The criminal defense lawyer representing Nick Reiner has withdrawn from the case, just weeks after prosecutors accused Reiner of killing his parents.
The 32-year-old son of Rob and Michele Reiner stands accused of stabbing them to death last month and appeared in court on Wednesday (January 7) as part of a hearing at the Los Angeles Superior Court.
Yet during the hearing, which saw Reiner enter no plea regarding the crimes he stands accused of, it was announced that his legal representation, Alan Jackson, had opted to remove himself from defending him.
Jackson is well known among US legal circuits for his high-profile defence of celebrities, including Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey, and it is understood that initially the Reiner family had asked for him to take on the case.
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Nick's change in representation reportedly has nothing to do with Jackson’s performance as legal counsel and instead hinges on Jackson himself remarking that ‘we feel we have no choice’ but to withdraw from the case.
No details about the reason behind the withdrawal have been revealed.
Considering the change to his representation, Judge Theresa McGonigle rescheduled Nick's arraignment for February 23 and assigned his case to Kimberly Greene, a lawyer in the public defender’s office.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Reiner family said, “They have the utmost trust in the legal process and will not comment further on matters related to the legal proceedings.”
Reiner currently stands accused of two counts of first-degree murder after his parents were found stabbed to death inside their home in Brentwood, Los Angeles, on December 14
The couple were thought to have been killed in the afternoon, with son Nick arrested on suspicion of the crime six hours later.
As the case involves multiple murders, if convicted, Reiner could be set to face the law’s most severe punishment of life imprisonment or even the death penalty.
However, the latter seems increasingly unlikely given Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2019 moratorium on executions in California, meaning the process of capital punishment has been suspended in the state.
During his initial court appearance on December 17, Jackson, who was still representing Reiner at the time, agreed to delay the arraignment so he could review more of the evidence, as there were ‘very complex and serious issues associated with this case’ that needed time to be examined.
In a statement, Ricardo D. Garcia, the L.A. County Public Defender, said that his office ‘recognizes what an unimaginable tragedy this is for the Reiner family and the Los Angeles community’
"Our hearts go out to the Reiner family as they navigate this difficult time. We ask for your patience and compassion as the case moves through the legal process, as these matters are complicated and require careful consideration," the statement added.
Topics: Rob Reiner, Celebrity, Crime
Phoebe Tonks