Defense lawyer Alan Jackson, who represented Nick Reiner after he was charged in the deaths of his parents last month, stepped down from the case on Wednesday just before the scheduled arraignment.
Reiner was set to be arraigned on two counts of first-degree murder for his alleged involvement in the stabbing deaths of Hollywood director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Reiner. However, the court hearing was postponed when Jackson made the unexpected announcement.
After speaking with the judge, Jackson said his legal team had “no choice” but to withdraw from the murder case.
At a subsequent press conference, the high-profile lawyer declared his former client is innocent.
“Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder,” Jackson told reporters. “Print that.”
His admission is in contrast to the position held by Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman, who believes Nick Reiner is guilty based on the evidence gathered so far.
“We are fully confident that a jury will convict Nick Reiner beyond a reasonable doubt of the brutal murder of his parents Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner,” Hochman said.
Jackson, who once represented Hollywood icons Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey, is being replaced by Kimberly Greene, a criminal defense attorney with the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office. Greene said she briefly spoke with Nick Reiner on Wednesday. The public defender’s office discovered late Tuesday that it would be taking up Nick Reiner’s case.
Nick Reiner did not enter a plea in the courtroom when his previous lawyer withdrew from the case. The defendant’s arraignment is rescheduled for Feb. 23.
After Jackson’s withdrawal from the case, a spokesperson for the Reiner family said that they trust the legal process and will not comment further on the legal proceedings.
Nick Reiner allegedly murdered his parents in their Los Angeles home on Dec. 14. He was arrested later that day and subsequently charged with first-degree murder after the victims’ bodies were discovered. The Los Angeles County medical examiner said the cause of death was “multiple sharp force injuries.”
The motive for the murders remains unclear, but reports indicate Nick Reiner’s prescribed medication for schizophrenia was changed or adjusted at some point before he allegedly killed his parents.
NICK REINER WEARS SUICIDE PREVENTION VEST TO FIRST COURT APPEARANCE IN PARENTS’ STABBING CASE
If convicted, Nick Reiner faces life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. Hochman has not commented on which option prosecutors are pursuing. While confident in a conviction, the district attorney recognizes the challenge in prosecuting this particular case.
“Prosecuting these cases involving family members are some of the most challenging and heart-wrenching cases that this office faces because of the intimate and often brutal nature of the crimes involved,” Hochman said last month as he announced the charges.