What is the 'slayer statute'? Nick Reiner’s trust fund blocked after murder indictment

Nick Reiner has been blocked from accessing his trust fund to cover legal fees and commissary costs while he faces murder charges over the deaths of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner.

According to reports, trustees cited California’s “slayer statute” when opposing Reiner’s request to access the fund, which he claims is worth more than $1.5 million.

The law prevents people from inheriting property from someone they “feloniously and intentionally” kill.

Reiner’s trustees said criminal proceedings will determine whether the statute affects his entitlement to the trust.

Reiner, 32, requested access to a portion of the fund, saying he had not received a distribution that was due when he turned 30.

He said the money would help pay legal expenses and cover basic necessities in custody.

In court documents, trustee Jodi Pais Montgomery argued that “no distribution should be made until the Court resolves whether” the slayer statute should affect Reiner’s entitlement.

Reiner disputed the decision in court filings, stating, “I did not give my consent to any Trustee of my Trust to withhold, defer, or retain my Age-30 Distribution indefinitely as ‘property of the Trust.’”

His lawyer, Anita P. Wu, told The New York Times, “The slayer statute requires a determination, not a mere accusation. Nick is presumed innocent and has been convicted of nothing.”

Reiner was indicted in July on two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the December 2025 deaths of his parents.

The indictment also includes an alleged special circumstance of lying in wait and the use of a knife.

He is scheduled to return to court for a pretrial hearing on September 15.