Nick Reiner, the individual charged with the murder of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, has been refused access to the $1.5 million US trust fund he had sought to utilize for his legal defense. As per a filing in June, Reiner had been attempting to claim allegedly unpaid funds from a trust established for him by his parents in 1993.
Court documents obtained by CBC News reveal that trustees turned down Reiner’s request for the funds, invoking a provision of California law called the “slayer statute,” which bars individuals who have “feloniously and intentionally” killed someone from inheriting money, property, or trusts from the deceased.
Rob Reiner, a renowned filmmaker and actor, and his spouse, Michele, a photographer and producer, were fatally stabbed in their California residence on December 14, 2025. Shortly after, their son Nick Reiner was taken into custody. The 32-year-old was formally charged with murder on July 20 and has entered a plea of not guilty.
An indictment by a Los Angeles County grand jury, unveiled recently, alleges that Reiner lay in wait before assaulting his parents, a detail that, along with other circumstances, could potentially lead to the death penalty. The District Attorney, Nathan Hochman, has not yet confirmed if the death penalty will be pursued.
Reiner is set to appear in court for a pretrial hearing in September and is currently being represented by public defender Kimberly Greene, who CBC News has contacted for comment.
In the June filing, it was disclosed that besides the family trust fund, smaller individual trust funds were set up for the Reiner children in their names. According to the filing, Nick Reiner was supposed to receive half of his trust fund at the age of 30 and the remainder at 35. However, he asserted in his petition that he had not received the funds due to him at 30 and accused the trustees of withholding his rightful access to the funds.
The petition highlighted that the assets in the fund amounted to at least $1.5 million US. Notably, prominent private attorney Alan Jackson was initially engaged to represent Reiner but departed within a month without explanation. The filing also revealed that Reiner’s siblings, Jake and Romy Reiner, initially agreed to cover their brother’s legal costs before reversing their decision.
The lawyer overseeing the trust fund, Paul R. Kanin, and incoming trustee Jodi Pais Montgomery both determined in court documents that due to the unresolved criminal case against Reiner, the funds could not be released at present. The filing emphasized that the trust fund cannot be accessed until the implications of Probate Code Section 250 and related “slayer statute” principles on Reiner’s claim to the funds are clarified.
Many details regarding the case, including motives, remain undisclosed to the public eight months after the tragic incident. Jake Reiner, the eldest son of the Reiners, shared in April about the ordeal of his parents’ murder and the focus on his brother’s alleged involvement in the case.
Rob Reiner’s significant contributions to the film industry, including directing iconic movies like “The Princess Bride,” “A Few Good Men,” and “Stand By Me,” were acknowledged. He met Michele during the production of the beloved film “When Harry Met Sally,” and their enduring marriage lasted 36 years.