Nick Reiner Update: Accused Killer Demands Access to Dead Parents' $1.5M Trust to Re-Hire Alan Jackson

Nick Reiner has filed a petition in California seeking access to trust money as he tries to re-hire high-profile lawyer Alan Jackson, a fresh turn in the criminal case surrounding the deaths of his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, in Los Angeles.

The filing, reported by PEOPLE, lands while the 32-year-old remains in custody on murder charges and his defence continues to shift around him.

The case has moved fast since the afternoon of 14 December 2025, when emergency responders were called to the Reiners' Brentwood home and found the couple already dead for hours. Nick Reiner was arrested later that night on suspicion of murder and charged two days later.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner said the deaths were caused by 'multiple sharp force injuries.' Much of what has followed has been filtered through court records, legal manoeuvring and claims that have not yet been tested in court, so the trust fight should be read with that in mind.

Nick Reiner Update And The Trust Fight

The latest filing centres on money Nick Reiner says was set aside for him years ago. According to the petition, Rob and Michele Reiner established trusts for each of their children, and Nick now argues that he has not received the distributions he believes he is entitled to. The document says he should already have received half the amount at age 30, with the remainder due at 35. The exact value of the trust is not clearly set out, but Nick believes it holds more than $1.5 million.

The petition says he has repeatedly asked about the money and been met with what it describes as 'excuses and justifications' for why it was not being released. It also insists the distributions are 'non-discretionary' and says the trustee cannot decide whether to pay them out based on what Nick plans to do with the funds. In plain terms, the filing argues that the money is his by right, not by favour.

That matters because Nick says he wants the funds for legal costs, including bringing back Alan Jackson, who withdrew from the case in January. The petition also says the money would be used for commissary expenses. The urgency is obvious. His filing says time is of the essence and warns against further jeopardising his defence before the next stage of the murder case.

Why Nick Reiner Wants Alan Jackson Back

Jackson was first hired on 16 December 2025, just two days after the deaths of Rob and Michele Reiner. His exit in January 2026 came after Nick's siblings, Romy and Jake, decided they would no longer fund their brother's defence. A public defender, Kimberly Greene, stepped in after Jackson left.

There was immediate speculation that the departure had something to do with money. Jackson later pushed back on that idea in an interview with Billy Bush, saying, 'You can't say that something happened with the retainer because I've never said that.' He also said he still had his former client's best interests at heart even after leaving the case.

That statement did not stop the broader narrative from hardening around funding. A month later, reports said Jake and Romy had also stepped away from any plan to retain a private lawyer for their brother. The trust petition now gives that financial backdrop a sharper edge, because it suggests Nick may be trying to unlock the very money he says should already be his in order to restore a defence he lost when the family support dried up.

The Case Around Nick Reiner Remains Severe

The murder allegations against Nick Reiner remain at the centre of everything. He pleaded not guilty in February 2026 to two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances. He appeared briefly in court again in April, when the judge set 15 September as his next court date. Prosecutors have not yet said whether they will seek the death penalty.

The source also points to a broader and more troubled picture around the days before the killings. It says there were reports of addiction, volatile behaviour and mental health struggles.

It also says that on the night before the murders, Rob, Michele and Nick attended Conan O'Brien's holiday party, where Nick reportedly argued with his father and behaved erratically.

Those details add texture to the case, though they remain part of the wider reporting around a prosecution that has not yet reached trial.

Nick Reiner remains in jail without bail at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles.