Nick Reiner seeks access to $1.5 million trust fund to pay for parents' murder defence: Details here

Director Rob Reiner and photographer and movie producer Michele Singer Reiner's son is now reportedly seeking access to a more than $1.5 million trust fund that his parents left him to help pay for his defence after he was accused of double homicide.

Nick Reiner pleads not guilty

Nick Reiner has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder in connection with the deaths of his parents, Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Singer Reiner, 70, who were found stabbed to death in the primary bedroom of their Brentwood home on 14 December last year. Paramedics discovered the couple at around 3:40 PM, although prosecutors have said they were killed earlier that morning.

Reiner was arrested later that day at around 9:15 PM in Los Angeles' Exposition Park neighbourhood, roughly 15 miles from his parents' residence. Video obtained by NBC Los Angeles showed officers approaching him as he crossed a street before taking him into custody.

He faces two murder charges, along with a special-circumstances allegation involving multiple murders. Prosecutors have also alleged that he used a deadly weapon, identified as a knife. If convicted, the special allegations and circumstances could result in a harsher sentence.

What does Nick Reiner's petition say?

On Monday (local time), Nick Reiner's attorneys filed a detailed petition in a Los Angeles court seeking access to his trust, which he was supposed to receive two years ago, NBC News reported on Tuesday. The petition stated that 32-year-old Reiner has been denied access despite "unambiguous instructions" left by his parents on how to disburse the funds in the trust that was established in 1993.

In the petition, his attorneys wrote, "Nick loved his parents, and he is devastated by their deaths. But the facts about what did and did not happen to them are not at issue in this Trust litigation." It further stated, "Like anyone accused of a crime, Nick is presumed innocent, and he is entitled to mount his defence with the resources that are lawfully his own."

Nick Reiner seeks access to trust fund

According to the petition, Reiner was entitled to half of the trust when he turned 30 and should receive the remainder when he turns 35, distributions his attorneys described as "mandatory and unconditional."

It further stated that the trust fund represented a commitment by Nick's parents that these resources would belong to him for his use and benefit.

The petition claims that despite the trust fund holding more than $1.5 million, every dollar of which is meant for Nick's sole benefit and should have been released to him two years ago, “the Trustee still has not released the money he was due on his 30th birthday, or even told Nick its amount.”

Additionally, it noted, "Given the present circumstances, it is an abuse of the Trustee's discretion to refuse those requests," and added, "Nick is currently awaiting trial on double homicide charges. No use of his funds could be more important."

Reiner has also been unable to pay for what he needs while in jail or for criminal counsel.