MINI TRUE CRIME ROUNDUP: Nick Reiner vs. the Slayer Rule, Lindsay Clancy puts a spotlight on postpartum psychosis and more

**Lauren Barry** (0:02)
This is a True Crime Roundup from The On Deadline Podcast. We explore crime stories reported on by Audacy's radio newsrooms across the country. I'm your host, Lauren Barry. This week, we're looking in to the latest developments in the case of Nick Reiner, who is accused of killing his parents, beloved Hollywood power couple Rob and Michele Reiner. He's been trying to access the trust fund his parents set up for him to pay for his defense. But is that a violation of the Slayer Rule?
We'll look in to that.
Another case we're diving in to in this episode also involves family murder. It's the Lindsay Clancy case out of Massachusetts. Clancy is a mother accused of killing her three children, and the details of her case have opened up a discussion around postpartum depression and the more rare postpartum psychosis condition. We'll also touch on the investigation in to the death of actress Hayden Panettiere, though crime is not currently suspected in that case.
Late last year, the nation was shocked to hear that Rob Reiner, director of heartwarming audience favorite films like Stand By Me, When Harry Met Sally and The Princess Bride, among others, was found slaughtered alongside his wife and frequent collaborator, Michele's singer Reiner. What seemed even more shocking was that the suspect arrested for the murders was their son, 32-year-old Nick Reiner. He's now on trial for murder and he's pleaded not guilty. According to reports, Rob and Michele's other children, son Jake Reiner and daughter Romy Reiner, testified before a grand jury that ultimately indicted Nick. Alan Jackson, an attorney known for representing Harvey Weinstein, has agreed to represent the defendant if Nick could get access to the money from a trust fund his parents established for him. Odyssey Station, KNX News in Los Angeles, had the latest on the case this week.

**SPEAKER_2** (2:14)
Nick Reiner is trying to get his hands on trust fund money for murder defense, but the judge today pushed a hearing on that to the fall. So for now, Reiner remains broke in jail and relying on a public defender. Here's Emily Valdez.

**Emily Valdez** (2:26)
Nick Reiner has a public defender, and he wants big-time attorney Alan Jackson. But for that, he needs big-time money.

**Chris Melcher** (2:33)
The Reiners had set up a trust for their children, including Nick Reiner.

**Emily Valdez** (2:38)
Attorney Chris Melcher is not involved in the case.

**Chris Melcher** (2:41)
There's money in that trust, and Nick, or really his attorney, wants that money for his criminal defense. But the trustee is saying, no, you can't have that money because you killed your parents.

**Emily Valdez** (2:55)
California has what's called a slayer statute, and that means people cannot inherit or get money from people they have likely killed. Notice the word likely. The bar is lower. This is not beyond a reasonable doubt, and Reiner was indicted by a grand jury.

**Chris Melcher** (3:09)
The judge in the probate court has sufficient information, I believe, to make a finding for that purpose of the killer air statute that Nick Reiner is responsible for the murder of his parents to deny payments. Of course, if other evidence came out in the future, which would show that somebody else killed the Reiner's, then Nick can reapply or petition for the money from the trust.

**Emily Valdez** (3:33)
Reiner sits in jail, his bail $1.5 million. His next probate hearing is in October. I'm Emily Valdez, KNX News.

**Lauren Barry** (3:42)
For more on the Reiner case, Dana Wright, Scott Parks and Sam Stevie III discussed the new developments this week.

**Dana Wright** (3:50)
Did you see there is a new indictment that has been handed up alleging that the son of Rob and Michele Reiner was lying in wait before he killed them? And that is an additional upgraded charge, by the way. He has been indicted on murder charges in the killing of his parents. And now, there are additional charges that he was literally... The charge is, Scott, lying in wait. I didn't know that that was a thing. I didn't either. The grand jury had been meeting in secret. As they do, return the indictment on July 20th. It was unsealed today.
We know what lying in wait means, that he waited or hid from his victims in order to, quote, ambush them.

**Scott Parks** (4:33)
What was the motive? I forget.
Oh, you're just crazy?

**Dana Wright** (4:37)
As an allegation, it is meant to show premeditation. And of course, I don't know that many people dispute that.

**Scott Parks** (4:46)
Well, yeah, if you're lying in wait to kill your, Sam, yes.

**Sam Stevie III** (4:49)
Wasn't he living with them at the time?