LOS ANGELES — Nick Reiner, son of acclaimed filmmaker Rob Reiner, is currently seeking access to funds from a trust set up by his parents, as he faces charges of their murder. Reiner claims he requires these funds for his legal defense in the ongoing case.

Attorneys representing the 32-year-old Reiner filed a petition in a Los Angeles County court on Monday, arguing that the trustees are withholding the funds without valid legal grounds. They assert that Nick Reiner is entitled to these resources to aid in his defense.

“Nick loved his parents deeply and is heartbroken by their tragic deaths. The legal proceedings surrounding the trust do not concern the circumstances of their deaths,” the petition states. “As with any accused individual, Nick is presumed innocent until proven guilty and deserves the right to defend himself using assets that legally belong to him.”

Rob Reiner, a prominent director, along with his wife Michele Singer Reiner, a photographer and producer, were tragically found dead in their Brentwood home on December 14. They had been fatally stabbed. Nick Reiner was arrested shortly after and has since entered a plea of not guilty to the charges of murder.

Initially, Nick Reiner hired renowned attorney Alan Jackson to represent him. However, Jackson withdrew from the case within a month, citing reasons he could not disclose. The recent court filing indicates that Reiner’s siblings, Jake and Romy Reiner, initially agreed to cover Jackson’s legal fees but later decided against it.

In a declaration included with the petition, Jackson said “my firm stands ready, willing, and able to resume representation of Mr. Reiner” if the funds become available.

The filing says that apart from the larger Reiner family trust, which is not at issue, Rob and Michele Reiner established smaller individual trusts for Nick Reiner and his siblings. It says they left “unambiguous instructions” in Nick Reiner’s trust, established in 1993, that he was to receive half its money when he turned 30 and the rest at 35.

But, the filing says, Reiner never received the funds he was entitled to at 30, and that the trustee overseeing them since February – attorney Paul R. Kanin – has given “a shifting series of excuses and justifications” to deny Reiner the money, including concerns about Reiner’s competence that have no bearing on a payout that is mandatory.

Reiner says he should also get the money he was to receive at 35 immediately because his defense and his need for basic necessities in jail require it.

The petition says the trust has at least $1.5 million in assets, but that Kanin will not share the exact amount of its value.

Kanin did not immediately respond to an after-hours email seeking comment.

Proceedings in Reiner’s murder case are moving slowly. He is scheduled to return to court for a pretrial hearing in September. He is eligible for the death penalty, but District Attorney Nathan Hochman has said his office has not yet decided whether to seek it.

Authorities have said nothing about possible motives, and leaks in the case have been virtually nonexistent on both sides. A court order has kept most details of the autopsy secret. Many of the most basic questions about the killing remain unanswered publicly.

On the day he left the case, Jackson, speaking outside court, declared adamantly that “pursuant to the laws of California, Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder.”

In April, Jake Reiner gave his first detailed account of the experience of losing his parents and having his brother at the center of it, calling it “a living nightmare” that is “too devastating to comprehend.”

Rob Reiner was a prolific director whose work included some of the most memorable and endlessly watchable movies of the 1980s and ’90s. His credits included “This is Spinal Tap,” “Stand By Me,” “A Few Good Men,” and “When Harry Met Sally… ,” during the production of which he met photographer Michele Singer. They wed soon after and were married for 36 years.

Savannah Guthrie from The Today Show has opened up about the emotional toll of resuming work while her mother, Nancy Guthrie, remains missing. She confessed to shedding tears ‘every day’ since her return.

During a heartfelt conversation with cohost Jenna Bush Hager on Monday, Guthrie, 54, admitted, “I find myself crying each morning on my commute to work.”

The last known sighting of Guthrie’s mother was at her Tucson, Arizona home on the night of January 31, with suspicions of abduction surrounding her disappearance.

Expressing gratitude, Guthrie praised her colleagues for creating a “beautiful” and “supportive” atmosphere, which has been a source of comfort since she came back to the show in April after taking a break to join the search efforts.

In spite of her ongoing struggle, she vowed to remain resilient during this challenging time.

‘Like so many people out there, you can hold all of these things together. I tell that to my kids, too.

‘We can hold our sadness and we can hold our joy and if you don’t believe it, just watch me. I’m going to show you,’ she said

The anchor also urged onlookers to not give up on her mother, crying at points.

‘I cry every morning on the way to work and I cry every morning on the way home,’ Savannah Guthrie, 54, said during an emotional segment on Monday’s fourth hour of the Today Show

Four months into the search for her mother Nancy, 84, the senior remains missing

‘We still need everybody’s prayers. We still wish someone would call and say what they know,’ she told Bush Hager.

Both found common ground through their Christian faith.    

Guthrie brought up some ‘famous scripture’ – Isaiah 40:31 – that she felt captured her current plight.

‘There’s a part of it which says, “You’ll walk and not grow faint,”‘ she said, interpreting the phrases to mean a time in one’s life ‘when just walking and not growing faint is about as good as it can get. 

‘And that’s what I feel like I’m doing. I’m trying to walk and not grow faint, and it’s a gift from God that I’m able to do so,’ she said.  

‘But it’s always, always with me, you know?’

Guthrie – a Today anchor since 2012 – admitted it would have been more difficult to return to ‘any other kind of job.’

‘But I just felt like, ‘Well, what else should I do?’” she said.

The hosts found common ground with their Christian faith, which Guthrie credited for helping her through

‘Bring her home,’ Guthrie wrote over an image on Instagram Sunday. It appeared to depict the ascension of Jesus Christ. Her family is offering up to $1million for information leading to Nancy’s recovery

‘And my mom would have said the same, like, “Honey, just keep going, just keep going.” And so I am.’

She posted a message to Instagram the night before that reiterated how her mother has yet to be found.

‘Bring her home,’ Guthrie wrote over an image appearing to depict the ascension of Jesus Christ – echoing her previous social media posts pleading for the public’s assistance.

The Guthrie family is offering a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to the senior’s recovery. There are no suspects, according to local police and the FBI.

Guthrie has previously said she fears that her fame and fortune may have made her mother a target for kidnappers. Nancy required medication for a heart condition to stay alive.

Guthrie has said she realizes that her mother may no longer be alive but that she and her family are desperate to bring her home anyway, so they can give her a Christian burial if necessary.  

After facing the possibility of a disastrous road trip following their initial defeats in Seattle last week, the Mets managed to turn the tide. They emerged victorious in three out of four games, sparking some hope as they return to Citi Field to take on the Cardinals and Braves. Currently sitting at 29-36, the Mets find themselves only five games out of the third wild-card position in a somewhat disorganized National League, trailing the division frontrunners.

As they contemplate their strategy for the upcoming trade deadline, the Mets are confronted with several critical questions:

By Saturday, the Mets will need to introduce a fifth starter into their rotation. Kodai Senga will not be among the contenders this time, as he is set to start for Double-A Binghamton on Tuesday. The team’s management is keen to see performance improvements from the rehabbing right-hander, who has been battling issues with control.

What is the state of the starting rotation? 

The Mets will need a fifth starter no later than Saturday. The options this turn through the rotation won’t include Kodai Senga, who is scheduled to pitch for Double-A Binghamton on Tuesday. Team officials want results from the rehabbing right-hander, who has struggled with control.