Nick Reiner Loses Top Defense Lawyer as Attorney Steps Down from Case

Nick Reiner, the son of late actor and director Rob Reiner and photographer Michele Singer Reiner, will now be represented by a public defender after his high-profile lawyer, Alan Jackson, stepped down from the case.

The change was confirmed during a brief court hearing on Wednesday, where Reiner appeared in a brown jail uniform. His arraignment has been postponed until February 23.

During the hearing, the judge asked Reiner if he agreed to the change in legal representation. “Yeah, I agree to that,” he replied. Kimberly Greene will now serve as his defense attorney. Jackson gave no specific reason for withdrawing but stated, “With Mr. Reiner’s consent, we ask to withdraw as counsel of record… We feel we have no choice but to withdraw as counsel.”

Nick Reiner, 32, faces two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of his parents, Rob and Michele, who were found stabbed to death in their Brentwood home on December 14. LAPD Assistant Chief Dominic Choi told the police commission that the couple’s bodies were discovered in the master bedroom.

Reiner was arrested the same night near a gas station in downtown Los Angeles. The medical examiner confirmed that both parents died from multiple sharp-force injuries. Authorities said the alleged murder weapon was a knife.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman noted that the charges include the special circumstances of multiple murders involving a deadly weapon, which could make Reiner eligible for the death penalty. Hochman added that the office is still considering whether to pursue capital punishment. California Governor Gavin Newsom currently has a moratorium on executions.

Mental health may also be a factor in the case. Hochman declined to comment on whether Reiner has a history of mental illness but said any relevant evidence would be presented in court.

Reiner has a long history of struggling with addiction. In a 2016 interview with People, he revealed he entered rehab for the first time at age 15 and had been to more than a dozen treatment centers, experiencing periods of homelessness in multiple states. He later drew on his experiences to write the script for the 2016 film Being Charlie, which his father directed.

Nick has previously admitted to violent behavior during substance use. On the Dopey podcast in 2018, he described trashing his parents’ guest house while using cocaine. “I went ten rounds with my guest house… I literally punched the TV,” he said, adding that he couldn’t remember all the details of the incident. He also said he experienced a cocaine-induced heart attack during a flight to rehab.

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