Famed defense attorney Alan Jackson stepped down Wednesday as counsel for Nick Reiner, who is awaiting trial in the murder of his parents, beloved Hollywood couple Rob and Michele Reiner.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe feel that we have no choice at this juncture, but to ask to be relieved,\u201d Jackson told L.A. County Superior Court Judge Theresa McGonigle. <\/p>\n
The Los Angeles County public defender\u2019s office stepped in to represent Reiner on two counts of murder in the December stabbing deaths of his parents inside their Brentwood home.<\/p>\n
Reiner\u2019s arraignment was postponed until Feb. 23 based on the change of counsel. His new attorney is Deputy Public Defender Kimberly Greene.<\/p>\n
The brief hearing played out before a packed courtroom filled by a crush of media and members of the public who came to observe Reiner\u2019s second appearance in court. Rumors that Jackson was dropping out of the case were whispered in the courthouse early Wednesday morning, as the chief spokeswoman for the L.A. County public defender\u2019s office was seen milling around outside the courtroom. <\/p>\n
Jackson and his team disappeared into McGonigle\u2019s chambers around 9:15 a.m. When he came out, several public defender\u2019s office officials could be seen sitting in the front row of the courtroom, and Jackson walked one of them over to speak with Reiner.<\/p>\n
Authorities allege Reiner fatally stabbed his 78-year-old father and 70-year-old mother sometime in the early morning hours at their Brentwood home on Dec. 14. Their bodies were discovered in the master bedroom by their daughter roughly 12 hours later, and Nick Reiner was arrested that night in South L.A. by Los Angeles police. <\/p>\n
A celebrated director and comedic actor, Rob Reiner was known for his work on iconic films, including \u201cWhen Harry Met Sally … ,\u201d \u201cStand By Me\u201d and \u201cThis Is Spinal Tap.\u201d Rob and Michele met on the set of \u201cWhen Harry Met Sally…\u201d, and Rob later said he changed the ending to have the central couple stay together after he fell in love with Michele during filming. The couple had three children together and Rob also has a daughter from a previous marriage.<\/p>\n
Nick Reiner\u2019s struggles with mental health and addiction issues are long documented. He had spoken publicly about getting sober<\/a> by 2015, when he worked with his father on \u201cBeing Charlie,\u201d a semi-autobiographical film about addiction and recovery that father and son co-wrote. Nick has also spoken on podcasts about hard drug use and destroying his parents\u2019 guest house while \u201ctotally spun out on uppers.\u201d He was living in the guest house at the time of the murders. <\/p>\n Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor who is not involved in the Reiner case, said following the change of counsel from Jackson on Wednesday: \u201cEither Nick can\u2019t pay him or they disagreed on strategy. It would be a seven-figure retainer and he doesn\u2019t have the money. If so, why would he be living in his parents\u2019 guest house?\u201d<\/p>\n Michael Goldstein, another prominent L.A. defense attorney, said: \u201cIt would be unfair to try and figure out what happened here but it is entirely possible a conflict arose between the client and Jackson. There are many incredibly talented attorneys in the public defender\u2019s office well-equipped to take over.\u201d<\/p>\n Los Angeles police twice visited the Reiners\u2019 home in 2019 to perform a welfare check and respond to a mental-health related call for service, according to records obtained by The Times. <\/a> <\/p>\n Police have not disclosed a motive in the killings, though family friends told The Times that Rob and Nick Reiner got into an argument at a holiday party at the home of talk show host Conan O\u2019Brien hours before the attack. <\/p>\n