1 hour ago
2
Two of slain Hollywood director Rob Reiner’s children have reportedly stopped paying the legal bills for their brother Nick, who is charged in the fatal stabbing of their famous parents in Los Angeles.
Romy, 28, and Jake, 34, who were spotted out in Los Angeles on Monday, have cut off funding for a private defense attorney for their brother, TMZ reported Monday.
The news site reported the pair hired high-profile criminal defense attorney Alan Jackson shortly after cops found the bodies of the “When Harry Met Sally” director and his wife, Michele, in mid-December.
But Jackson withdrew from the case soon afterward due to an undisclosed disagreement.
Last month, a public defender was appointed to take Nick’s case, but it was widely perceived as a stopgap measure until another private attorney could be hired, according to the outlet.
Kimberly Greene, the deputy public defender, was in court on Monday representing Nick, who pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder.
“Nick’s defense is Nick’s defense. They’re not involved,” a source told TMZ on Jake and Romy’s approach to their brother’s upcoming trial.
A spokesman for the public defender’s office declined to comment when reached by the California Post. Representatives for the Reiner siblings were not immediately available for comment.
Nathan Hochman, the district attorney for LA County, told reporters after the arraignment on Monday that he would not rule out the death penalty for Nick if he is convicted — this despite Rob’s very public opposition to capital punishment.
Nick, 32, was arrested on Dec. 14 after police responded to a “death investigation” at the family’s Brentwood home and found Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner dead inside, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
His next court appearance is scheduled for April 29, when a preliminary hearing date is expected to be set.
Nick has previously spoken publicly about struggles with substance abuse and periods of instability, including addiction and homelessness years before the killings.
He co-wrote the 2015 film “Being Charlie” with his father, a project widely described as drawing from his experiences with drug addiction and recovery.
Separate reporting has indicated that Reiner had a history of mental health treatment and was placed under a court-approved conservatorship in 2020 that later ended, though diagnostic details and medication history have not been established in court filings related to the case.
English (US)