Full Breakdown
Nick Reiner’s $1.5 Million Trust Blocked as Murder Indictment Moves Forward
8/16/2026, 11:58:00 PM
Core Event
A California probate court denied Nick Reiner’s request to access the more-than $1.5 million trust his parents, director Rob Reiner and photographer-philanthropist Michele Singer Reiner, created for him. The trustees argue that California’s “slayer statute” bars a person accused of intentionally killing a benefactor from receiving any portion of that benefactor’s estate. Reiner, 32, remains in custody while facing first-degree murder charges for the December 14, 2025 killings of his parents.
Legal Basis: California Slayer Statute
The statute prohibits anyone who “feloniously and intentionally” kills a decedent from inheriting “any property, interest, or benefit” from the decedent’s will or trust. The law contains no exemption for using a disqualified inheritance to pay criminal-defense costs.
Parties Involved
- Nick Reiner – petitioner for trust distribution.
- Rob Reiner – film director, deceased December 14, 2025.
- Michele Singer Reiner – photographer and philanthropist, deceased December 14, 2025.
- Jodi Pais Montgomery – fiduciary overseeing the trust.
- Lauriann Wright – attorney for Montgomery, representing the trustees.
- Anita P. Wu – attorney for Nick Reiner.
- Romy Reiner and Jake Reiner – siblings who would become contingent remainder beneficiaries if the slayer statute applies.
- Nathan J. Hochman – Los Angeles County District Attorney.
Timeline
- December 14, 2025 – Rob and Michele Reiner are found stabbed to death in their Brentwood home.
- August 12 – A grand jury indicts Nick Reiner on two counts of first-degree murder, adding “lying in wait” and use of a deadly weapon.
- Earlier this year – Reiner filed a probate petition seeking immediate access to his trust share for counsel and commissary expenses.
- August 15 – Trustees formally blocked the request.
- August 17 (scheduled) – Hearing on the trust dispute.
- September 15 (scheduled) – Pre-trial hearing on the murder charges.
Official Statements & Responses
Trustees, through Wright, contend that releasing any portion of the trust now would be “irreversible” and that the funds should instead pass to Romy and Jake under the slayer statute. Wright emphasized that California law provides no exception for using a killer’s inheritance to cover defense costs.
Reiner’s counsel, Anita P. Wu, argues that the statute requires a formal determination of guilt, not a mere accusation, and that her client is presumed innocent pending trial.
Data & Statistics
- Trust value: > $1.5 million (estimates up to $1.6 million).
- Distribution schedule: half due at age 30 (Nick turned 30 in 2023) and the remainder at age 35 (2028).
- Siblings: Romy Reiner and Jake Reiner are contingent remainder beneficiaries.
- Legal representation: Reiner’s former private attorney withdrew in January; a public defender now handles the criminal case.
Why It Matters
The dispute illustrates how California’s slayer statute can intersect with modern trust structures, potentially diverting assets from an accused heir to other beneficiaries while criminal proceedings are pending. The outcome may influence future cases where alleged perpetrators seek to use family-established trusts to finance their defense.
Verbatim Quote
- “California has enacted no exception permitting a killer’s inheritance to be used for criminal defense costs,” — Lauriann Wright, lawyer
