Nick Reiner Arraignment: Inside the Insanity Defense Strategy | True Crime Today
True Crime Today | Daily True Crime News & Interviews
Tony Brueski
4.2 • 612 Ratings
🗓️ 7 January 2026
⏱️ 22 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Tuesday marks a turning point in the Nick Reiner case. The 32-year-old son of legendary filmmaker Rob Reiner will stand before a judge and, for the first time, enter a plea on two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances.
Everyone watching knows what's coming. Defense attorney Alan Jackson has spent three weeks telegraphing it. "Very complex and serious issues." A sealed mental health order. A client who appeared in court in a suicide smock after failing to receive medical clearance the day before.
Not guilty by reason of insanity.
But what does that defense actually require in California? It's not enough to be mentally ill. It's not enough to have schizophrenia, which sources confirm Nick was diagnosed with years ago. Under the M'Naghten standard, the defense must prove he either didn't understand the nature of stabbing his parents to death, or didn't know it was wrong.
That's a high bar. And prosecutors have ammunition. Nick's own words — recorded on podcasts — show a man who knew how to manipulate systems and people. Seventeen rehab programs gamed. Parents convinced to ignore experts. A calculated campaign to remain in their lives despite every warning.
Can you claim insanity for a single night while demonstrating strategic thinking for seventeen years?
Bob Motta joins True Crime Today to break down the legal mechanics of what's coming. The two-phase trial process. How psychiatric testimony works. What happens if the defense actually wins — and whether Nick Reiner could ever walk free.
The arraignment is just the beginning. Here's what it sets in motion.
#NickReiner #RobReiner #MicheleReiner #TrueCrimeToday #InsanityDefense #AlanJackson #Arraignment #CaliforniaLaw #TrueCrime #Justice
Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISDOES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/
Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod
X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod
Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | This is Hidden Killers Live with Tony Bruske, Stacey Cole, and Todd Michaels. |
| 0:08.8 | Let's go over to the Reiner case. |
| 0:11.6 | Nick Reiner is set to be arraigned tomorrow on two counts of first-degree murder. |
| 0:17.2 | Wednesday, that is, with special circumstances and the stabbing deaths of his parents. |
| 0:22.1 | Legendary filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife, Michelle Singer-Riner, the 32-year-old, has been held without bail at Twin Towers Correctional Facility since his arrest December 14th, the same day his parents' bodies were discovered in the master bedroom of their Brettonwood home. |
| 0:37.0 | Defense attorney Alan Jackson, obviously, known for his work with Karen Reed and Harvey Weinstein, |
| 0:42.3 | has been signaling from day one that mental health will be a central key component to this case. |
| 0:47.6 | He's called it a devastating tragedy with very complex and serious issues as he cashes his check. |
| 0:55.2 | Sources have confirmed Nick was diagnosed with schizophrenia years ago, |
| 0:59.3 | and his medication was changed in the weeks prior to the killings. |
| 1:03.2 | A sealed medical order has already been signed by the judge overseeing the case. |
| 1:07.6 | All signs point to the insanity defense, but what does that actually mean |
| 1:12.4 | in California and how hard is it to win? And what is Alan Jackson really building here other than |
| 1:18.4 | his bank account to break it down? Bob Mata is with us. Bob Allen has been using those phrases, |
| 1:26.2 | complex, serious issues, asking for restraint and dignity since the first appearance outside the courthouse to you. |
| 1:33.3 | What is he telegraphing and how early does a defense attorney typically start lying groundwork for the insanity defense? |
| 1:40.3 | Pretty early. |
| 1:41.5 | You know, I mean, if you look at the situation for what it is, and I think everybody that was kind of looking at that from the outside looking in was like it was either the addiction or it was mental illness or a combination of boy. |
| 1:54.6 | Yeah. |
| 1:55.1 | Right. |
| 1:55.7 | So it's like, so, yeah, I mean, typically if you know as the attorney, kind of the way that this thing played out, you were lining up your doctors immediately and you're kind of putting it out there. |
| 2:11.1 | And if you are of the mindset, because we really do as defense attorneys consider it to be the defense of last resort |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Tony Brueski, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Tony Brueski and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.