Everything we covered this week on the Nick Reiner case — the dramatic defense shakeup, the warning signs that stretched back years, and the system that left Rob and Michele Reiner with no options.

Alan Jackson is out. The million-dollar defense attorney who got Karen Read acquitted told the court he had "no choice" but to withdraw, citing circumstances "beyond Nick's control." Sources say money ran out. For seventeen years, Rob and Michele Reiner wrote checks — eighteen rehab programs, seventy thousand dollars a month in treatment, a ten-thousand-dollar monthly allowance, a rent-free guesthouse. Sources said estate funds were still paying for Nick's elite defense after their deaths. That's over now. Deputy Public Defender Kimberly Greene was informed last night, met Nick for thirty seconds, and now carries a case that will define careers. Arraignment postponed to February 23rd.

But this week we also examined what everyone saw coming. A neighbor said this wasn't the first time Nick had been violent. An LAPD insider confirmed multiple calls for service to the Reiner home. The night before December 14th, Nick was reportedly so erratic at Conan O'Brien's Christmas party that guests were unnerved. Rob allegedly told friends: "I'm petrified of Nick. I think my own son can hurt me." Twelve hours later, Rob and Michele were stabbed to death in their bedroom.

Bob Motta joined us to examine the warning signs and the legal barriers that prevented intervention. California's LPS Act requires imminent danger — not probable, not deteriorating. For the first time in thirty-two years, Nick Reiner faces the justice system without unlimited resources. Some tragedies are preventable. Some aren't.

#NickReiner #RobReiner #MicheleReiner #AlanJackson #KimberlyGreene #BobMotta #LPSAct #ReinerCase #MentalHealthCrisis #WeekInReview

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Everything we covered this week on the Nick Reiner case — the legal strategy, the family's impossible position, and the systemic failures that left Rob and Michele Reiner trapped.

Nick Reiner faces two counts of first-degree murder in the stabbing deaths of his parents, legendary filmmaker Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner. The defense has made clear mental health is central to the case. Sources confirm Nick was diagnosed with schizophrenia years ago. His medication was reportedly changed in the weeks before the killings. A sealed medical order has been signed by the judge. All indicators point to a not guilty by reason of insanity plea.

Defense attorney Bob Motta broke down exactly what that means under California law. The state uses the M'Naghten standard — one of the strictest insanity tests in the country. The defense must prove Nick either didn't understand the nature of his actions or didn't know they were wrong. The burden falls entirely on the defense, not prosecutors. Bob explained what evidence matters, how these defenses are constructed, and what happens to Nick if it succeeds.

We also examined the question prosecutors will hammer: Nick's own podcast admissions show seventeen years of deliberate manipulation — gaming seventeen rehab programs by age 22, convincing his parents to dismiss expert advice, engineering the living arrangement that put him in their guesthouse. Can calculated choices over nearly two decades coexist with a claim of legal insanity?

Rob reportedly told friends the night before he died: "I'm petrified of Nick. I think my own son can hurt me." California's Lanterman-Petris-Short Act made involuntary commitment nearly impossible. Keep him close and pray. Or let him go and watch him die slowly. That's not a system. That's a death sentence disguised as compassion.

#NickReiner #RobReiner #MicheleReiner #InsanityDefense #BobMotta #CaliforniaLaw #MentalHealth #ReinerCase #WeekInReview #TrueCrime

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Nick Reiner needs money. A lot of it. He's facing two counts of first-degree murder. He just lost his high-profile attorney. And he's now being represented by a public defender who had less than 24 hours to prepare.

Meanwhile, his parents' estate — estimated at $200 million — sits untouched.

California's slayer statute says you can't inherit from someone you killed. It's supposed to be straightforward. But there's a catch: the statute only bars inheritance for "felonious and intentional" killings. Nick hasn't been convicted. And if his defense was headed toward an insanity plea — which Alan Jackson strongly hinted at before withdrawing — there's a legal question that hasn't been answered: Does an NGRI verdict exempt someone from the slayer statute?

If Nick is found not guilty by reason of insanity, he technically didn't "intend" to kill anyone. Does that mean he could still inherit?

Estate lawyers say this is largely untested. But it raises serious questions about why the family reportedly funded an insanity-focused defense in the first place — and why they stopped.

In this episode, we break down Nick's legal options for accessing the estate, explain what his siblings can do to block him, and examine why losing Alan Jackson may have closed the only door Nick had left.

$200 million. No lawyer. No income. What happens now?

#NickReiner #RobReiner #MicheleReiner #ReinerMurderCase #SlayerStatute #InsanityDefense #AlanJackson #Parricide #TrueCrime #ReinerFamily

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This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.

Attorney and former prosecutor Eric Faddis joins us to analyze the legal strategy behind two high-profile insanity defenses — and the judges caught in the middle of both cases.

Nick Reiner's defense attorney Alan Jackson just quit the case after three weeks, but not before telling reporters that Nick is "NOT guilty of murder" under California law. He's signaling an insanity defense built on Nick's reported schizophrenia diagnosis and a medication change that allegedly caused his behavior to become "erratic and dangerous" in the weeks before his parents were killed. But California's M'Naghten standard is brutal — the defense must prove Nick couldn't understand what he was doing or couldn't tell right from wrong at the exact moment of the crime. Eric explains how this two-phase trial works, what happens when a public defender inherits a capital case mid-investigation, and whether the facts here are too messy to meet the legal threshold.

Then we turn to Kentucky, where Mickey Stines is charged with murdering Judge Kevin Mullins on video in his own chambers. The defense is also pursuing insanity — but now the presiding judge, Christopher Cohron, is facing a recusal motion. Video has surfaced showing Cohron seated next to the victim at a mental health commission meeting just seven days before the killing. He never disclosed it. He's also blocking the defense from accessing a sealed psychiatric evaluation. Eric breaks down the legal standard for recusal, what happens if the Chief Justice has to intervene, and why this case could be headed for a complete reset.

#NickReiner #MickeyStines #InsanityDefense #JudgeRecusal #EricFaddis #MurderTrial #CaliforniaLaw #KentuckyLaw #TrueCrime #LegalAnalysis

This video is for commentary and entertainment purposes only. All accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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Alan Jackson quit as Nick Reiner's attorney today. But before he left, he delivered a statement that will define this case: "Pursuant to the laws of California, Nick Reiner is NOT guilty of murder. Print that."

That's not a withdrawal. That's a roadmap — one Jackson can no longer follow.

This comprehensive breakdown examines the three legal battles ahead for Nick Reiner. First: competency. Can Nick even participate in his own defense? Sources say he was being treated for schizophrenia, with medication changes in the weeks before the killings. If found incompetent, the criminal case pauses until he's restored. Second: the guilt phase, where the jury decides if he committed the act. Third: the sanity trial — where Jackson's words would have applied.

California uses the M'Naghten Rule, one of the strictest insanity standards in the country. The defense must prove Nick couldn't understand what he was doing or couldn't distinguish right from wrong at the exact moment of the crime. Having schizophrenia isn't enough. Having a diagnosis isn't enough. Less than one percent of defendants plead insanity. About a quarter succeed.

We examine who's taking over — the LA County Public Defender's Office, led by Ricardo Garcia, with one of the best capital case records in the country. We look at what happens if the defense succeeds: commitment to a state psychiatric hospital, potentially for life, in facilities where the DOJ found civil rights violations and patient murders.

The Reiners spent seventeen years trying to save their son. More than a dozen rehab programs. Seventy thousand dollars a month. None of it mattered. Now the state of California will make the permanent decision they never could.

#NickReiner #RobReiner #MicheleSingerReiner #ReinerCase #InsanityDefense #CaliforniaLaw #MNaghtenRule #MurderTrial #LegalAnalysis #TrueCrime

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This is the defense that will define Nick Reiner's future — and it almost never works.

Alan Jackson spent three weeks investigating Nick's case before withdrawing. His parting statement made his strategy clear: "Nick Reiner is NOT guilty of murder under California law." That's code for insanity defense. And now public defender Kimberly Greene has to build it from scratch.

Here's what we know: Nick was reportedly being treated for schizophrenia at the time he allegedly killed his parents, director Rob Reiner and philanthropist Michele Singer Reiner. Sources tell NBC4 about the diagnosis. TMZ reports schizoaffective disorder. Multiple outlets confirm his medication was changed weeks before January 6th, and his behavior became "erratic and dangerous."

But California's insanity standard doesn't care about diagnosis. It cares about one moment — the instant of the crime. Under the M'Naghten Rule, the defense must prove Nick either didn't understand what he was doing or couldn't distinguish right from wrong at that precise time.

Attorney and former prosecutor Eric Faddis joins us for a deep dive into how this defense works — and whether Nick's case fits. We examine the two-phase trial process, how medication changes affect the legal argument, and what prosecutors will use against him.

Sources say Nick attended a Christmas party days before the killings and was coherent enough to have conversations. That's exactly the kind of evidence that sinks insanity defenses.

We also discuss Nick's documented history of cocaine and stimulant abuse — and how California law treats mental illness complicated by addiction.

Less than one percent of defendants plead insanity. Here's whether Nick Reiner could be one of the few who succeeds.

#NickReiner #RobReiner #MicheleSingerReiner #InsanityDefense #ReinerCase #Schizophrenia #CaliforniaLaw #MNaghtenRule #MurderTrial #LegalDeepDive

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The defense strategy in the Nick Reiner murder case just hit a wall — and then pivoted in public.

Alan Jackson, who was retained as Nick's attorney within hours of his arrest for allegedly killing his parents Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, withdrew from the case today. He told the judge he had "no choice" due to circumstances "beyond Nick's control." Sources tell Deadline the reason is money.

But Jackson didn't leave quietly. On the courthouse steps, he delivered what sounded like a preview of the defense Nick will never get from him: "Pursuant to the laws of California, Nick Reiner is NOT guilty of murder. Print that."

That's a clear signal — Jackson believes an insanity defense could work. His team investigated for three weeks, issued ten subpoenas that are now sealed, and worked "every waking hour." Now all of that belongs to history, and public defender Kimberly Greene is starting from scratch.

Greene met Nick for approximately thirty seconds before the hearing. She told reporters she'd had no contact with the Reiner family and wasn't sure they even knew Jackson was withdrawing.

In this deep-dive episode, attorney and former prosecutor Eric Faddis breaks down what went wrong, what happens to Jackson's work product, and whether Nick actually loses anything by switching to the public defender's office — which has a remarkable capital case record.

We also examine how this affects the prosecution strategy. Deputy DA Habib Balian is on the case — the same prosecutor who handled Menendez and Durst. Does chaos on the defense side give him an advantage?

Arraignment: February 23rd. No plea entered. Everything is in flux.

#NickReiner #RobReiner #MicheleSingerReiner #ReinerMurders #AlanJackson #ReinerCase #MurderTrial #InsanityDefense #TrueCrime #LegalAnalysis

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Rob and Michele Reiner spent seventeen years trying to save their son Nick. They didn’t fail him. The system failed all of them.

Psychotherapist Shavaun Scott joins us for a comprehensive examination of the Reiner family tragedy — not to judge, but to understand what this family was dealing with and why so many others are facing the same impossible situation.

Rob Reiner spoke openly about feeling helpless. About trusting doctors who couldn’t deliver results. About fearing that the tragic ending he dreaded was inevitable. Michele reportedly told a friend she didn’t know what else they could do. These weren’t parents who gave up. These were parents who tried everything and ran out of options.

Shavaun explains what families experience when someone they love has a severe mental illness like schizophrenia. The guilt. The fear. The exhaustion. The desperate hope that this treatment, this program, this medication will finally be the one that works. She explains why addiction treatment fails when psychosis is underneath, why dual diagnosis is so difficult to treat, and what happens when medication changes go wrong.

Sources say Nick became unstable after a medication change weeks before the killings. Conservatorship proceedings were reportedly underway when Rob and Michele died. They were finally trying to take legal action — and they ran out of time.

This interview is for everyone who has watched this case and recognized their own family’s struggle. For everyone who has loved someone with mental illness and felt powerless. For everyone who knows that money and love aren’t enough when the system offers no real help.

#RobReiner #MicheleReiner #NickReiner #ShavaunScott #ReinerCase #Schizophrenia #MentalHealth #FamilyTragedy #MentalHealthCrisis #TrueCrime

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