The grieving children of Hollywood legend Rob Reiner and wife Michele Singer hope their “seriously ill” brother is spared from the death penalty as he stands trial for the murder of their parents, according to a new report.
Romy and Jake Reiner believe their brother Nick Reiner’s alleged stabbing of their famous parents was the result of a devastating mental collapse as a family friend said the last thing the family wants is “another killing,” the US Sun reported.
“Rob and Michele’s family, despite everything, do not want Nick to get the death penalty, as they insist this horrific incident was the byproduct of a mental health crisis,” the Reiner family friend told the Sun.
“The last thing the Reiners want is another killing in the face of this unbelievable tragedy, and that the death penalty would only bring more pain,” the friend added.
“It won’t bring back Rob and Michele.”
Romy and Jake Reiner were absent from their brother Nick Reiner’s brief court appearance on Tuesday but the source told the Sun they’d support their disturbed sibling if he were to plead not guilty by reason of insanity at his arraignment on Feb. 23.
The troubled middle child was reportedly “diagnosed with schizophrenia just weeks before the stabbings and was under close psychiatric care.”
Prior to the Dec. 14 bloodbath, doctors altered his meds, “which the family believes, triggered increasingly concerning behavior,” the Sun reported.
Nick Reiner, 32, has a well documented history of substance and mental health issues, with multiple rehab stints since age 15.
The Reiner family released a statement in the aftermath of the Dec. 14 double murder, asking 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.”
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman charged Reiner with two counts of murder with the “special circumstance allegation of multiple murders,” which keeps the death penalty on the table.
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However, Hochman has indicated that the family’s wishes will be a factor in the final sentencing approach.
Even if a death sentence were handed down, California remains under a moratorium established by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2019, making an eventual execution unlikely unless it’s lifted in the future.
