Nick Reiner gives ‘sinister smile' during court appearance: Here's the truth

Nick Reiner maintained his innocence during his latest appearance in a Los Angeles court, February 23.

However, after pleading not guilty to murdering his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, the cameras present in the courtroom caught the defendant with a peculiar expression.

Letting slip an unexpected smirk during the public appearance, Nick was caught composing himself soon after.

Body language expert Susan Constantine has now detailed the move in an interview with Page Six.

“There is a really interesting smirk where his head goes down and then he smiles,” she said.

The expert characterised the shocking moment as “a form of leakage”, which was further described as “duper’s delight”.

“Duper’s delight is when a person gets a sense of rush or enjoyment,” Susan explained. “You will see that it’s almost like a sinister smile and it kind of leaks out at the most inappropriate moments.”

“It was an unconscious smirk of a sense of enjoyment or elation or excitement,” she continued, while adding that once the accused became “consciously aware” of his action, he quickly “changed his behavior.”

Further reflecting on Nick Reiner’s physical appearance in the courtroom, Susan Constantine noted, “His forehead shows a lot of worry. His eyes show paranoia and fear — high levels of it. An intensity level of it.”

Nick was taken into custody after fleeing the scene of his parents’ murder in December 2025, and subsequently charged with two counts of first-degree murder, including one for a special circumstance of multiple murders.

He first appeared for his arraignment last month, while his next court appearance is scheudled for April 29.