Nick Reiner, the youngest son of Rob and Michele, has been accused of the murder of his parents. As the trial is in process, questions arise whether he will plead insanity.
Legal experts weigh in on this in an interview with People. Neama Rahmani, an attorney in West Coast Trial Lawyers, says, “To be found not guilty by reason of insanity, that is a very difficult legal hurdle to overcome in California.
He continues, “You have to prove, between disease or defect, that the defendant does not know the nature and consequences of his actions. Essentially, you have to show that the defendant doesn’t know right from wrong.”
The expert further adds, pleading insanity does not guarantee lenient sentencing, “Jurors almost always reject this defense. It only works a very small percentage of the time.”
Nick is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, but at the same time, he has a history of substance abuse and mental health issues.
“First-degree murder requires premeditation. So that’s plotting, planning, doing something intentionally. There is a possibility that the defense may use the schizophrenia to argue that there’s no premeditation. That would knock first-degree murder down to second degree,” Naema notes.
Similarly, Randy Zelin, an ex-prosecutor, shares that the accused defense team could use his “history of mental disease and addiction” to reduce sentencing to manslaughter, potentially “taking the death penalty off the table… Mental health experts here are equally, if not more relevant than the lawyering.”
It is worth noting that Nick is defended by Alan Jackson in court.
