Nick Reiner, who was indicted for the murders of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, had a request for access to his over USD$1.5 million trust fund blocked.

A trustee for the fund said in court documents, viewed and obtained by Global News, that due to a California law known as the “slayer statute,” Reiner is prevented from using the funds to defend himself against the charges.

Reiner pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder with the special circumstance of multiple murders in the deaths of his parents in February.

The slayer statute prevents people from inheriting money from someone they “feloniously and intentionally” kill, according to the court documents.

The trustee also noted that if Reiner is convicted of killing his parents, he will be deemed to have predeceased them, and his siblings, Romy and Jake Reiner, would inherit his trust.

The professional fiduciary who oversees the trust fund Reiner’s parents created for him when he was a baby opposed the request to provide Reiner with more money from it.

“Successor Trustee Jodi Pais Montgomery is a professional fiduciary who took office on June 11, 2026 — years after the September 14, 2023 distribution of one-half of the principal of the Trust became due upon Nick turning age thirty under Paragraph 4.5 of the Trust (the “Age 30 Distribution”) and after the claimed acts and omissions of the prior trustees,” the legal documents said.

“Nick’s Petition asks the Court to compel immediate payment of the Age 30 Distribution (with interest), to compel discretionary distributions for a jail commissary account and for private criminal-defense fees, to construe the Trust, and to hold the trustees liable for breach. Each request rests on a single premise — that the Age 30 Distribution was wrongfully withheld from Nick. That premise is incorrect.”

Get breaking National news

The successor trustee is asking the court to determine whether and when the slayer statute applies and to instruct the trustee whether she may fund a nominal jail commissary account in the interim and to authorize a hold on the trust until the issue is resolved.

In a statement to the New York Times, Reiner’s lawyer, Anita P. Wu, rejected the assertion that the California law applies.

“The slayer statute requires a determination, not a mere accusation,” she said. “Nick is presumed innocent and has been convicted of nothing.”

Lawyers for Reiner also responded on Friday by filing a two-page declaration with Reiner’s signature, the outlet reports.

“I did not give my consent to any trustee of my trust to withhold, defer or retain my age-30 distribution indefinitely as ‘property of the trust,'” he reportedly wrote.

“As I have stated in my petition and other documents, I would like for my money to be released,” Reiner reportedly added.

On Monday, Reiner’s lawyer asked for “speedy access to trust funds” to pay for his criminal defence.

At the hearing on Monday, his probate lawyer said Reiner needed access to the funds so that he can “properly prepare for his criminal trial,” Variety reports.

“It’s been delay after delay after delay,” said Wu. “The clock is really running on his preparation of his defence. This is not something that can continue to wait.”

Judge Ruben Garcia set a hearing on Oct. 23, adding that resolving matters like these can “be a long process.”

“I’m doing my very best to address issues you raised,” Garcia said.

Following Reiner’s hearing on Monday, his former defence lawyer, Alan Jackson, told reporters outside the courthouse that Reiner is “very much entitled to his own money, his own funds.”

• Property owner charged after vehicles of suspected thieves shot at in Manitoba
• Sentencing hearing underway for Calgary man who preyed on sex trade workers
• Man charged with sexually assaulting 2 female youths on Richmond Hill trail
• Emergency equipment for 2-year-old girl battling cancer stolen during break and enter

“He’s made a determination that he wants to be able to use his funds that are in his trust account to decide on his criminal counsel. And when he’s allowed to do that, he will then be able to defend himself in the way that the Constitution indicates that he should and can defend himself,” Jackson said. “It’s about Nick Reiner’s money and his own money.”

Reiner was indicted on charges of murdering his parents last week, with authorities adding the allegation that he was lying in wait before attacking them, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office announced on Wednesday.

He was arrested on Dec. 15 after his 78-year-old father and 70-year-old mother were found dead with stab wounds in their home in the upscale Brentwood section of Los Angeles on Dec. 14, 2025.The grand jury indictment adds a new special circumstance of “lying in wait.” He also faces a special allegation that he personally used a dangerous and deadly weapon, a knife.

Reiner pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder with the special circumstance allegations of multiple murders and murder by means of lying in wait after the indictment was unsealed, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office said.

“This was a profound betrayal by someone who was loved and trusted by the very people he is accused of killing,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said.

“The indictment unsealed today also adds a special circumstance allegation that the defendant committed the murders by means of lying in wait. We hope that by having a grand jury return an indictment in this case, it will bring us one step closer to a trial and achieving justice,” Hochman added.

The grand jury indictment is a major step toward trial and allows prosecutors to skip California’s preliminary hearing process, where evidence is publicly aired.

Reiner’s next court appearance will be held on Sept. 15.

If convicted as charged, Reiner faces death or life in state prison without the possibility of parole. A decision on whether to seek the death penalty will be made at a later date, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office added.