Nick Reiner pleaded not guilty Monday to two counts of first-degree murder in the December stabbing deaths of his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner.
Reiner, 32, had been scheduled for arraignment last month. Instead, his attorney, Alan Jackson, announced at a press conference that he was stepping down from the case.
Jackson said he had “no choice” but to withdraw from representing Reiner, citing circumstances beyond his and his client’s control as the reason for his abrupt resignation.
Reiner was formally charged in December with two counts of first-degree murder. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. He remains in custody at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility.
Rob and Michele Reiner were found dead inside their Brentwood home on Dec. 14. Authorities said multiple agencies assisted in locating and arresting Nick Reiner, who was apprehended near the University of Southern California at approximately 9:15 p.m., hours after his parents’ bodies were discovered.
Last week, Conan O’Brien spoke publicly about the deaths. The talk show host was among the last people to see the couple alive after hosting a holiday party that the Reiners attended with their son prior to the killings.
“I knew Rob and Michele, and then increasingly got closer and closer to them, and I was seeing them a lot,” he told The New Yorker. “My wife and I were seeing them a lot, and they were so — they were just such lovely people. And to have that experience of saying good night to somebody and having them leave and then find out the next day that they’re gone.”
He added, “I think I was in shock for quite a while afterward. I mean, there’s no other word for it. It’s just very — it’s so awful. It’s just so awful. And I think about how Rob felt about things that are happening in the country, how involved he was, how much he put himself out there — and to have that voice go quiet in an instant is still hard for me to comprehend.”
Family members and friends told the Los Angeles Times that Nick Reiner had a heated argument with his parents at the party and that several guests noticed him behaving strangely.
“Nick was freaking everyone out, acting crazy, kept asking people if they were famous,” a source also told People magazine.
Two days later, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced that Reiner had been charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
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