The Reiner Murders: 17 Rehab Programs, Years of Police Calls, and a Father Who Said He Was "Petrified"

Today we're breaking down the defense strategy everyone's talking about — and why it almost never works.Alan Jackson made his intentions clear before walking away from Nick Reiner's case: "Nick Reiner is NOT guilty of murder under California law." Translation: insanity defense.Nick was reportedly being treated for schizophrenia at the time he allegedly killed his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner. TMZ reports a schizoaffective disorder diagnosis. His medication was changed weeks before the killings, and sources describe his behavior as "erratic and dangerous."But California doesn't care if you're mentally ill. It cares if you were legally insane at the exact moment of the crime. That's the M'Naghten Rule — and it's brutal. The defense must prove Nick either didn't understand what he was doing or couldn't tell right from wrong in that specific instant.Less than one percent of defendants try this defense. Only about a quarter succeed.Attorney and former prosecutor Eric Faddis joins us to explain how California's insanity defense actually works — the two-phase trial process, how medication changes factor in, and what evidence prosecutors will use to argue Nick knew exactly what he was doing.We also examine the addiction angle. Nick has a documented history of cocaine and stimulant abuse. California recognizes "settled insanity" from long-term drug use — but psychosis from voluntary intoxication at the time of the crime doesn't qualify. How do these two factors interact?If the defense wins, Nick goes to a state psychiatric facility. If it loses, he faces life in prison or worse.Here's what you need to know about the hardest defense in criminal law.#NickReiner #RobReiner #InsanityDefense #TrueCrimeToday #CaliforniaLaw #Schizophrenia #MurderCase #MNaghtenRule #LegalExplainer #MentalHealthJoin Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISDOES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspodInstagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodListen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

9 Tammi 15min

The prosecution's case took a devastating hit Thursday. Judge Sid Harle struck Stephanie Hale's entire testimony from the record in the Adrian Gonzales trial. The jury has been instructed to disregard everything the former Robb Elementary teacher said — including her account of seeing the gunman on the south side of campus and her testimony about children arming themselves with safety scissors.Hale returned to the stand Thursday for cross-examination. Defense attorney Jason Goss exposed inconsistencies between her courtroom testimony and what she told a Texas Ranger four days after the massacre. Hale admitted it was "kind of implied" she saw the shooter based on dust clouds — not the specific sighting she described Tuesday."There's no doubt that this was crucial to the defense strategy," Judge Harle said before striking the testimony.Three days into the only criminal trial from the Uvalde massacre, the prosecution has been called "negligent," lost a key witness, and watched their own DA testify about failures in witness prep. Gonzales faces 29 counts of child endangerment. Trial continues Friday.#HiddenKillers #AdrianGonzales #UvaldeTrial #RobbElementary #TrueCrime #Uvalde #Justice #SchoolShooting #Breaking #TestimonyJoin Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISDOES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspodInstagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodListen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

9 Tammi 18min

Today in the Nick Reiner case: his defense just imploded.Alan Jackson, the criminal defense attorney who took Nick's case within hours of his January 6th arrest, told a Los Angeles judge he had "no choice" but to withdraw. He cited circumstances "beyond Nick's control." Sources tell Deadline that money is the issue — but Jackson's exit statement tells a different story.Standing outside the courthouse, Jackson declared: "Pursuant to the laws of California, Nick Reiner is NOT guilty of murder. Print that." That's not a withdrawal statement. That's a closing argument.Nick is now represented by LA County Public Defender Kimberly Greene, who told reporters she'd had about thirty seconds with her new client before the hearing. She said she'd had no contact with the Reiner family and didn't believe they knew Jackson was leaving.On today's episode, attorney and former prosecutor Eric Faddis explains what this withdrawal actually means. What happens to the ten sealed subpoenas Jackson's team issued? Does Greene inherit his investigation? How does a public defender prepare for a capital case on this timeline?We also look at who's prosecuting: Deputy DA Habib Balian, who handled the Menendez resentencing and secured a conviction against Robert Durst. Does the defense chaos give him an opening?Arraignment is now February 23rd. No plea has been entered. The insanity defense is being signaled loudly. And the man accused of killing Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner just lost his hand-picked legal team.This case is moving fast. Here's what you need to know today.#NickReiner #RobReiner #TrueCrimeToday #AlanJackson #ReinerMurders #BreakingNews #MurderCase #LACounty #CriminalDefense #TrueCrimeNewsJoin Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISDOES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspodInstagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodListen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

9 Tammi 12min

Rob and Michele Reiner are dead. Their son Nick is charged with their murders. And millions of families watching this case are seeing their own nightmare reflected back at them.Psychotherapist Shavaun Scott joins True Crime Today to examine what the Reiner family was really facing — and why their tragedy is a warning about a mental health system that keeps failing the people who need it most.The Reiners weren’t negligent parents. They were desperate ones. For seventeen years, they tried to help a son who was struggling with addiction and, reportedly, schizophrenia. Eighteen treatment programs. World-class facilities. Unlimited resources. Rob Reiner himself admitted they felt lost, that they trusted professionals who couldn’t deliver results, that they feared the tragic ending was coming.It came. And they’re not alone.Shavaun explains what families face when someone they love has a severe mental illness. Why love and money aren’t enough. Why the treatment industry so often fails. Why schizophrenia gets missed when addiction is the visible problem. She breaks down what happens when medication changes go wrong — sources say Nick became “erratic and dangerous” after a medication switch weeks before the killings.We also examine why families can’t protect themselves. Conservatorship was reportedly in the works when Rob and Michele died. The legal system moves slowly. Mental illness doesn’t wait. Shavaun explains the barriers families face and why intervention comes too late far too often.This case is getting attention because of who the Reiners were. But this story is playing out in families across America every single day — families with far fewer resources and even fewer options.#NickReiner #RobReiner #MicheleReiner #ShavaunScott #TrueCrimeToday #Schizophrenia #MentalHealth #TrueCrime #FamilyTragedy #MentalHealthCrisisJoin Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISDOES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspodInstagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodListen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

9 Tammi 58min

True Crime Today brings back former FBI special agent Robin Dreeke to analyze the investigative signals in the Charity Beallis case — what documented law enforcement actions may indicate without speculating on outcomes.Over a month after Charity Beallis and her six-year-old twins were found dead from gunshot wounds in their Bonanza, Arkansas home, the investigation remains officially open with no named suspect. But the details that have emerged create a picture worth examining.Twelve search warrants. Multiple agencies involved — including the Secret Service and Homeland Security. A public statement that there's "no ongoing threat to the public." And a reported dumpster discovery that connected discarded family belongings to an address associated with Randall Beallis.Robin Dreeke spent over three decades in federal law enforcement, including running the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Program. He knows how to read an investigation from available information — the language choices, the pace, the resource allocation, the things that get said and the things that don't.When Charity's adult son reportedly told a detective about the dumpster find, the detective reportedly asked, "How did you find out?" What might that response indicate about information control? When investigators say there's no public threat but won't name a suspect, what does that language typically signal? Why would federal agencies assist in what appears to be a local case?This analysis examines investigative patterns without presuming any individual's guilt.Content on this site is based on publicly available information and reflects commentary and opinion. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Nothing published here constitutes legal, medical, or professional advice.#TrueCrimeToday #CharityBeallis #RobinDreeke #FBI #BonanzaArkansas #RandallBeallis #ElianaAndMaverick #CrimeInvestigation #TrueCrime2025 #InvestigationAnalysisJoin Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISDOES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspodInstagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodListen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

9 Tammi 14min

Alan Jackson walked into court this morning as Nick Reiner's attorney. He walked out as his former attorney, telling reporters that Nick is "not guilty of murder" under California law — but that he won't be the one proving it.Jackson told Judge Theresa McGonigle he had "no choice" but to withdraw. He cited "circumstances beyond our control, but more importantly, circumstances beyond Nick's control." He said he's legally and ethically prohibited from explaining why.Sources tell Deadline that money is the likely reason. If true, the estate funding that was reportedly paying for Nick's elite defense has apparently ended.Deputy Public Defender Kimberly Greene stepped in immediately. She has nineteen years of experience. She learned last night that she'd be taking over. She had about thirty seconds to introduce herself to Nick before the hearing began.Nick appeared in court with a shaved head, wearing a brown jail jumpsuit. He sat behind glass, shackled at the wrists and ankles. When the judge asked if he agreed to postpone his arraignment to February 23rd, he said, "Uh, yeah, I agree with your honor on that." Those were nearly his only words.Jackson told reporters his team had devoted "every waking hour" to investigating the case for three weeks. He said they examined it "top to bottom, back to front." He said they're convinced Nick is not guilty under California law. But now that work transfers to the public defender's office.DA Nathan Hochman responded that prosecutors are "fully confident" a jury will convict Nick of the "brutal murders" of Rob and Michele Reiner.The arraignment is February 23rd. The insanity defense is still expected. But the resources behind it just changed dramatically.#NickReiner #AlanJackson #RobReiner #TrueCrimeToday #MicheleReiner #PublicDefender #MurderCase #TrueCrime #BreakingNews #ReinerCaseJoin Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISDOES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspodInstagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodListen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

8 Tammi 28min

Stephanie Hale, a teacher at Robb Elementary, took the stand in the trial of former Uvalde school officer Adrian Gonzales, who faces 29 counts of child endangerment over his response to the Robb Elementary massacre.Prosecutors allege Gonzales was first on scene and failed to engage despite knowing the shooter’s location. The defense says he’s being used as a scapegoat. Nineteen children and two teachers were killed on May 24, 2022. The trial is expected to last two weeks.#TrueCrimeToday #AdrianGonzales #UvaldeTrial #RobbElementary #Testimony #Uvalde #TexasTrial #Justice #SchoolShooting #BreakingJoin Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISDOES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspodInstagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodListen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

8 Tammi 1h

A childhood yoga instructor described Nick Reiner as "very, very intense" and so disruptive that his mother had to arrange private sessions. Sources say the family was scared of him for years. That Michele told a friend she didn't know what else they could do. That Nick had violent outbursts and was aggressive and unpredictable.Three to four weeks before the killings, his medication was changed and sources say he became "erratic and dangerous." The night before his parents were found dead, he got into an argument with his father at a party that was alarming enough for someone to consider calling 911.Every warning sign was there. Why didn't anyone intervene?Psychotherapist Shavaun Scott joins True Crime Today to examine the violence trajectory in the Nick Reiner case. She explains how mental health professionals assess whether someone is dangerous, what factors indicate escalating risk, and why families often can't protect themselves from someone they love.Shavaun breaks down the psychology of denial — the "he would never actually do it" belief that keeps families in harm's way. She examines what should have happened at key moments: the party confrontation, the medication change, the years of documented instability. And she explains why conservatorship proceedings — reportedly in the works at the time of the deaths — came too late.This episode also addresses the tension between mental illness and violence. Most people with schizophrenia aren't dangerous. Nick was. Shavaun helps us understand how to distinguish between someone who is sick and someone who poses a genuine threat.#NickReiner #RobReiner #MicheleReiner #ShavaunScott #TrueCrimeToday #WarningSigns #ViolenceRisk #MentalHealth #Escalation #TrueCrimeJoin Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISDOES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspodInstagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodListen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

8 Tammi 18min