NICK REINER'S ARRAIGNMENT IN PARENTS' MURDER POSTPONED AFTER ATTORNEY REQUESTS REPLACEMENT. (PHOTO).

 Nick Reiner's arraignment in parents' murder postponed after attorney requests replacement

A judge on Wednesday postponed Nick Reiner’s arraignment in the deaths of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, after his defense attorney requested to be replaced by a public defender. Judge Theresa McGonigle approved attorney Alan Jackson’s request during a brief hearing and rescheduled the arraignment for Feb. 23. Jackson did not provide a reason for stepping down.

Nick Reiner, 32, appeared in Los Angeles Superior Court wearing brown jail attire with his head shaved. The appearance came just over three weeks after his parents were found dead from stab wounds in their Brentwood home. Cameras were allowed in the courtroom, but photographs of Reiner were prohibited. He has been held without bail since his arrest hours after his parents’ deaths and was charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Reiner did not enter a plea on Wednesday, nor had he during a previous appearance in mid-December, when he was in shackles and a suicide prevention smock. Jackson had indicated there were 10 outstanding subpoenas in his investigation, which the judge sealed. Deputy Public Defender Kimberly Greene was assigned as Reiner’s new attorney. The couple’s deaths on Dec. 14 remain under investigation, with initial findings citing “multiple sharp force injuries” and authorities providing no further details on a motive. The charges carry special circumstances of multiple murders and the use of a knife, potentially increasing the sentence, though prosecutors have not yet decided whether to pursue the death penalty. Rob Reiner, 78, was a celebrated director behind films including “This is Spinal Tap,” “Stand By Me,” “A Few Good Men,” and “When Harry Met Sally,” where he met Michele Singer, 70, who later became his wife of 36 years.