Schizophrenia, Insanity, and the Law — Can Nick Reiner Avoid Responsibility?
Update: 2025-12-23
Description
Nick Reiner was diagnosed with schizophrenia years ago. He was in treatment. Expensive treatment. According to multiple reports, his medication was changed just weeks before his parents were stabbed to death. His defense attorney, Alan Jackson — fresh off a major acquittal in another high-profile case — is already calling this case “very complex.”
Translation: the insanity defense is coming.
But insanity is not a diagnosis — it’s a legal standard. In California, the question is narrow and brutal: did the defendant understand what he was doing, and did he know it was wrong?
In this episode, we walk through what an insanity defense actually requires, and why it’s far harder to prove than many people assume. We examine how being actively in treatment can cut both ways, how medication changes factor into legal responsibility, and why post-crime behavior — hotel stays, travel, attempts to clean up evidence, calm public behavior — creates serious hurdles for the defense.
We also discuss Nick’s court appearance in a suicide prevention smock, the delayed arraignments, and a sealed medical order signed by the judge. What’s happening behind closed doors? Competency evaluations? Psychiatric holds? Strategic positioning?
Finally, we explore the most painful layer of all: when the victims and the defendant are part of the same family. How does accountability work when mental illness is real — but so is violence?
This isn’t about sympathy versus punishment. It’s about where the law draws the line.
#NickReiner #InsanityDefense #Schizophrenia #TrueCrimeAnalysis #JenniferCoffindaffer #HiddenKillers #MentalHealthAndCrime #LegalBreakdown #TrueCrime
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Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod
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Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872
Translation: the insanity defense is coming.
But insanity is not a diagnosis — it’s a legal standard. In California, the question is narrow and brutal: did the defendant understand what he was doing, and did he know it was wrong?
In this episode, we walk through what an insanity defense actually requires, and why it’s far harder to prove than many people assume. We examine how being actively in treatment can cut both ways, how medication changes factor into legal responsibility, and why post-crime behavior — hotel stays, travel, attempts to clean up evidence, calm public behavior — creates serious hurdles for the defense.
We also discuss Nick’s court appearance in a suicide prevention smock, the delayed arraignments, and a sealed medical order signed by the judge. What’s happening behind closed doors? Competency evaluations? Psychiatric holds? Strategic positioning?
Finally, we explore the most painful layer of all: when the victims and the defendant are part of the same family. How does accountability work when mental illness is real — but so is violence?
This isn’t about sympathy versus punishment. It’s about where the law draws the line.
#NickReiner #InsanityDefense #Schizophrenia #TrueCrimeAnalysis #JenniferCoffindaffer #HiddenKillers #MentalHealthAndCrime #LegalBreakdown #TrueCrime
Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video?
Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod
X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod
Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872
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