Nick Reiner's Case Just Skipped the Step His Defense Needed

Nick Reiner was supposed to face a preliminary hearing this fall. Instead, the DA went to a grand jury behind closed doors and came back with an indictment that changes the case. The new charges allege lying in wait — a second special circumstance that says the killings of Rob and Michele Reiner were premeditated and concealed, not impulsive. A grand jury indictment in California replaces the original charges and eliminates the preliminary hearing entirely. The defense loses its opportunity to cross-examine prosecution witnesses before trial. The proceedings are one-sided, sealed, and operate on probable cause rather than proof beyond a reasonable doubt. The indictment was returned July 20, sat sealed for three weeks, and was unsealed August 12. Nick Reiner denied the charges in court the same morning. California's lying-in-wait special circumstance requires a jury to find that the defendant hid what he planned, waited for his opportunity, and attacked by surprise — with the specific intent to kill. Nick was diagnosed with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. He spent a year under a conservatorship for grave disability. His parents paid for his treatment, kept him on their Brentwood property, and brought him to Hollywood premieres. His medication was reportedly switched weeks before the killings. Tony explains the strategic calculation behind the grand jury move, what the prosecution just committed to proving, and what two special circumstances mean for a death penalty decision that still hasn't been made. Nick Reiner remains held on no bond. The pretrial hearing is September 15.

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This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.

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