LOS ANGELES - A hearing will be held later this year on whether Nick Reiner will be granted access to a trust fund set up for him by his parents in a process that will likely impact who defends him in the double-murder case.

Reiner, charged with murder in the killings of his parents Rob and Michele Reiner at the couple's Brentwood residence in December, is fighting for access to the first payment from the trust fund that was set up for him in 1993. He has argued that the rules of the trust state the first payment should have been provided three years ago when he turned 30.

Attorneys who run he trust are trying to block the payment, citing a California law known as the Slayer Statue. The law states that a person cannot be paid from a trust if they killed the person who established the legal document.

At a hearing Monday in a downtown LA courtroom, the judge scheduled a hearing on the matter for October. The judge's decision will likely be a key factor in Reiner's ability to pay for a lawyer to defend him in the murder trial.

A pretrial hearing in the murder trial is set for the fall. It was not immediately clear whether the probate court timeline to hear the trust case will affect the start of the criminal case.

Reiner was indicted on two counts of first-degree murder with additional special circumstances allegations of multiple murders and lying in wait, plus the special allegation he personally used a deadly weapon.

The 32-year-old was arrested on Dec. 15 after the tragic discovery of the bodies of Rob Reiner, 78, and photographer wife Michele Reiner, 68, inside their Brentwood home.

Reiner remains jailed without bail. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman has said the case is eligible for the death penalty. (Source: KNBC)

Story Date: August 20, 2026