Nick Reiner was expected to enter a plea to murder charges yesterday, but the arraignment was postponed after his lawyer withdrew from the case. Photo / Getty Images
Nick Reiner’s high-profile lawyer, Alan Jackson, has withdrawn from the case during a court hearing where Reiner had been expected to enter a plea for two first-degree murder charges in the fatal stabbing of his parents, the renowned film-maker Rob Reiner, 78, and photographer Michele Singer Reiner, 70.
Nick Reiner’s arraignment has been postponed until February 23, while a public defender takes over his case.
Jackson, a defence attorney who previously represented Kevin Spacey and Harvey Weinstein, asked to be removed from the case after a private discussion in Judge Theresa McGonigle’s chambers.
“Circumstances beyond our control, but more importantly circumstances beyond Nick’s control, have dictated that, sadly, [and] made it impossible for us to continue our representation of Nick,” he said at a news conference after the hearing, adding that he is “legally and … ethically prohibited from explaining all the reasons why”.
Jackson said he and his firm remain “deeply, deeply committed” to Reiner, and criticised what he characterised as media speculation about the case, which shocked people around the world after the elder Reiners – widely respected members of the Hollywood A-list – were found stabbed to death in the main bedroom of their Los Angeles home on December 14.
“Me and my team, we dropped everything for the last three weeks. We have devoted literally every waking hour to protecting Nick and his interests. We’ve investigated this matter top to bottom, back to front,” he said. “What we’ve learned, and you can take this to the bank, is that - pursuant to the laws of this state, pursuant to the law in California - Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder,” Jackson said. “Print that.”
A spokesperson representing Reiner family members, including Nick’s sister Romy and brother Jake, said “they have the utmost trust in the legal process and will not comment further on matters related to the legal proceedings”.
Reiner, 32, was arrested December 14 near the University of Southern California campus, hours after police found his parents’ bodies. He is being held in Twin Towers Correctional Facility without bail.
The Los Angeles County district attorney charged him two days later. If convicted, Reiner could face up to life in prison without parole or the death penalty, although no decision has been made yet about seeking a death sentence.
Reiner briefly made a court appearance the week of his arrest, but his arraignment was postponed at the request of Jackson.
“There are very, very complex and serious issues that are associated with this case. Those need to be thoroughly but very carefully dealt with,” Jackson added following that hearing.
On Wednesday, Reiner arrived at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in brown clothing and close-shaved hair, and briefly conferred with Jackson and other attorneys through plexiglass as he sat in an enclosed area for defendants.
After sitting down, Reiner quietly stared straight ahead, expressionless. His attorneys spoke to the judge briefly and intermittently conferred with Reiner before Jackson announced his withdrawal from the case.
Los Angeles County Public Defender Ricardo García appeared with Nick Reiner’s new attorney, Kimberly Greene, at a news conference after the hearing. He said they had learned only Tuesday night their office would be taking over Reiner’s case.
“We’ve had no contact with the family,” Greene said, adding that she will discuss Reiner’s plea with him but had spoken to the defendant only “for about 30 seconds this morning”.
In a statement for the prosecution, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman affirmed Reiner’s right to a lawyer “who will zealously represent [his] interests,” but added: “We are fully confident that a jury will convict Nick Reiner beyond a reasonable doubt of the brutal murders of his parents.”
For years, Reiner has struggled with drug abuse, with several stints in rehab. He also fought with his parents often. Being Charlie, the loosely autobiographical 2015 film based on his experiences that was co-written by Reiner and directed by his father, reflected their tense family dynamic. One of Reiner’s final arguments with his parents reportedly happened when he had been behaving strangely at a holiday party hosted by Conan O’Brien, according to a person with knowledge of the party, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic.
Jake Reiner, 34, and Romy Reiner, 28, wrote in a statement last month that “words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day. We are grateful for the outpouring of condolences, kindness, and support we have received not only from family and friends but people from all walks of life. 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”.
Other tributes had also poured in from close entertainer friends Billy and Janice Crystal, Martin Short and Larry David, and from Democratic political figures including Barack and Michelle Obama, Kamala Harris and Nancy Pelosi.
Rob Reiner won two Emmy Awards for his role in All in the Family. He also directed several critically acclaimed films such as This Is Spinal Tap, When Harry Met Sally … and The Princess Bride. Singer Reiner was a photographer known for taking Donald Trump’s photo for his 1987 book The Art of the Deal.
The Reiners, who met on the set of When Harry Met Sally … and were married for 36 years, collaborated on film projects and political activism, advocating for early-childhood education and the legalisation of same-sex marriage at the state and national levels.
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