Nick Reiner Doesn’t Enter Plea for Parents’ Murder, Lawyer Steps Down

Nick Reiner did not enter a plea after being charged with the murders of his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner.

Nick, 32, appeared in court for his arraignment on Wednesday, January 7, but it has been put on pause. During the hearing, Alan Jackson — who previously represented Karen Read — announced that he would be stepping down from the case.

“We feel we have no choice at this juncture but to withdraw as council. I asked to be relieved,” Jackson stated, noting that a public defender will be appointed going forward. The judge confirmed that Nick’s arraignment will be pushed until February 23, 2026.

Us Weekly has reached out to Jackson for further comment.

Rob and Michele were found dead in their Brentwood, California, home on December 14, 2025, at the ages of 78 and 70, respectively. Nick was arrested hours later and charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection to his parents’ deaths, facing life in prison without parole or the death penalty if convicted.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner determined Rob and Michele’s cause of death to be “multiple sharp force injuries,” ruling the manner a homicide.

Nick made his first court appearance after his arrest on December 17, 2025, wearing a suicide prevention vest. At the time, Jackson said it was “too early” for his former client to enter a plea. The lawyer later addressed reporters outside of the courthouse.

“First of all, and most importantly, this is a devastating tragedy that has befallen the Reiner family,” Jackson said at the time. “We all recognize that. Our hearts go out to the entire Reiner family. There are very, very complex and serious issues that are associated with this case. Those need to be thoroughly, but very carefully dealt with and examined and looked at and analyzed.”

He continued, “We asked that you allow the system to move forward in the way that it was designed to move forward, not with a rushed judgment, not with jumping to conclusions, but with restraint and with dignity, and with the respect that this system and this process deserves, and that the family deserves. So with that we are set for January 7 for an arraignment. That’s the next court date and that’s all I have to say at this point. There may be more at some other point, but today we are going to rest on where we stand procedurally, which is this is a continuance of arraignment. Nothing happened today, substantively. We’ll be back for an arrangement in the same department on January 7. We’ll see you then.”

Nick’s Wednesday court appearance came just days after Rob and Michele were honored in a tribute by Chelsea Handler at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards on Sunday, January 4. The heartfelt segment began with Handler calling Adam Sandler “the nicest guy in Hollywood” before saying, “Actually, you’re the second nicest guy in Hollywood. Because everyone in this room knows that the nicest guy in Hollywood was Rob Reiner.”

“Anyone who ever spent time with Rob Reiner knows the minute that you met him, he felt like an old friend,” Handler, 50, continued. “When you were in a conversation with him, he was present, he was focused and he was funny, and he would ask you tons of questions. Whether you were discussing politics or film or the latest beauty trends, he was all in.”

Handler recalled one of her final memories with Rob and Michele before their untimely deaths.

“After I sent him a text thanking him for dinner a few months ago, he sent me a text back that said, ‘We had so much fun with you last night. Thanks for explaining so much about plastic surgery, it was very edifying,’” Handler said. “Rob and Michele were tireless in their efforts to [support] so many important causes, all stemming from one basic idea: decency. That we should all look out for each other. And I think we can all agree that we definitely need more of that. So, let’s use tonight as a reminder of that decency and as a reminder of everything Rob and Michele represented and fought so hard for.”