Nick Reiner smiled eerily in court today as his high-profile criminal defense lawyer sensationally removed himself from the case.
The dramatic departure suggests the Reiner family is stepping back from Nick and his legal battle, at least in terms of financial support, after the shocking murders of their parents
The 32-year-old appeared behind a glass screen in brown jail garb with a shaved head, staring blankly through proceedings and occasionally letting out a chilling grin.
He was scheduled to be arraigned on two counts of first-degree murder at Los Angeles Superior Court’s Stanley Mosk Courthouse and was widely expected to enter a not guilty plea by reason of insanity.
But his defense attorney, Alan Jackson – who famous client list has included Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey – stunned observers by announcing his sudden withdrawal.
Jackson is set to hold a press conference to explain his decision, leaving Reiner represented by a public defender.
Iconic director Rob Reiner, 78, and his wife Michele, 70, were found stabbed to death in their Brentwood home on December 14 after attending Conan O’Brien’s holiday party.
Nick – who had been battling mental health problems and drug addiction – was arrested within hours and charged with their murders.
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Nick appeared in the custody area of the Los Angeles courtroom in shackles as attorneys went into the judge’s chambers to confer before his case was called.
He repeatedly smiled as he scanned the packed courtroom.
Judge Theresa McGonigle allowed cameras in the courtroom but prohibited photographs of the defendant.
The appearance comes three-and-a-half weeks after his parents were found dead with stab wounds in their home in the upscale Brentwood section of Los Angeles.
Nick, the third of Rob Reiner’s four children, was arrested hours later and has been held without bail since.
He was charged two days later with two counts of first-degree murder.
He did not enter a plea during a brief first court appearance December 17, when he wore shackles and a suicide prevention smock.
He was not wearing that smock Wednesday.
Jackson has given no indication of the plans for Nick’s defense.
Nearly all defendants in criminal cases enter a plea at this stage. Nick’s new public defendant could also ask for another delay before a plea is entered.
If Nick Reiner pleads not guilty, the case would normally head toward a preliminary hearing to determine whether there is enough evidence for him to stand trial. His mental competence for trial could also be a factor.
A decade ago, Nick publicly discussed his severe struggles with addiction and mental health after making a movie with his father, ‘Being Charlie,’ that was very loosely based on their lives.
The LA County Medical Examiner said in initial findings that they died from ‘multiple sharp force injuries,’ but released no other details, and police have said nothing about possible motives.
Jackson is a high-profile defense attorney and former LA County prosecutor who represented Harvey Weinstein at his Los Angeles trial and Karen Read at her intensely followed trials in Massachusetts.
After the initial Reiner hearing, Jackson called the case ‘a devastating tragedy.’ He said the proceedings will be very complex and asked that the circumstances be met ‘not with a rush to judgment.’
The counts against Reiner come with special circumstances of multiple murders and an allegation that he used a dangerous weapon, a knife. The additions could mean a greater sentence.
Prosecutors have said they have not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty.
The prosecution is being led by Deputy District Attorney Habib Balian, whose recent cases included the Menendez brothers’ attempt at resentencing and the trial of Robert Durst.
Rob Reiner was a prolific director whose work included some of the most memorable and endlessly watchable movies of the 1980s and ’90s. His credits included ‘This is Spinal Tap,’ ‘Stand By Me,’ ‘A Few Good Men,’ and ‘When Harry Met Sally,’ during whose production he met Michele Singer, a photographer, and married her soon after.
