Famed defense attorney Alan Jackson stepped down Wednesday as the defense attorney for Nick Reiner, who is awaiting trial in the murder of his parents, beloved Hollywood couple Rob and Michele Reiner.
“We feel that we have no choice at this juncture, but to ask to be relieved,” Jackson told L.A. County Superior Court Judge Theresa McGonigle.
The Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office stepped in to represent Reiner on two counts of murder in the December stabbing deaths of his parents inside their Brentwood home.
Reiner’s arraignment was postponed until Feb. 23 based on the change of counsel. His new attorney is Deputy Public Defender Kimberly Greene.
The brief hearing played out before a packed courtroom filled by a crush of media and members of the public who came to observe Reiner’s second appearance in court. Rumors that Jackson was dropping out of the case were whispered in the courthouse early Wednesday morning, as the chief spokeswoman for the L.A. County Public Defender’s Office was seen milling around outside the courtroom.
Jackson and his team disappeared into McGonigle’s chambers around 9:15 a.m. When he came out, several public defender’s office officials could be seen sitting in the front row of the courtroom, and Jackson walked one of them over to speak with Reiner.
Authorities allege Reiner fatally stabbed his 78-year-old father and 70-year-old mother sometime in the early morning hours at their Brentwood home on December 14. Their bodies were discovered in the master bedroom by their daughter roughly 12 hours later, and Nick Reiner was arrested that night in South L.A. by Los Angeles police.
A beloved director and comedic actor, Rob Reiner was known for his work on iconic films, including “When Harry Met Sally … ,” an adaptation of Stephen King’s “Stand By Me” and the mockumentary “This Is Spinal Tap.” Rob and Michele met on the set of “When Harry Met Sally…”, and Rob would later say he changed the ending to have the central couple stay together after falling in love with Michele during filming. The couple had three children together and Rob also has a daughter from his previous marriage.
Nick Reiner’s struggles with mental health and addiction issues are long documented. He had spoken publicly about getting sober by 2015, when he worked with his father on “Being Charlie,” a semi-autobiographical film about addiction and recovery that father and son co-wrote. Nick has also spoken on podcasts about hard drug use and destroying his parents guest house while “totally spun out on uppers.” He was living in the guest house at the time of the murders.
Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor who is not involved in the Reiner case, said following the change of counsel from Jackson on Wednesday, “Either Nick can’t pay him or they disagreed on strategy. It would be a seven-figure retainer and he doesn’t have the money. If so, why would he be living in his parents’ guest house?”
Michael Goldstein, another prominent L.A. defense attorney, said, “It would be unfair to try and figure out what happened here but it is entirely possible a conflict arose between the client and Jackson. There are many incredibly talented attorneys in the Public Defender’s office well equipped to take over.”
Los Angeles police twice visited the Reiners’ home in 2019 to perform a welfare check and respond to a mental-health related call for service, according to records obtained by The Times.
Police have not disclosed a motive in the killings, though family friends told The Times that Rob and Nick Reiner got into an argument at a holiday party at the home of talk show host Conan O’Brien hours before the attack.
It is unclear how prominent of a role Reiner’s struggles will play in any criminal proceedings. Nick Reiner did not enter a plea during his initial court appearance last month and appeared to be wearing a suicide prevention vest given to L.A. County inmates who are at risk of self-harm.
The post Nick Reiner returns to court, swaps high-powered lawyer for public defender appeared first on Los Angeles Times.
