Nick Reiner, who faces charges in the murder of his parents, has been denied access to a $1.5 million trust fund, according to court documents. Trustees have cited California's "slayer statute" as the reason for blocking Reiner's requests to use the funds for court fees and commissary items.
The statute prohibits individuals who have "feloniously and intentionally kill[ed] the decedent" from inheriting or benefiting from the victim's estate or trusts. In this case, Reiner is accused of murdering his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner.
Lauriann Wright, an attorney for the professional fiduciary Jodi Pais Montgomery, stated in the court documents that "California has enacted no exception permitting a killer’s inheritance to be used for criminal defense costs." Wright also noted that Reiner's share of the trust would be transferred to his siblings, Romy and Jake Reiner, under the statute.
Reiner's legal team has contested this interpretation, arguing that the "slayer statute" requires a legal determination of guilt, not just an accusation. Reiner's lawyer, Anita P. Wu, stated, "Nick is presumed innocent and has been convicted of nothing."
In June, Reiner, 32, petitioned for access to the trust, which he was slated to receive in portions after turning 30 and before turning 35. He argued that the trust is irrevocable and that the trustee is not permitted to withhold funds from a beneficiary, even if they are deemed incompetent. Reiner has been diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Rob Reiner, a filmmaker, and Michele Reiner, a photographer, were found stabbed to death in their Brentwood, California, home in December. Their death certificates indicated they died from "multiple sharp force injuries" inflicted by another person. Nick Reiner was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder for their deaths. He pleaded not guilty to the charges in February and faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole or the death penalty.