Nick Reiner is currently incarcerated at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles, awaiting further legal proceedings in connection with the alleged murder of his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, which occurred on December 14, 2025. He is still presumed innocent and has pleaded not guilty. But the case has taken a new turn, this time on the financial front.
The son of the American filmmaker is currently unable to access a trust fund reportedly worth $1.6 million. A trust fund is money entrusted to a person or an institution, managed according to specific rules for the benefit of another person.
The trust fund was established by his parents in 1993, the year of his birth, and was intended to benefit Reiner. Last June, while he was being held in custody awaiting trial, he requested access to a portion of these funds to finance his defense and, in particular, cover his living expenses while in custody. The request was contested by the trust’s administrators, who cited the “slayer statute,” a California law that prevents a person who has intentionally killed someone from deriving financial benefit from that person’s death.
The situation is something of a legal paradox: Reiner has not been convicted and has pleaded not guilty to charges that he murdered his parents. His attorney, Anita P. Wu, told The New York Times: “The slayer statute requires a determination, not a mere accusation. Nick is presumed innocent and has been convicted of nothing.”
The trustees of the trust fund, for their part, argue that a payment made today could become impossible to recover if Reiner were ultimately found guilty.
This development comes as the criminal case enters a decisive phase. In July, a Los Angeles grand jury indicted Reiner on two counts of first-degree murder, with aggravating circumstances, including the allegation of a premeditated “ambush” attack and the use of a knife. If convicted, he faces life in prison or even the death penalty. The next hearing is scheduled for September 15.
Originally published by Vanity Fair France.
