Nick Reiner’s attorneys are reportedly petitioning a Los Angeles court to grant him access to a $1.5 million trust fund his parents set up for him, while arguing that $200,000 has already been spent by its trustees since he was charged with his parents’ murder.
Reiner’s defense argued Monday that he needs access to the account to hire a private legal team while accused of fatally stabbing his parents, acclaimed Hollywood director Rob Reiner and photographer Michele Reiner, at their Los Angeles home in December, Reuters reported.
This request follows the appointed fiduciary overseeing the fund denying Reiner access, arguing that doing so would violate the state’s so-called “slayer statute,” which prohibits a person from financially benefiting from the will or trust of someone they “feloniously and intentionally” kill.
Reiner, who was arrested hours after the stabbing, has pleaded not guilty and is legally innocent unless he’s convicted or changes his plea.
Lauriann Wright, a lawyer for the professional fiduciary, acknowledged his presumed innocence in a court filing last week with the Los Angeles County Superior Court, but argued that releasing the funds now would be “irreversible,” according to The New York Times.
Reiner’s public defense attorney, Anita Wu, argued Monday that he should have started receiving payments from the trust when he turned 30 two years ago but hasn’t.
“The trust is being consumed and depleted by attorney’s fees with all of this delay and work,” she said, according to Reuters.
The judge scheduled a hearing for October to consider the account’s access, NBC Los Angeles reported.
Reiner’s former high-profile criminal attorney, Alan Jackson, expressed disapproval of his funds being locked following Monday’s hearing.
“Nick Reiner is very much entitled to his own money,” he told reporters outside the courthouse.
Jackson was replaced by a public defender in January after Reiner was unable to pay for his services. Jackson later requested and successfully received money he said he was owed by Reiner through his trust, the Los Angeles Times reported on Sunday, citing earlier court filings.
“He has made a determination that he wants to be able to use his funds, that are in his trust account, to decide on his criminal counsel,” Jackson told reporters. “And when he is allowed to do that, he will be able to defend himself in a way the Constitution indicates he should and can defend himself.”
Reiner, who was indicted on two counts of murder last week, is scheduled to return to court on Sept. 15 for a pretrial hearing.
If convicted, Reiner faces death or life in state prison without the possibility of parole. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has said it will decide on whether to seek the death penalty at a later date.
His public defender and the district attorney’s office did not immediately respond to JS’s requests for comment.