The Reiner Murders | The Trial Of Nick Reiner

Alan Jackson quit as Nick Reiner's attorney today. But before he left, he delivered a statement that will define this case: "Pursuant to the laws of California, Nick Reiner is NOT guilty of murder. Print that."

That's not a withdrawal. That's a roadmap — one Jackson can no longer follow.

This comprehensive breakdown examines the three legal battles ahead for Nick Reiner. First: competency. Can Nick even participate in his own defense? Sources say he was being treated for schizophrenia, with medication changes in the weeks before the killings. If found incompetent, the criminal case pauses until he's restored. Second: the guilt phase, where the jury decides if he committed the act. Third: the sanity trial — where Jackson's words would have applied.

California uses the M'Naghten Rule, one of the strictest insanity standards in the country. The defense must prove Nick couldn't understand what he was doing or couldn't distinguish right from wrong at the exact moment of the crime. Having schizophrenia isn't enough. Having a diagnosis isn't enough. Less than one percent of defendants plead insanity. About a quarter succeed.

We examine who's taking over — the LA County Public Defender's Office, led by Ricardo Garcia, with one of the best capital case records in the country. We look at what happens if the defense succeeds: commitment to a state psychiatric hospital, potentially for life, in facilities where the DOJ found civil rights violations and patient murders.

The Reiners spent seventeen years trying to save their son. More than a dozen rehab programs. Seventy thousand dollars a month. None of it mattered. Now the state of California will make the permanent decision they never could.

#NickReiner #RobReiner #MicheleSingerReiner #ReinerCase #InsanityDefense #CaliforniaLaw #MNaghtenRule #MurderTrial #LegalAnalysis #TrueCrime

Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISDOES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/

Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod
X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod

Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

This is the defense that will define Nick Reiner's future — and it almost never works.

Alan Jackson spent three weeks investigating Nick's case before withdrawing. His parting statement made his strategy clear: "Nick Reiner is NOT guilty of murder under California law." That's code for insanity defense. And now public defender Kimberly Greene has to build it from scratch.

Here's what we know: Nick was reportedly being treated for schizophrenia at the time he allegedly killed his parents, director Rob Reiner and philanthropist Michele Singer Reiner. Sources tell NBC4 about the diagnosis. TMZ reports schizoaffective disorder. Multiple outlets confirm his medication was changed weeks before January 6th, and his behavior became "erratic and dangerous."

But California's insanity standard doesn't care about diagnosis. It cares about one moment — the instant of the crime. Under the M'Naghten Rule, the defense must prove Nick either didn't understand what he was doing or couldn't distinguish right from wrong at that precise time.

Attorney and former prosecutor Eric Faddis joins us for a deep dive into how this defense works — and whether Nick's case fits. We examine the two-phase trial process, how medication changes affect the legal argument, and what prosecutors will use against him.

Sources say Nick attended a Christmas party days before the killings and was coherent enough to have conversations. That's exactly the kind of evidence that sinks insanity defenses.

We also discuss Nick's documented history of cocaine and stimulant abuse — and how California law treats mental illness complicated by addiction.

Less than one percent of defendants plead insanity. Here's whether Nick Reiner could be one of the few who succeeds.

#NickReiner #RobReiner #MicheleSingerReiner #InsanityDefense #ReinerCase #Schizophrenia #CaliforniaLaw #MNaghtenRule #MurderTrial #LegalDeepDive

Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISDOES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/

Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod
X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod

Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

The defense strategy in the Nick Reiner murder case just hit a wall — and then pivoted in public.

Alan Jackson, who was retained as Nick's attorney within hours of his arrest for allegedly killing his parents Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, withdrew from the case today. He told the judge he had "no choice" due to circumstances "beyond Nick's control." Sources tell Deadline the reason is money.

But Jackson didn't leave quietly. On the courthouse steps, he delivered what sounded like a preview of the defense Nick will never get from him: "Pursuant to the laws of California, Nick Reiner is NOT guilty of murder. Print that."

That's a clear signal — Jackson believes an insanity defense could work. His team investigated for three weeks, issued ten subpoenas that are now sealed, and worked "every waking hour." Now all of that belongs to history, and public defender Kimberly Greene is starting from scratch.

Greene met Nick for approximately thirty seconds before the hearing. She told reporters she'd had no contact with the Reiner family and wasn't sure they even knew Jackson was withdrawing.

In this deep-dive episode, attorney and former prosecutor Eric Faddis breaks down what went wrong, what happens to Jackson's work product, and whether Nick actually loses anything by switching to the public defender's office — which has a remarkable capital case record.

We also examine how this affects the prosecution strategy. Deputy DA Habib Balian is on the case — the same prosecutor who handled Menendez and Durst. Does chaos on the defense side give him an advantage?

Arraignment: February 23rd. No plea entered. Everything is in flux.

#NickReiner #RobReiner #MicheleSingerReiner #ReinerMurders #AlanJackson #ReinerCase #MurderTrial #InsanityDefense #TrueCrime #LegalAnalysis

Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISDOES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/

Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod
X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod

Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

Rob and Michele Reiner spent seventeen years trying to save their son Nick. They didn’t fail him. The system failed all of them.

Psychotherapist Shavaun Scott joins us for a comprehensive examination of the Reiner family tragedy — not to judge, but to understand what this family was dealing with and why so many others are facing the same impossible situation.

Rob Reiner spoke openly about feeling helpless. About trusting doctors who couldn’t deliver results. About fearing that the tragic ending he dreaded was inevitable. Michele reportedly told a friend she didn’t know what else they could do. These weren’t parents who gave up. These were parents who tried everything and ran out of options.

Shavaun explains what families experience when someone they love has a severe mental illness like schizophrenia. The guilt. The fear. The exhaustion. The desperate hope that this treatment, this program, this medication will finally be the one that works. She explains why addiction treatment fails when psychosis is underneath, why dual diagnosis is so difficult to treat, and what happens when medication changes go wrong.

Sources say Nick became unstable after a medication change weeks before the killings. Conservatorship proceedings were reportedly underway when Rob and Michele died. They were finally trying to take legal action — and they ran out of time.

This interview is for everyone who has watched this case and recognized their own family’s struggle. For everyone who has loved someone with mental illness and felt powerless. For everyone who knows that money and love aren’t enough when the system offers no real help.

#RobReiner #MicheleReiner #NickReiner #ShavaunScott #ReinerCase #Schizophrenia #MentalHealth #FamilyTragedy #MentalHealthCrisis #TrueCrime

Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISDOES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/

Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod
X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod

Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

The biggest development in the Nick Reiner case since his arrest. Alan Jackson — the high-profile defense attorney who took Nick's case three weeks ago — withdrew this morning, telling the judge he had "no choice."

Nick Reiner now has a public defender. Her name is Kimberly Greene. She has nineteen years of experience. She was informed last night that Jackson was stepping aside. She had thirty seconds to meet her new client before the hearing began.

Jackson held a press conference outside the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center. He said his team had investigated the case "top to bottom, back to front" over the past three weeks. He said they'd devoted "literally every waking hour" to protecting Nick. And he said something that should be noted carefully: "Pursuant to the laws of this state, pursuant to the law in California, Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder. Print that."

He's signaling that the insanity defense has merit. That the evidence supports it. That he believes it would succeed.

But he's not the one who will argue it anymore.

Jackson said "circumstances beyond Nick's control" forced his withdrawal. He said he's "legally and ethically prohibited" from explaining why. Sources tell Deadline that money is the likely reason — that the funding apparently dried up.

The Reiner family released a statement saying they have "utmost trust in the legal process." Public Defender Kimberly Greene said she'd had no contact with the family and didn't think they were aware Jackson was withdrawing.

Nick's arraignment is now February 23rd. He remains in jail without bail. And for the first time, he'll face the justice system without the resources that protected him for seventeen years.

#RobReiner #MicheleReiner #NickReiner #AlanJackson #ReinerCase #PublicDefender #KimberlyGreene #MurderCharges #TrueCrime #Arraignment

Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISDOES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/

Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod
X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod

Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

Rob and Michele Reiner were scared of their son. Sources confirm it. They knew about the violent outbursts, the aggression, the unpredictability. Michele reportedly told a friend, "I don't know what else we can do." A law enforcement source says conservatorship proceedings were underway at the time of the deaths.

And still, Nick lived in their guest house. Still, they took him to a holiday party the night before they were killed. Still, they slept in a bedroom he could access anytime.

Why couldn't they protect themselves from someone they loved?

Psychotherapist Shavaun Scott joins us to examine the psychology of families living with a dangerous member. She explains why people minimize risk from those closest to them, what cognitive mechanisms prevent protective action, and the particular blindness that comes from parental love.

This episode traces the violence trajectory in Nick's case. What did escalation look like? What warning signs were visible — from childhood disruption to the confrontation at Conan O'Brien's party hours before the killings? And what should have triggered intervention along the way?

Shavaun also addresses how mental health professionals assess violence risk, why conservatorship so often comes too late, and the uncomfortable tension between destigmatizing mental illness and acknowledging that some presentations are genuinely dangerous.

The Reiners sensed the danger. They couldn't — or wouldn't — act on it. This episode examines why.

#RobReiner #MicheleReiner #NickReiner #ShavaunScott #ReinerCase #WarningSigns #ViolenceRisk #MentalHealth #Psychology #TrueCrime

Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISDOES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/

Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod
X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod

Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

Rob Reiner once said that the family listened to professionals with "diplomas on their wall" instead of listening to Nick when he said treatment wasn't working. Maybe there was a reason it wasn't working. Maybe the treatment was never right to begin with.

According to multiple reports, Nick Reiner was diagnosed with schizophrenia — a serious psychotic disorder — years before the killings. But for a long time, the focus was on addiction. Eighteen rehab programs. Hundreds of thousands of dollars. All aimed at substance abuse.

What if the substances were never the core problem?

Psychotherapist Shavaun Scott joins us to examine what the Reiner family may have actually been dealing with. She explains what schizophrenia is — clinically, not cinematically. How it affects the brain. How it distorts perception. How it often co-occurs with substance abuse. And how, in many cases, the drug use is actually an attempt to self-medicate symptoms of a disorder the person doesn't even know they have.

Shavaun breaks down why schizophrenia gets missed in teenagers who are using drugs, what happens when someone with a psychotic disorder goes through traditional addiction treatment, and why dual-diagnosis care is different from what most facilities actually provide.

We also examine the medication change that occurred weeks before the killings. Sources say Nick became "out of his head" after the switch. Shavaun explains what destabilization looks like, why medication transitions are dangerous, and what should have been done differently.

#RobReiner #NickReiner #Schizophrenia #ShavaunScott #ReinerCase #MentalHealth #DualDiagnosis #Addiction #Psychology #TrueCrime

Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISDOES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/

Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod
X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod

Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

Nick Reiner was thirty-two years old. He lived in his parents' guest house. He received a ten-thousand-dollar monthly allowance. He hadn't held steady employment. His parents had funded eighteen trips to rehab, paid for seventy-thousand-dollar-a-month treatment facilities, and made a feature film together about his addiction struggles.

And then, according to prosecutors, he stabbed them to death in their bedroom.

This is a case about family dynamics as much as it is about crime. Psychotherapist Shavaun Scott joins True Crime Today to examine the Reiner family system — how it functioned, how it failed, and why loving parents sometimes enable the very destruction they're trying to prevent.

We explore the psychology of codependency in families with an addicted or mentally ill member. Why did Rob and Michele keep writing checks when nothing was working? What was the experience of the other Reiner children — Jake, Romy, and Tracy — watching their brother consume all the family's attention and resources? Why couldn't the Reiners set boundaries with Nick even when they were reportedly afraid of him?

Shavaun explains how entire families reorganize around one person's chaos, why guilt and fear drive enabling behavior, and the dangerous gap between what parents say they believe and how they actually act. She also examines what's happening now — why the surviving siblings are reportedly funding Nick's defense with estate money. Is this loyalty? Grief? Or the family pattern continuing beyond the grave?

#NickReiner #RobReiner #MicheleReiner #ShavaunScott #TrueCrimeToday #Codependency #Enabling #FamilyDynamics #TrueCrime #Psychology

Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISDOES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/

Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod
X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod

Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

The question haunting this case isn't what happened on December 14th. It's why no one could prevent it.

An LAPD insider told reporters there had been "quite a few calls for service" to Rob and Michele Reiner's Brentwood home over the years. A neighbor said Nick had been violent before. Nick himself admitted — on tape, in interviews and podcasts — to manipulating his parents and gaming every treatment program meant to help him. Seventeen rehab stints by age 22. Seventeen failures.

And the night before his parents were found dead, Rob Reiner reportedly looked at friends and said: "I'm petrified of Nick. I think my own son can hurt me."

Everyone knew. No one could act.

California's Lanterman-Petris-Short Act protects the civil liberties of mentally ill adults — but it leaves families with almost no options when those adults become dangerous. You can't force someone into treatment unless they're an imminent threat. The 5150 hold gives you 72 hours before they can refuse treatment and leave. Conservatorship requires years of court battles and is only granted in the most extreme cases.

Rob and Michele did everything parents could do. They spent millions. They kept Nick close when the alternative was homelessness. They tried to be his safety net. And on December 14th, their son allegedly stabbed them to death.

Bob Motta joins us for a full examination of the years before the crime. The warning signs. The repeated police calls. The system that keeps failing families like the Reiners. And the question millions of parents are asking right now: what are we supposed to do when we can see what's coming but can't stop it?

#NickReiner #RobReiner #MicheleReiner #ReinerMurders #WarningSigns #MentalHealthLaw #LPSAct #BrentwoodMurder #FamilyTragedy #TrueCrime

Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISDOES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/

Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod
X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod

Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

When Nick Reiner enters his plea on Tuesday, the legal battle over what happened in that Brentwood bedroom will officially begin. Two counts of first-degree murder. Special circumstances. A potential sentence of life without parole — or death.

His defense attorney, Alan Jackson, has made the strategy clear without saying it outright. Mental health will be the centerpiece of this case. Nick was diagnosed with schizophrenia. His medication was changed weeks before the killings. A sealed court order has already been signed regarding his psychiatric condition.

The insanity defense is coming. But California makes it extraordinarily difficult to win.

The M'Naghten standard requires the defense to prove — by a preponderance of evidence — that Nick either didn't understand he was killing his parents or didn't know that killing them was wrong. Not that he was mentally ill. Not that he was in a psychotic state. The question is narrow and specific.

And there's a complication prosecutors will exploit. Nick Reiner spent seventeen years demonstrating exactly how well he understood manipulation. He admitted on podcasts to gaming rehab programs. He convinced his parents to trust him over every expert who warned them. He created the conditions that put him in that guesthouse.

Can a man who spent nearly two decades making calculated choices claim he didn't know what he was doing on one December morning?

Bob Motta walks us through every element of the insanity defense — how it's proven, how it's challenged, and what happens if it succeeds. This is the most comprehensive legal breakdown of the Nick Reiner case you'll find.

#NickReiner #RobReiner #MicheleReiner #ReinerMurders #InsanityDefense #AlanJackson #BrentwoodMurder #CaliforniaLaw #TrueCrime #LegalAnalysis

Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISDOES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/

Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod
X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod

Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872