Nick Reiner ‘Not Guilty of Murder,’ Says Former Defense Lawyer

Nick Reiner‘s former defense attorney, Alan Jackson, claimed the son of Rob and Michele Reiner is “not guilty of murder” in the death of his parents. Jackson made the declaration while delivering a lengthy statement following his abrupt resignation as legal counsel.

“This morning, I had to withdraw as Nick Reiner’s counsel, circumstances beyond our control, but more importantly, circumstances beyond Nick’s control have dictated that,” Alan Jackson said during a press conference. “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 I know that’s a question on everybody’s mind. We expect the public defender to step in. They’ve already been appointed and very capably protect Nick Reiner’s interests as he moves forward through the system.”

Jackson continued, “But be clear. Be very, very clear about this. My team and I remain deeply, deeply committed to Nick Reiner and to his best interests. In fact, we know, we’re not just convinced. We know that the legal process will reveal the true facts of the circumstances surrounding this case, Nick’s case.”

Nick was taken into custody on Sunday, Dec. 14, after the discovery of his parents’ bodies at their home in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Brentwood. Los Angeles County prosecutors later filed two counts of first-degree murder against him. Authorities say Nick killed his parents in a gruesome double homicide.

“You know, a lot’s been printed of late. Over the last three weeks, a lot has been printed, printed about Nick, printed about his family, printed about the circumstances,” Jackson continued. “Speculation is in print on December 15, in the early morning hours, I was in New York at the time, and I got a call. Me and my team, we dropped everything, and for the last three weeks, we have devoted literally every waking hour to protecting Nick and his interests. We’ve investigated this matter top to bottom, back to front.”

Nick appeared in court for a 30-minute hearing during which Jackson asked to withdraw as counsel of record with his consent. When the judge asked Nick if he agreed to the change in representation, he responded: “Yeah, I agree to that.” His arraignment has been postponed to Feb. 23 with public defender Kimberly Greene taking over as legal counsel.

In a statement to Rolling Stone, a spokesperson for the Reiner family said they “have the utmost trust in the legal process and will not comment further on matters related to the legal proceedings.”

At the close of his statement, Jackson said, “What we’ve learned, and you can take this to the bank, is that pursuant to laws of this state, pursuant to the law in California, Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder. Print that. Print that. We wish him the very, very best moving forward, and that’s all I have today.”