Nick Reiner’s lawyer says he has ‘no choice’ but to quit ahead of murder plea

Nick Reiner’s lawyer, Alan Jackson, has removed himself from the ongoing murder trial of Michele and Rob Reiner.

The filmmaker, 78, and his wife, 70, were found dead in their Los Angeles home on December 14.

The couple’s 32-year-old son – who had battled addiction and was reportedly being treated for schizophrenia – has been charged with their murders.

Reiner was in court today and expected to enter a plea on the two counts of first-degree murder but the hearing took a turn.

His lawyer, who previously represented Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey, confirmed: ‘We feel we have no choice but to withdraw’.

Jackson spoke outside the courthouse, stating that it was due to ‘circumstances beyond our control’ and ‘more importantly, beyond Nick’s control.’

He noted that legally he could not share any further details but said his team was ‘deeply, deeply committed’ to Reiner’s best interests.

‘In fact, we’re not just convinced, but we know that the legal process will reveal the true facts surrounding this case,’ Jackson continued.

‘We dropped everything and we’ve devoted literally every hour to protecting Nick,’ he said. ‘We’ve investigated this matter top to bottom, back to front.

‘What we’ve learned, and you can take this to the bank, that pursuant to the laws of this state Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder. We wish him the best moving forward.’

The Public Defenders’ Office are set to take over from now on, with Ricardo Garcia and Kimberley Green now assigned to the case.

Garcia said they are ‘We are incredibly sorry for the pain and suffering the family is going through right now.’

They asked for patience and understanding, with Green sharing that she had only briefly spoken to Reiner that morning.

The family were not informed of the change but the public defenders added that this kind of change is not uncommon.

Nathan Hochman, the LA district attorney, said: ‘In our criminal justice system, every defendant is entitled to a lawyer, and we will make sure he gets that lawyer.

‘We will make sure they will get full discovery that pertains to the facts of this case to effectively represent their client in a court of law.

‘We are fully confident a jury will convict Nick of the brutal murder of his parents and will do so unanimously.’

Deadline reported that the lawyers spoke with Nick and the judge for 10 minutes before returning to the courtroom.

No reason was given for this withdrawal, and the case was pushed back until February 23 to which Nick said: ‘Yes, I agree.’

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.’

Last month, Jackson spoke outside the court, calling it a case comprised of ‘complex and serious issues’ and urged the public not to ‘rush to judgement’.

The director and his wife’s deaths have both been ruled homicides, and People revealed their deaths were caused ‘with [a] knife, by another.’

The time between the onset of injuries and death is also listed as ‘minutes.’

Their other children, Romy and Jake, previously remembered the Princess Bride filmmaker and his wife as their ‘best friends’.

They said in a statement: ‘Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day.

‘The horrific and devastating loss of our parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, is something that no one should ever experience.

‘They weren’t just our parents; they were our best friends.’

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