A judge has delayed Nick Reiner's arraignment in the killing of his parents after his high-profile attorney asked to be replaced by a public defender.
Judge Theresa McGonigle agreed to attorney Alan Jackson's request during a hearing Wednesday, where Nick Reiner was set to be arraigned and enter a plea.
Jackson did not say why he wanted to leave the case. McGonigle then delayed arraignment until Feb. 23.
The appearance comes 3 1/2 weeks after beloved actor-director Rob Reiner and his wife of 36 years Michele Singer Reiner were found dead with stab wounds in their home in the upscale Brentwood section of Los Angeles.
Nick Reiner, 32, the third of Rob Reiner's four children, was arrested hours later, and has been held without bail since.
He was charged two days later with two counts of first-degree murder. He did not enter a plea during a brief first court appearance Dec. 17, when he wore shackles and a suicide prevention smock. He was not wearing that smock Wednesday.
His attorney, Alan Jackson, had given no indication of the plans for his defense.
A decade ago, Nick Reiner publicly discussed his severe struggles with addiction and mental health after making a movie with his father, “Being Charlie,” that was very loosely based on their lives.
Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Singer Reiner, 70, were killed early on the morning of Dec. 14, and they were found in the late afternoon, authorities said.
The LA County Medical Examiner said in initial findings that they died from “multiple sharp force injuries,” but released no other details, and police have said nothing about possible motives.
