Law&Crime Sidebar - ‘Cheeky’ Nick Reiner Grins During Parents’ Double Murder Hearing

Episode Date: February 23, 2026

This is the first time cameras have been allowed to film Nick Reiner in Los Angeles County Superior Court, as he pleaded not guilty to his parents’ double murder at his arraignment on Monday, February 23, 2026. Reiner appeared gaunt yet alert as he sat in a jail uniform separated from his attorney through a glass partition. Law&Crime’s Jesse Weber breaks down the latest details in the case, and Reiner’s potential punishment, with celebrity criminal defense attorney Ben Chew.HOST:Jesse Weber: https://twitter.com/jessecordweberLAW&CRIME SIDEBAR PRODUCTION:YouTube Management - Bobby SzokeVideo Editing - Michael Deininger, Christina O'Shea, Alex Ciccarone, & Jay CruzScript Writing & Producing - Savannah Williamson & Juliana BattagliaGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrimeTwitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On behalf of Mr. Reiner, G. Waie, the complaint, advisement of rights, including armed forces of veterans' rights, enter a plea of not guilty, deny any and all special allegations, enhancements, and fires? Yes, right. A plea of not guilty is entered on behalf of Mr. Reiner. Nick Reiner's seen in court on camera for the first time since his arrest as he pleads not guilty to his parents' murders, looking gaunt with a shaved head in a jail uniform. But what is even more shocking than his appearance is the case itself, as Ryan. Finer faces a possible death sentence if prosecutors choose to seek capital punishment.

And did today give us a hint as to where his defense may go? I'm bringing on Johnny Depp's lawyer, Ben Chu, to talk about this very high-profile case of Hollywood meeting a courtroom. Welcome to Sidebar, presented by law and crime. I'm Jesse Weber. Today was a big day in the ongoing legal saga of Nick Reiner. Okay, this has been a long time coming, this arraignment, because on Monday, the accused double murderer, Rick Reiner appeared in a Los Angeles County courtroom for his official arraignment. It's been delayed in the past on charges of first degree murder with special circumstances in the killings of his parents, acclaimed film director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michelle, on December 14th. Now, this isn't the first time that Reiner has appeared in court since his arrest. In fact, there were court sketches that were released of his first appearance in December, his initial arraignment date in January. But cameras haven't been allowed to show him, to show Reiner in court until today for his official arraignment, which again, marks a major turning point in this horrific case. Remember,

he faces these two counts of first-degree murder, and those murder charges include special circumstance allegations of multiple murders and that he personally used a deadly weapon, a knife. And if prosecutors decide to pursue a capital punishment in this case, that's why these special circumstances are so important. It could justify that. If he's convicted on these charges, it could result in a possible death sentence. Now, to be clear, as of now, there is no indication the prosecutors are going the death penalty route, although I will tell you outside of court today, was reported that Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hockman emphasized, again, that this case is in fact, quote, death penalty eligible and indicated they are beginning the process to determine

if that is the punishment they're looking at here. We will be looking at all aggravating and mitigating circumstances, and we have invited defense counsel to present to us, both in writing and orally in a meeting any arguments that they would like to make in consideration for our going forward or not going forward with the death penalty. So that is an ongoing process. We will also, at that point, when we get all this information, it will be subject to not only a rigorous analysis, but many of the most experienced individuals in the DA's office with debt penalty experience will be helping me evaluate that information. But what we now know from Monday's arraignment is that Reiner's defense attorney, Deputy Public Defender Kimberly Green, has entered a not guilty plea on Reiner's behalf. And he, by the way, sat behind her with a glass partition separating them. And it's also worth noting, as I mentioned,

that this arraignment has been delayed. I mean, one of the reasons is you had Reiner's previous defense attorney, high profile criminal defense attorney, Alan Jackson, withdrawing from the case back in January. This was based on what he called circumstances beyond his and his client's control. And now a public defender has been put in his place. By the way, I interviewed Alan Jackson on my News Nation show, Jesse Weber Live, seemed to me based on his answers that he was suggesting that mental illness could be the route, that he was planning on going as defense counsel, so possibly insanity. There might be something else there, although I couldn't confirm for sure he wouldn't say it, he shouldn't say it, but based on his answers, that's what I seem to indicate mental health

defense and sanity defense. Now, it is also worth noting that Reiner was not wearing a suicide prevention smock during Monday's hearing, which he had been wearing during his first appearance back in December. And while this doesn't give a full picture into his current mental state, it can maybe indicate what safety issues are present. It can indicate jail personnel no longer believe he is a harm to himself at this time, maybe. But I will tell you, you just saw a snippet of Monday's arraignment. But right now, I want to play the entire hearing in court so you can get the full scope of what happened, including the moment Reiner actually addresses the judge himself. Take a lesson.

How would you like to proceed at this time, counsel? The court has, and I'll just make a record, the court has, we address the request for media coverage off the record, court just orders that there's no live streaming and no live transport, no live transmission, and no filming of anyone in the gallery. We'd like to go forward with the arraignment at this time. Thank you. And on behalf of Mr. Reader G. The complaint, advisement of rights, including armed forces of veterans' rights,

enter a plea of not guilty, denying any and all special allegations, enhancements, and priors? Yes, Your Honor. A plea of not guilty is entered on behalf of Mr. Reiner. Counsel's requesting... April 29th as your of 30. April 29th, 2026, as a zero of 30 calendar days? Yes.

And, Mr. May I take a waiver from your claim at this time? Yes, sir. Mr. Reiner, you are entitled to a speedy preliminary hearing. That's a preliminary hearing within 10. court days and 60 calendar days of your arraignment your arraignment is today do understand waive and give up those rights so that your matter may be continued to April 29th 2026 as a zero of 30 calendar days with the understanding that your preliminary hearing may connect within 30 calendar days of April 29th and does counsel joining that waiver the court finds that mr. reiner has made a

knowing and intelligent waiver of his right to a speeding preliminary hearing within 10 court days 60 calendar days and that his counsel of record joins in that waiver of defendant agrees that the next court date of April 29th 2026 is a zero of 30 calendar days the matter is assigned to for all purposes by the supervising judge of the criminal master calendar the matter is assigned to for all purposes to judge Sam Oda in department 108 councilor is over bail yes sir it's bail said it no bail Anything further on this case? Yes, for the record, Your Honor, people have turned over to the defense, the large bulk of discovery. We are still awaiting a word from the coroner's office that they completed the autopsy report as soon as we get it and we turn it over from the defense as well as any other discovery that comes in. Thank you. Anything further? Your Honor, I address with the court the issue of the outstanding STTs. We're asking that those we withdrawn at this time. And those subpoenas as referenced by the defense are with John, ordered to John. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. So here are the key takeaways from this latest hearing. First, Reiner's next court date is set for April 29th where judges expected to set a date for his preliminary hearing. And at the preliminary hearing, the court will determine whether there's enough evidence to head to trial so we can expect prosecutors to lay out all the evidence or a lot of the evidence they have so far in this case or from a legal point of view, enough to establish there's probable cause to move forward to trial. What we don't know is whether this hearing

is also going to include cameras, so we'll keep a close eye on that too. Prosecutors also mentioned that they've turned over a large bulk of discovery to the defense, but they're still apparently waiting contact from the Los Angeles coroner's office on completion of the autopsy reporter reports. You know, from the preliminary autopsy reports that were previously released into the media, we learned the manner of death for Robin Michelle Reiner was homicide. Cause of death was multiple sharp force injury. So I am curious what additional details. The full final autopsy report will show him whether or not that will work towards the prosecution's favor, maybe give something for the defense. But I will also tell you this. The defense indicated they withdrew

subpoenas, though it's unclear who was included in those. So you'd have to wonder if something changed. Maybe they don't need these witnesses anymore. Maybe something was provided by prosecutors. Maybe they're not going a certain strategy. Not entirely sure. But let's talk a little bit more about it now. Okay, so let me bring on a special guest friend of Sidebar. Haven't seen him in quite some time. I'm joined right now by a claim trial attorney litigator. Of course, famously represented Johnny Depp in his infamous trial. Ben Shue, good to see you, sir. Thank you so much for taking the time. First, any surprise today? I mean, not surprised that Nick Reiner pled not guilty, right? No surprises today. I think he just said one word, yes, pleading not guilty. I don't think there probably

will be many surprises at the next hearing either, at the preliminary hearing. Well, they set a date, I think, for when the preliminary hearing is going to be. Let's actually take this step by step. Why would he waive a speedy preliminary hearing? Why do that? My theory on that is I think they are getting ready, of course, to do the psychological analysis that will be necessary to plead insanity. And so that takes some time?

I think it does take some time. I mean, there is an issue here, as you know, Jesse, of resources. In light of the California statute, the Slayer Act, that essentially deprives him of the assets that he would have otherwise inherited from his parents. Since the allegation here is that he murdered his parents, he doesn't have access to that, which is why, of course, he doesn't have Alan Jackson anymore. I was just talking about it before about why Alan Jackson had to, you know, step down and due to some conflict beyond his control and his client's control. A lot of people have wondered whether or not it's about resources or money. But just because he's represented by a public defender, we did an episode previously about it. I mean, she's a seasoned attorney.

You know, the public defender's office sometimes gets a bad rap. But I did want to ask you about, we'll get back to the preliminary hearing, how he looked. Now, you ask me, in my opinion, he didn't look good. And when you look at that, it's not that he didn't just look good. If you are talking about a case of mental illness and trying to understand why somebody would have killed his parents like that, his appearance in court today, how does that affect the case moving forward? Oh, I think it has a big impact. I think, as you know, from your own trial experience, I mean, the jury is going to be looking

intently at him most of the time, and they're going to be making their own assessment of his appearance. And I think, you know, we always tell our clients, whenever you're in the courtroom, they're going to be eyes on you. And I think, unfortunately, he looks the part of somebody who is severely disturbed. Do you think that this is going to be a tough case? to defend not only legally, but in order to get a fair and impartial jury? I think that courts generally, I think they believe that they can get a fair and impartial jury.

I'm a big believer, as I know you are in the jury system, and I do think they can be. I mean, obviously the Reiner's are extremely known and beloved in Los Angeles and probably throughout California and the country, but I do believe people understand the issue of mental illness. I think they can weigh it fairly. How much do you think Hollywood is going to be a part of this? There's been so much talk about the party the night before the Reiner's were killed. And we always talk about the celebrity aspect of this. How much is that going to be a part of this?

It's such a good question. I think subliminally it will be a part of it. And it also, I think it'll be interesting to see what decision the DA makes with respect to the death penalty. As you know, it's been two decades since California has put anyone to death. I think the last time was in January of 2006. And we all believe that people should be neither above nor below the law. And I think it would raise a lot of questions if, after all this time, California would be seeking the death penalty here. It would beg the question of, are you doing this?

Because the victims here happen to be beloved celebrities. Well, that's a good point. I mean, what do you think they're going to do? What do you think prosecutors are going to do? I mean, they talked about starting the process, emphasize this is a death eligible case. Do you think they move forward with that? They've already tried to highlight special circumstances like multiple murders and use of a knife. It's pretty horrific. You think they move forward with the death penalty?

You know, I think that they won't. And I think perhaps because of the reason that it would really, I think it would really beg the question. I think there could be a real backlash there. And, you know, you have a governor, of course, who's running probably for president. I think all of that, unfortunately, either will play a role or people will believe that it played a role whether it did or didn't. But ultimately, my guess, and it's only a guess, is that they're not going to go for the death penalty. I want to go back to that idea of the preliminary hearing and he waived a speedy preliminary hearing. There's a lot we don't know about the evidence they have against him, right?

I mean, there's surveillance footage. They talk about him checking into that Santa Monica hotel, what was allegedly found there. How much at a preliminary hearing will prosecutors reveal of the evidence they have? They don't have to reveal everything, right? It's just enough to substantiate probable cause. But how much do you think they're going to reveal? I think they're going to hold some things back, Jesse, because as you know, all they need to do is show sufficient evidence to justify a trial. And I think they already have that.

So I think they may play their cards close to the vest here, especially if I'm wrong, and they do go for the death penalty. They may leave some things to later. Did you get a sense of where the defense is going today or not really? I mean, what did we learn, right? They said that apparently certain subpoenas they're withdrawing. They didn't say not guilty by reason of insanity. That's something that I think a lot of people suspect two ways to look at that, right? insanity, not guilty by reason of insanity. Let's say you couldn't appreciate the wrongfulness of

your conduct, didn't know what you were doing was legally or morally wrong, right? Or a mental health defense, if you're talking about first degree murder, some sort of mental illness negated an element, negated an element of premeditation. Do you think that's where they might be going? I do. And I think they're waiting for that to be completed. And that may also, you know, affect the decision on whether to go for the death penalty. That could be an excuse. or a reason for the DA to say, look, we're not going for the death penalty here because there is this element of mental defect, which I think clearly there is. And I think your point you made earlier about the court-appointed counsel is a very good one. She is excellent. And the fact that he doesn't

have Alan Jackson doesn't mean he doesn't have an outstanding defense. And I think she was smart to keep her cards close to the vest today. So I don't think we learned that much today from her. Do you think that would be a successful, potentially successful defense? And I know you don't know all the evidence in the case or all the factors, but you're talking about somebody who reportedly was schizophrenic, suffered from substance abuse, had allegedly mental health issues. There was also this report that his medications were adjusted or changed before the killings. And I don't know the exact circumstances of that. But I wonder if that's something that's going to be explored and maybe could be successfully explored by a defense attorney. Jesse, I think it will as far as mitigation.

I mean, for example, if they do go for the death penalty, I could see that being a reason for the jury to, you know, to kick it down and not impose the ultimate sanction. So I don't think it's going to get him off the hook. I think a lot of jurors don't really believe that your psychology is as exact as science as other sciences. So I think whether that's right or wrong, I don't know. But I don't think he's going to get off the hook altogether. I think he's going to spend the rest of his life in prison. There's a lot of pressure trying a case like this, whether the prosecutors or defense attorney is defending.

It feels like a lot of pressure. It feels like a lot of eyeballs. Oh, yeah. I think they're both under enormous pressure, probably more so, the prosecutor, because the public has already, you know, condemned Reiner for the death of his parents. So I think the public is expecting a guilty verdict. So in a way, Reiner's counsel really has nothing to lose because she's supposed to lose this case. Well, I don't know. We're still in the early stages. I'm very curious to see what happens

with this. I wanted to ask you that considering there's a lot of pressure in the Johnny Depp Amber Herd trial. Let me tell you. So it's good to hear your perspective on this. Ben, thank you so much for taking the time. Always, always appreciate you. Thank you. Thanks so much. Thanks for having me. Anytime. That's all we have for you right now here on Sidebar. Everybody, thank you so much for joining us. And as always, please subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcast, Spotify, wherever you should get your podcast. You can also check us out on NBC's We have our episodes up there as well. If you want to follow me, X Instagram, my News Nation show, Jesse Weber Live, Monday through Friday, 11 p.m. Eastern.

I'll see you next time, everybody.