Autopsy reports into the deaths of the American film director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele have not yet been completed, a Los Angeles court heard on Wednesday, as the couple's son made a brief appearance charged with their murders.
Nick Reiner, who wore a yellow jail top and blue jail pants, faces two counts of first-degree murder over the double killing before Christmas.
The 32-year-old was arrested on 14 December after the bodies of his filmmaker father and his mother, the photographer and producer Michele Singer Reiner, were discovered at their home in the Brentwood neighbourhood of Los Angeles.
Prosecutors said 79-year-old Rob Reiner - who helmed huge hits including When Harry Met Sally and A Few Good Men - and his wife, 70, were stabbed to death.
Nick Reiner appeared on Wednesday for a hearing that had been intended to determine if there was enough evidence for him to stand trial.
However, attorneys said they were still gathering evidence, with a prosecutor telling the judge that autopsy reports were still pending.
Nick Reiner previously pleaded "not guilty" to the charges.
He was ordered to return to court on 15 September and remains in jail in the meantime.
If convicted as charged, Nick Reiner could face life in prison without parole or the death penalty, although California does not typically carry out capital punishment.
Last week, his brother paid tribute to the men's parents, calling their deaths "almost too impossible to process".
"We lost more than half of our family that night in the most violent way imaginable," Jake Reiner wrote in a Substack post, his first detailed public remarks about the killings.
Rob Reiner, the son of legendary comedian Carl Reiner, started his showbusiness career in acting.
He won fame as the oafish son-in-law Michael 'Meathead' Stivic on the groundbreaking 1970s sitcom All in the Family, before transitioning to directing.
As a director, he struck Hollywood gold.
His output included classic films like 1984's rock music mockumentary This is Spinal Tap, the fantasy gem The Princess Bride from 1987, and the seminal coming-of-age movie Stand by Me.
A Few Good Men, starring Hollywood heavyweights Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson, earned an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.
Source: AFP
