LOS ANGELES — Nick Reiner, the troubled son of legendary filmmaker Rob Reiner, did not show up in a Los Angeles courtroom Tuesday for his expected arraignment on accusations that he brutally murdered both of his parents. His well-known defense attorney said the delay was due to his client not yet being “medically cleared.”
Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, celebrity defense lawyer Alan Jackson explained that Nick’s initial court appearance could happen as soon as Wednesday, but emphasized that the timing would be determined on a “day-to-day” basis.
“Every inmate has to be medically cleared before they can be transported to court,” Jackson said. “He has not been medically cleared, it’s just a procedural issue.” Jackson, whose past clients include Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey, declined to reveal who is covering Nick’s legal expenses or whether the Reiner family is involved.
Nick, 32, is accused of killing his father, Rob Reiner, 78, and his mother, Michele, 70, inside their Brentwood residence sometime between Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.
According to TMZ, Nick checked into the Pierside Santa Monica hotel around 4 a.m. Sunday. Hotel employees later discovered the room covered in blood, though the outlet reported that Nick did not appear to have blood on his clothing when he arrived.
Authorities took Nick into custody later Sunday evening, roughly 15 miles from the upscale Los Angeles neighborhood where his parents’ bodies were found by their daughter, Romy. He has remained detained since then, leading up to Tuesday’s canceled court hearing.
Officials have not disclosed the exact medical issue that prevented Nick from appearing in court. However, law-enforcement sources told TMZ that he has a long history of substance abuse and was placed on suicide watch following his arrest.
Jackson said prosecutors have yet to formally file charges. Former federal prosecutor Alyse Adamson told CNN that the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office is likely still determining whether the case should be pursued as first-degree or second-degree murder.
“First-degree murder, of course, suggesting that this was planned and premeditated, second-degree murder being more spontaneous,” she explained.
Jackson has built a reputation representing high-profile defendants. Most recently, he defended Karen Read, the Massachusetts woman acquitted earlier this year in the death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe. He has also previously represented Weinstein and Kevin Spacey.
Sources have said Nick was involved in a heated and very public argument with his parents at Conan O’Brien’s Christmas party on Saturday night, just hours before the killings allegedly took place.
Rob Reiner, a Bronx native who grew up in New Rochelle, New York, is celebrated for directing iconic films such as “This Is Spinal Tap,” “A Few Good Men,” “When Harry Met Sally” and “The Princess Bride.” He first rose to fame playing Michael “Meathead” Stivic on the classic 1970s sitcom “All in the Family.”
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