Reiner Murder Case Hinges on Son’s Mental Competency

Quote: “Nick might enter a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity at some stage in the proceeding, so prosecutors will want to obtain evidence to determine if that defense is viable,” said Los Angeles-based top family law attorney and legal analyst Christopher Melcher, who handles celebrity and high-net- worth divorces in California.

“For a NGI [not guilty by reason of insanity] plea, Nick must prove that he had a mental health disorder that made him incapable of understanding the nature and quality of his act, or from understanding that his act was morally and legally wrong. It would be Nick’s burden to show those elements by a preponderance of the evidence, meaning that it is more likely than not that his NGI defense is true,”  explains Melcher, who is a partner of Walzer Melcher Yoda LLP, which is ranked as a high-net- worth top family law firm.