Alan Jackson retained for defense in Reiner murder case

A veteran Los Angeles defense attorney known for handling high-profile criminal cases has been retained to represent Nick Reiner, who was charged Tuesday with murdering his parents, director and actor Rob Reiner and photographer Michele Singer Reiner.

Alan J. Jackson, a partner with Werksman Jackson & Quinn LLP, is a former assistant head deputy of the Los Angeles County district attorney's office who successfully prosecuted record producer Phil Spector for the murder of actress Lana Clarkson.

Since leaving the district attorney's office, Jackson has represented movie producer Harvey Weinstein in a sexual assault case which ended in a conviction, actor Kevin Spacey in a groping trial that was dismissed, as well as a foreign royal family member who was accused - then cleared - of sexual assault, according to his firm's website.

In June, he persuaded a Massachusetts jury to acquit a woman named Karen Read of murder and manslaughter charges after she was accused of killing her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe. The defendant was convicted only of operating a motor vehicle under the influence, getting a year of probation.

During closing arguments, Jackson argued repeatedly that "there was no collision" with the vehicle Read was driving that caused O'Keefe's death after she dropped him off at another officer's house.

Instead, he said the injuries were not caused by an SUV and questioned the police investigation, suggesting O'Keefe fell backwards from a standing position and that there was a coverup by investigators of involvement by law enforcement officers in the victim's death.

It was the second trial in the case after the first trial, in 2024, ended with a hung jury.

Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Paul A. Thompson, who prosecuted the Weinstein case, described Jackson in an email as "one of the best at what he does, the kind of defense attorney you want to face as a prosecutor."

"He was very thorough," Thompson added. "I think we litigated every imaginable issue by the time we tried the case."

Jackson served in the U.S. Air Force from 1983 to 1987. He graduated from Pepperdine University School of Law in 1994, then became a Los Angeles County prosecutor, where he eventually became assistant head deputy for the Major Crimes Division.

He ran for district attorney in 2012, losing to Jackie Lacey, then left for private practice the following year.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced Tuesday that Nick Reiner, 32, would be charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Both his parents were stabbed to death at their Brentwood home, officials said.

"Prosecuting these cases involving family members are some of the most challenging and most heart-wrenching cases that this office faces because of the intimate and often brutal nature of the crimes involved," Hochman said during a news conference.

Jackson could not be reached for comment Tuesday, but he told reporters in Los Angeles that Reiner - who was arrested late Sunday - would not appear at the courthouse because he had not yet been medically cleared to do so.