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Nick Reiner is assembling a new team. During an appearance in a Los Angeles courtroom on January 7, the 32-year-old's lawyer, Alan Jackson, announced his withdrawal from the case, according to an MS NOW reporter in the courtroom, leaving Nick's case temporarily in the hands of a public defender.
Nick's plea to two counts of first-degree murder with a special circumstance of multiple murders following the deaths of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner, was not entered due to the change in counsel. His arraignment has been rescheduled for February 23.
Following the news, Nick's family issued a statement to E! News saying, "They have the utmost trust in the legal process and will not comment further on matters related to the legal proceedings."
Rob, 78, and Michele, 70, were discovered dead in their Los Angeles home on the afternoon of December 14. Approximately six hours later, police arrested Nick near the University of Southern California and charged him with their murders.
On December 16, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office charged Nick Reiner with the deaths of his parents, director Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner, as well as a special allegation of using a knife as a dangerous weapon. The disappearance of the couple shocked Hollywood, with tributes from friends like Jane Fonda and Tracy Reiner expressing their grief. Fonda noted she had seen them the night before their bodies were discovered, while Tracy conveyed her disbelief at the tragedy.
The Reiners are survived by their children, Jake and Romy. In previous weeks, Nick had reportedly been in a loving relationship with his parents, as shared by family friend Barry Markowitz, who recounted a pleasant visit. Nick, who has struggled with drug addiction since adolescence—having undergone 18 rehab stints—previously linked his issues to the pressure of growing up in a famous family. He eventually got clean after a period of rehabilitation but faced a serious relapse around 2017, which he described as a "cocaine heart attack," resulting from reconnecting with a former dealer and returning to drug use.
