Nick Reiner’s legal saga took another grim turn this week after his attorney revealed the 32-year-old was medically unfit to appear in court for his scheduled arraignment in Los Angeles.
Attorney Alan Jackson, known for defending Harvey Weinstein, told reporters that Reiner—son of late Hollywood legend Rob Reiner and Michele Singer—had not been cleared for transport. Sources close to the case suggest Reiner is currently under suicide watch, raising questions about his mental fitness to face proceedings. Others believe he may have been injured during the violent incident that led to his arrest.
Despite Reiner’s condition, L.A. County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman confirmed that prosecutors are considering the death penalty should Reiner be convicted of murdering his parents, whose bodies were discovered Sunday inside their Beverly Hills home. Reiner, held without bail, was reportedly behaving erratically at a holiday event the night before the killings.
Witnesses at Conan O’Brien’s Christmas party described Reiner showing up in sweatpants and a hoodie to a black-tie gathering, clashing with comedian Bill Hader, and arguing loudly with his father before storming off. Police say Rob and Michele Reiner were found stabbed to death the next afternoon, already in rigor mortis when their daughter made the discovery.
As Hollywood reels from the shocking loss of one of its most beloved filmmakers, new details continue to surface about Nick’s long-standing struggles with mental health and substance abuse. Family friend and yoga instructor Alanna Zabel told Page Six that she had worked privately with Nick as a child to help manage his energy, describing him as “always trying to figure it out.”
The Reiners reportedly spent millions on treatment programs over the years. Rob and Nick even collaborated on the 2015 semi-autobiographical film Being Charlie, inspired by Nick’s battles with addiction.
For now, questions linger about Reiner’s medical condition and his ability to stand trial, while prosecutors prepare what could become one of Hollywood’s most chilling family murder cases in decades.
