Nick Reiner’s former attorney Alan Jackson still wants “the most robust defense” for the 32-year-old, accused of killing parents Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, though he “simply can’t divulge” certain details about why he withdrew counsel last week.
Nick has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the Dec. 14 slaying of the beloved couple.
Just before Nick’s scheduled Jan. 7 arraignment, 61-year-old Jackson withdrew from the case citing “circumstances beyond our control, but more importantly circumstances beyond Nick’s control.”
On this week’s early access episode of Kelly Ripa’s SiriusXM podcast, “Let’s Talk Off Camera,” 61-year-old Jackson said his team will “always be committed to [Nick’s] best interests.” .
“I want him to get the most robust defense that he possibly can get. I know he will, in the hands of the public defender’s office,” said Jackson. “There’s very little in the law that’s indefensible. … I never approach a case like I’m just defending an individual. … We’re defending the Constitution.”
Jackson said his line of work, which has included clients such as Karen Read, Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey, is “defending an idea. We’re defending the foundation on which this country was built in terms of its justice system.”
Rineer and his wife were fatally stabbed at their Brentwood home on Dec. 14. Nick was arrested within hours and charged two days later with two counts of first-degree murder, for which he’s facing life in prison or the death penalty.
Upon withdrawing himself from the case, Jackson told reporters: “Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder. Print that!”
Nick, who has battled substance abuse for much of his life, has reportedly been diagnosed in recent years with schizoaffective disorder. Sources told TMZ that his behavior became “erratic and dangerous” with a change in medication in the weeks before the slayings.
