Nick Reiner: Mark Geragos Says He’d ‘Declare A Doubt’ About Competency

Nick Reiner stands accused of murdering his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, and for now, he remains behind bars but a lot of questions float around about his mental competency.

Discussion After Reports Of Aggression

This week, Brian Entin discussed the case with criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos on his Brian Entin Investigates podcast.

It came after People magazine reported that Nick Reiner was disciplined following an incident at the “Los Angeles County Twin Towers Correctional Facility in April.” It’s alleged that Reiner became “extremely hostile” towards deputies.

It was first reported back in April, and that led to questions about his incarceration and his mental stability.

Looking Unwell

A source told the Daily Mail that “Nick no longer looks like Nick. He is rapidly deteriorating” and added that they believed he looked unwell on medication with “very sunken in” eyes.

Meanwhile, another source claimed that Nick Reiner seems to have experienced cognitive decline.

It’s certainly not a new situation and TMZ’s Harvey Levin reported that allegedly, Reiner was “almost childlike in jail” and probably “not competent to stand trial right now.”

Legal Strategy and Insanity

In his podcast, Brian Entin noted that Nick Reiner allegedly “struggled with drug addiction…and schizophrenia” and has “pleaded not guilty to the murders.”

Then he wondered, as so many others do, if “Nick’s defense team will actually try for an insanity defense.”

The duo also discussed that there’s “a difference…between being mentally ill and legally insane” and that “it doesn’t matter what kind of diagnosis a person has or not”

With insanity, it’s up to the defense or the defendant to prove whether they understood.

Competency Prediction

Mark Geragos predicted that Reiner’s case will likely be paused to assess his competency to stand trial. He explained that “the first move would be to declare him incompetent.” The legal teams would need to determine “whether he understands the nature of the proceedings.”

While legal structures are in place for the mentally unwell, there’s always a possibility that a person like Nick could end up being treated, or “calibrated,” to understand the trial.

Competency Restoration Can Fail

Geragos noted that competency restoration often creates a “revolving door,” as defendants can disintegrate again on returning to county jail. “I’ve seen that happen for decades. Just a revolving door,” he said.

Geragos, who described these “patricide” cases as “the worst” and noted that “when the parent gets killed by the child, it’s just awful,” also suggested that the defense may also “enter a plea NGI, which is not guilty by reason of insanity.”

He added that “then you would be exploring everything else in terms of the ingestion of drugs, the calibration.” However, he suggested that by starting with a simple not-guilty plea, the defense is not “telegraphing” its full strategy.

Asked what he would do if he was a defense lawyer for Nick Reiner, Geragos said, “If I was his lawyer, I’d be declaring a doubt as to competency.”

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