Nick Reiner murder trial won’t happen for at least 2 years as public defender starts from 'square one': expert
Nearly one month after the deaths of Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, the case against Nick Reiner may only appear to be building rapidly.
On the heels of famed lawyer Alan Jackson withdrawing from leading Nick's defense, attorney Matt Murphy exclusively told Fox News Digital that detectives are likely not even "halfway done" with the double-homicide investigation.
"This is a very active investigation still, I guarantee it," Murphy said. "They're serving warrants and there are things known as special masters where private information, depending on what the warrant is for … it's got to go through somebody to review it to make sure that it's all relevant."
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Murphy added, "There's a whole process, and I'm sure that detectives are not even halfway done with what they're looking into in this case. So, there's a lot of work that still needs to be done."
The 32-year-old was charged in December with two counts of first-degree murder in the stabbing deaths of his parents, and faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. He remains in custody at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles, Calif.
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During Nick's first arraignment of the year when he was expected to make a plea, Jackson unceremoniously removed himself from the case.
WATCH: Nick Reiner case may take years to go to trial, legal expert says
Jackson cited circumstances beyond his and Nick's control as to why he abruptly stepped down from defending Nick against the double murder charges in the stabbing deaths of Rob and Michele.
"Circumstances beyond our control, but more importantly, circumstances beyond Nick's control have dictated that," Jackson said during a press conference outside the courthouse. "Sadly, it's made it impossible for us to continue our representation of Nick. I'm legally, and I'm ethically prohibited from explaining all the reasons why."
Jackson was adamant that Nick was "not guilty" of murdering his parents.
"We've investigated this matter top to bottom, back to front," Jackson said. "What we've learned – and you can take this to the bank – is that pursuant to the laws of this state, pursuant to the law in California, Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder."
Kimberly Greene, the deputy public defender assigned to the case, spoke briefly with Nick at the hearing, and said during the press conference, "He was understanding that there was going to be a change in counsel. We haven't had any in-depth conversations."
WATCH: Legal expert urges patience for judicial process in Rob and Michele Reiner's murders
While the change in defense initially came as a surprise, Murphy encouraged patience for the judicial system.
"This is not going to be like some of these other high profile murder cases where somebody comes in and refuses to waive time, and we're doing a trial within a year for a year and a half. This process is going to play out over years," Murphy said. "I would be shocked if this trial's in the next 24 months."
Murphy noted that Greene would be starting from "square one" and needs time to "establish a relationship" with her client.
"Nick Reiner's not going anywhere," Murphy said of the no-bail hold Nick is under due to the special circumstances tied to his charges on the allegation he used a dangerous weapon in the murders – a knife.
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"If he's not a danger to anybody else, they're gonna be able to take their time, and I predict the court will give the public defender all the time they need to properly prepare," Murphy said. "And remember, the arraignment is where you enter a plea, right? So they're going to have to decide whether or not they're going to enter a plea of NGRI, or not guilty by reason of insanity now, or whether they're going to wait and do that somewhere down the line after they've interviewed experts, had experts come in and interviewed Nick Reiner. It's a very complicated process."
"There's also a procedure in the state of California known as declaring a doubt, where a defense lawyer has the unilateral ability to come into court and say, ‘Your honor, I am declaring a doubt regarding the competency of my client to assist me further in these proceedings.’ And that's something you will often see in NGRI or not guilty by reason of insanity cases."
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Murphy added, "It's called going 1368, and when they do that, the court is required by law to appoint two mental health experts – one at the request of the prosecution, one to request the defense – to evaluate the defendant, determine whether or not the defendant is competent to stand trial, which is different than was he legally saying at the time he committed the charged act. So there's a lot of layers here in mental health cases."
Rob and Michele Reiner were found dead inside their Brentwood home on Dec. 14. Multiple agencies worked to find and arrest Nick, 32, who was apprehended near the University of Southern California at approximately 9:15 p.m., hours after his parents' bodies were discovered.
Two days later, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman charged Nick with two counts of first-degree murder.
Last week, Hochman insisted that Nick would receive proper representation after Jackson withdrew.
"The DA's office will make sure that lawyer is provided with full discovery of all the facts that pertain to this particular situation, whether it's interviews, whether it's any type of video, whether it's any type of expert reports – we'll make sure that that lawyer gets the facts necessary to effectively represent their client in a court of law."
He added, "We are fully confident that a jury will convict Nick Reiner beyond a reasonable doubt of the brutal murders of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, and do so unanimously."
A spokesman for the Reiner family told Fox News Digital, "They have the utmost trust in the legal process and will not comment further on matters related to the legal proceedings."