The Los Angeles County District Attorney has made a decision involving the potential sentence for Nick Reiner, as he is charged with murder in the first degree with special circumstances in the death of his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner.
Sources told TMZ that Nathan Hochman and his team decided to take the death penalty off the table for a few reasons, one of the biggest being that it was against Rob and Michele’s beliefs. The other factor is Rob and Michele’s two other children, Jake and Romy Reiner.
Prosecutors are still charging Nick with murder in the first degree with special circumstances, lying in wait. If found guilty, he could end up with a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Nick was arrested on Dec. 14 after his parents were found murdered in their Los Angeles home.
Nick Reiner’s Siblings Are Not Financially Supporting His Defense
Nick’s siblings, Jake and Romy, decided not to pay for his defense, which is said to be a major reason prominent criminal defense lawyer Alan Jackson withdrew from the case after initially representing Nick.
“Circumstances beyond our control, but more importantly, circumstances beyond Nick’s control have dictated that,” Jackson said when speaking with reporters in January after withdrawing from the case. “Sadly, it’s made it impossible for us to continue our representation of Nick. I’m legally, and I’m ethically prohibited from explaining all the reasons why.”
However, he made a big statement.
“What we’ve learned, and you can take this to the bank, is that, pursuant to the laws of this state, pursuant to the law in California, Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder,” he added. “Print that we wish him the very, very best.”
Nick is now being represented by public defender Kimberly Greene.
In June, Nick demanded access to his $1.5 million trust fund, filing a petition saying that he needs the money to fund his legal expenses along with “so that he can buy basic support items while incarcerated (e.g., socks and personal hygiene items like soap) within the low spending limits imposed by the jail.”
Jake Reiner Opened Up About His Parents Murders In Emotional Interview
Jake Reiner, the other son of Rob and Michele, gave his first sit-down interview in August, speaking about the loss of his parents.
“Nobody really understands what it’s like to go through something like that until you’re living it,” Jake said in the interview that aired Thursday, Aug. 27, on Good Morning America. “It’s been 8 months. It feels like 8 years at the same time. And it also feels like 8 minutes. Because every moment that I wake up, I’m reminded of my reality.”
He also spoke about his brother being accused of the crime.
“[Nick]’s in jail. It’s like, I physically lost my parents, and then Nick was arrested. Now it’s just me and Romy, and we have to navigate this by ourselves essentially,” Jake said. “For me, it manifests into anger. It manifests into rage, into how unfair this was, how I didn’t get a say in what happened. I didn’t get to stop it from happening. I had no choice in the matter. I just have to accept the reality of it. And to me, that is just one of the most infuriating parts of all of this.”
According to GMA, Jake declined to further comment on his brother.
