After weeks of delays, Nick Reiner was set to be arraigned on murder charges today.
But in an unexpected twist, he entered the courtroom without his famed attorney, Alan Jackson, and the situation forced yet another postponement.
According to a report from TMZ, Jackson has withdrawn from the case under uncertain circumstances.
Famed defense lawyer replaced by veteran public defender
The cause of his withdrawal is unclear, but for the time being, Jackson has been replaced by Kimberly Greene, a public defender with 19 years’ experience.
The judge in Nick’s case signed off on the change in representation, and for the first time since his arrest, the 32-year-old spoke in court.
“Uh, yeah I agree with that,” Nick said when asked if he agreed to a new arraignment date of February 23.
“They have the utmost trust in the legal process and will not comment further on matters related to the legal proceedings,” the Reiner family said in a statement issued today.
Nick did not enter a plea today, but he will be expected to do so when he returns to court next month.
As expected, no bail amount was set, and Nick will almost certainly remain behind bars throughout his trial.
The previous delays in his cort proceedings stemmed from the fact that Nick had been placed on suicide watch.
He was arrested on December 14 and charged with the murders of his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner.
It’s unclear at this time if the public defender is just a temporary solution, or if Greene will continue to represent Reiner once his case goes to trial.
Jackson is one of the most celebrated defense attorneys in the country, having recently scored a not guilty verdict for Karen Read, who was charged with the murder of her police officer husband.
Jackson addressed the media moments ago, and while he did not go into detail, he stated that the circmstances of his withdrawal were beyond Nick’s control.
“Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder,” Jackson stressed to reporters (per TMZ).
We will have further updates on this developing story as new information becomes available.