A case that began with a daughter's discovery in a Brentwood home last December has now reached a formal indictment — one that adds a legal allegation carrying some of the most serious weight in California's criminal code.

Nick Reiner has been indicted on two counts of murder in the deaths of his parents, acclaimed director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Reiner, prosecutors announced Wednesday. The indictment includes special circumstance allegations of multiple murders and murder by means of lying in wait, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. Reiner also faces a special allegation that he used a knife, classified as a dangerous and deadly weapon, in the killings.

What Changed With This Indictment

The indictment itself was returned on July 20 and remained sealed until its release Wednesday. Reiner, 32, pleaded not guilty to the charges the same day and remains held without bond. His next scheduled court appearance is a pretrial hearing set for September 15.

The addition of the lying-in-wait allegation marks a meaningful escalation from where the case initially stood. Reiner had originally been charged with two counts of murder along with the special circumstance allegation of multiple murders and the weapon enhancement — but the new indictment's lying-in-wait allegation changes the legal trajectory of the case entirely, eliminating the preliminary hearing that had been scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.

How the Case Began

The Reiners' daughter discovered her parents stabbed to death in their Brentwood home on December 14, 2025, according to sources who spoke with ABC News.

Nick Reiner had reportedly been living on his parents' property at the time, according to a former family security guard, though he wasn't home when his parents were found. Law enforcement sources told ABC News he was taken into custody near the University of Southern California, in the Exposition Park area, in the aftermath of the discovery.

A Family History Marked by Public Struggle

Nick Reiner had spoken openly for years about battling drug addiction, a struggle that began when he was a teenager and became part of his public identity well before this case began. In 2016, he collaborated with his father on the film "Being Charlie," a project drawn heavily from his own experience with addiction — a rare instance of father and son turning a deeply personal struggle into shared creative work.

Rob Reiner's Legacy

Rob Reiner built a decades-long career as one of Hollywood's most recognizable directors, producers and actors, known for films including "The Princess Bride," "When Harry Met Sally...," "Stand By Me," "This Is Spinal Tap," and "A Few Good Men," among many others that helped define American filmmaking across multiple genres and generations.

What Happens Next

With the preliminary hearing now off the table and the case proceeding directly toward its September 15 pretrial hearing, the legal process against Nick Reiner enters a new phase — one now defined by allegations that carry significantly higher stakes than the charges he initially faced in the immediate aftermath of his parents' deaths.