NICK Reiner’s siblings want their “seriously ill” brother to avoid the death penalty despite the alleged murder of their parents.
Rob and Michele Reiner’s children, Jake and Romy, believe Nick’s mental health crisis triggered the alleged attack, a family friend told The U.S. Sun.
Nick is accused of stabbing his parents to death on December 14.
The director’s troubled middle child has had an extensive history of drug addiction and was reportedly recently diagnosed with schizophrenia.
A new medication cocktail prescribed to him had reportedly caused his erratic symptoms to further spiral before he allegedly stabbed his parents to death in their $10 million Brentwood mansion.
Nick is facing two counts of first-degree murder stemming from the alleged attacks, and he could be handed the death penalty.
The insider said, “Rob & Michele’s family, despite everything, do not want Nick to get the death penalty, as they insist this horrific incident was the byproduct of a mental health crisis.”
The source, who is close to the family, said the Reiners’ disturbed middle child was “diagnosed with schizophrenia just weeks before the stabbings and was under close psychiatric care.”
The source said, “Nick’s symptoms took a turn for the worse after doctors adjusted his medication before the killings, which the family believes, triggered increasingly concerning behavior.”
After a change in meds, the source claimed, the 32-year-old grew even more unpredictable and unstable than before, while also exhibiting signs of confusion.
“The family feels this was all a massive failure in his care and they firmly believe he was seriously ill when he did this.”
The source added: “The last thing the Reiners want is another killing in the face of this unbelievable tragedy, and that the death penalty would only bring more pain.
“It won’t bring back Rob and Michele.”
The insider said that the family supports Nick if he pleads not guilty by reason of insanity, and they want justice in the form of treatment for Nick.
Nick had been open about his struggles with drug addiction and admitted in interviews that he had been to rehab dozens of times since he was 15 years old.
His siblings also want to make sure a mental health tragedy like this is preventable going forward.
The U.S. Sun reached out to the Reiner family’s rep for comment.
Nick is set to be arraigned today – three weeks after the horrific murders.
In the days after the killings, Romy and Jake put out a statement, asking for compassion in the wake of the tragedy.
“We are grateful for the outpouring of condolences, kindness, and support we have received not only from family and friends but people from all walks of life.
“We now ask for respect and privacy, for speculation to be tempered with compassion and humanity, and for our parents to be remembered for the incredible lives they lived and the love they gave,” Nick’s siblings said.
DEATH PENALTY POSSIBILITY
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman is pursuing “special circumstances,” a legal move that could make Nick eligible for the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole.
However, even if prosecutors decide to seek the death penalty, he would not face execution under California’s current moratorium.
Governor Gavin Newsom established this pause in 2019, indefinitely halting all executions while keeping capital punishment as a legal option on the books.
Jo-Anna Nieves, an Oakland-based criminal defense attorney, explained to Fox News that the order “halted executions, closed the execution chamber at San Quentin, and paused lethal-injection protocols,” but did not eliminate existing death sentences.
“The executive order issued by Gavin Newsom halted executions, closed the execution chamber at San Quentin, and paused lethal-injection protocols, but it did not repeal the death penalty or invalidate death sentences imposed by courts,” Nieves noted.
“California still has the death penalty on the books, and prosecutors are legally permitted to seek it in eligible cases.”
District Attorney Hochman also indicated that the desires of the family will be taken into account when determining the final sentencing approach.
HOLLYWOOD NIGHTMARE
Rob and Michele died minutes after they were allegedly subjected to a brutal attack by their son, according to their death certificates.
The legendary filmmaker’s time of death was logged as 3:45 pm on December 14, while his wife’s death was recorded just one minute later at 3:46 pm.
The tragic scene at Reiner’s Brentwood residence was discovered after a massage therapist arrived at the residence for a scheduled appointment on the afternoon of December 14, as reported by The New York Times.
When the therapist could not get a response at the front gate, she contacted the couple’s daughter, Romy, who reportedly lived nearby.
When Romy, 27, arrived and entered the house, she discovered the scene and reportedly found her father’s body first.
Reiner and Singer were found in their bed with their throats cut; the Daily Mail reported that they may have been asleep at the time of the attack.
When the Los Angeles police arrived at the property around 3:30 pm, Romy informed the authorities that her brother, Nick, lived at the home with their parents.
However, officers were unable to find Nick on the premises at that time.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/15741256/nick-reiner-siblings-ill-brother-avoid-death-penalty/