“There are very, very complex and serious issues that are associated with this case. These need to be thoroughly but very carefully dealt with and examined and looked at and analysed.”
A growing makeshift memorial with flowers, candles and a letter are seen on the Hollywood Walk of Fame’s Star of the late US actor and director Rob Reiner. Photo / Frederic J Brown, AFP
Jackson has so far refused to say who hired him.
If convicted, Reiner could face life in prison without parole or the death penalty, although California does not routinely carry out capital punishment.
Reiner was arrested on Sunday after the bodies of his 78-year-old film-maker father and mother, photographer Michele Singer Reiner, 70, were discovered at their home in the upmarket Brentwood neighbourhood of Los Angeles.
Prosecutors said Rob Reiner – who directed huge hits including When Harry Met Sally and A Few Good Men – and his wife were stabbed to death.
Timeline
On Wednesday, a picture began to emerge of the timeline of a weekend that has left Hollywood in shock.
According to US media reports, Nick Reiner, who lived in a guest property at his parents’ home, had attended a glitzy Hollywood party hosted by comedian Conan O’Brien on Saturday, where some attendees spoke of his behaving erratically.
Defence attorney Alan Jackson speaks to the press outside Los Angeles Superior Court. Photo / Caroline Brehman, AFP
The New York Times, citing a source close to the family, said the couple had been due to dine with former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle on Sunday evening, and had seemingly booked a massage appointment for that day.
The paper said a therapist who arrived at the house had been unable to get an answer, so had contacted the couple’s daughter, Romy Reiner.
When she arrived with a friend, she discovered her father’s body, and emergency services were called. Paramedics told her that her mother’s body was also at the property.
Entertainment outlet TMZ reported that Nick Reiner had checked in to a Santa Monica hotel early on Sunday morning.
At a press conference this week, investigators declined to say what time they believed the couple had died.
Police arrested Reiner several kilometres away from the scene of the crime late on Sunday evening.
‘Devastating’
In a statement, Jake and Romy Reiner said the death of their parents was “horrific and devastating”.
“Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day,” the statement said.
“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.
“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.”
Jake and Romy Reiner have said the death of their parents is “horrific and devastating”. Photo / Getty
Rob Reiner, the son of legendary comedian Carl Reiner, started his showbiz career in acting.
He won fame as the oafish son-in-law Michael “Meathead” Stivic on groundbreaking 1970s sitcom All in the Family, before transitioning to directing. Even while leading behind the camera, he often appeared in cameo roles in his own films.
As a director, he struck Hollywood gold.
His output included classic films like 1984’s rock music mockumentary This is Spinal Tap, fantasy gem The Princess Bride from 1987, and 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.
– Agence France-Presse