Nick Reiner — who is accused of fatally stabbing his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, at their home last month — allegedly suffered a mental breakdown in the weeks leading up to the killings after his schizoaffective medications were changed, sources told TMZ.
According to a report published on Thursday, January 8, Nick was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder around 2020. The condition is marked by a combination of schizophrenia symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions, along with mood disorder symptoms including depression, mania or hypomania, according to the Mayo Clinic.
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One month before December 14 — the day Rob and Michele were found stabbed to death in their Brentwood, California home — Nick was considered “stable” while taking his prescribed medications, the report states, citing sources. However, his doctors later decided to change the medications, a move sources claimed “makes no sense.”
The sudden change allegedly caused Nick to become “agitated, erratic, and increasingly dangerous,” according to the report. Sources claimed his parents were unsure how to handle the escalating situation.
Instagram/Michele Reiner
Although doctors attempted to adjust the medications again, they did not place Nick under a psychiatric hold, according to TMZ. The outlet added that Nick’s defense is expected to center on these circumstances, alleging he was sent “on a path that made him legally insane.”
The newly revealed details come just one day after Nick’s attorney, Alan Jackson, withdrew from his case. The 32-year-old has been charged with the murders of his parents.
During a brief press conference on Wednesday, January 7, Jackson said his decision to step down was due to “circumstances beyond our control, but more importantly circumstances beyond Nick’s control.”
Instagram/Michele Reiner
Jackson also reiterated his belief in his former client’s innocence. “What we’ve learned and you can take this to the bank, is that pursuant to the laws of this state, Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder,” he said. “Print that. We wish him the very very best moving forward.”
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