep the transcripts sealed.

Nick is also scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 23 for a separate hearing involving California’s “slayer statute,” which could prevent him from accessing trust funds to pay for his defense in the criminal case.

In the petition he filed, Nick claimed the trust, which his parents established in his name in 1993 after his birth that year, is in excess of $1.5 million. A lawyer for the trustee said in a court filing previously obtained by PEOPLE that releasing the roughly $558,000 Nick requested could be “irreversible” if he is ultimately convicted.

Source: https://people.com/handcuffed-nick-reiner-speaks-in-court-appearance-after-da-takes-death-penalty-off-the-table-12122315