THE BILLION-DOLLAR SMILE RETURNS AMIDST TRAGEDY
If Alan Jackson is haunted by the gruesome double-murder case he just abandoned, he certainly isn’t showing it. The high-powered celebrity defense attorney strutted back into a California courtroom on Wednesday, January , looking cool, calm, and collected—a stark contrast to the grim figure who fled the Nick Reiner case just one week ago. But Jackson wasn’t there to clear his name; he was there to defend Fraser Bohm, the -year-old rich kid accused of turning the Pacific Coast Highway into a graveyard.
The optics at the Van Nuys Courthouse were enough to make your stomach turn. While Nick Reiner sits in a cell facing the death penalty for allegedly butchering his Hollywood royalty parents, Jackson was spotted literally patting Bohm on the back. Insider sources tell us the vibe was shockingly casual, with Jackson chatting up his client as if they were discussing a parking ticket rather than four counts of vehicular murder.
“It was business as usual for Alan,” a courtroom observer whispered. “He looked relieved. He looked like a man who just offloaded a toxic asset and traded it in for a case he can actually win.”
Bohm, who pleaded not guilty, is facing life behind bars for the October crash that killed Pepperdine students Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir, and Deslyn Williams. Prosecutors allege he was doing over mph. Yet, there was Jackson, the “Magic Man” of defense law, standing by his side, offering physical comfort. The message to the legal world was loud and clear: Jackson isn’t quitting the game; he just quit Nick Reiner.
DITCHING THE ‘MONSTER’ FOR THE ‘SPEED DEMON’
The juxtaposition between these two cases is exploding the rumor mill. Why would Jackson, a man who has defended the likes of Kevin Spacey and Harvey Weinstein, suddenly develop a conscience—or a conflict—with Nick Reiner, but stick like glue to Fraser Bohm? Both cases involve horrific loss of life. Both clients come from immense privilege. But one got the boot, and the other got a pat on the back.
Sources close to the Reiner investigation suggest that the “ethical obligations” Jackson cited for leaving Nick might be code for a client who is completely uncontrollable. While Bohm stood in court and politely answered “Yes, your honor” regarding waiving his right to a speedy trial, Nick Reiner has been a cipher, isolated and erratic.
“Jackson sticking with Bohm proves it wasn’t a crisis of conscience. He defends alleged killers for breakfast. Nick Reiner must have done something truly unhinged to make Alan walk away from that level of publicity.”
Outside the courthouse, Jackson was all smiles for The New York Post, declaring that Bohm “is doing great, the whole team is doing great.” Doing great? Four young women are dead, and his client is facing decades in prison. This aggressive positivity is a trademark Jackson move, but coming so soon after the Reiner debacle, it feels like a calculated PR pivot.
THE MYSTERY OF THE “ETHICAL” EXIT
Let’s rewind to the bombshell that dropped on January . Jackson stood outside a different courthouse and shocked the press by announcing he was withdrawing from the Reiner case due to “circumstances beyond our control.” He used the terrifying phrase “ethically prohibited,” which in lawyer-speak usually means the client is either lying, trying to commit a new crime, or refuses to follow legal counsel to a catastrophic degree.
“Sadly, it’s made it impossible for us to continue our representation of Nick,” Jackson told reporters at the time. Impossible. For a man who thrives on the impossible, that word is heavy.
Speculation has run rampant that Nick Reiner, charged with the stabbing deaths of director Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, might have run out of money. But Jackson tried to squash that rumor during an appearance on Billy Bush‘s “Hot Mics” podcast earlier this week. He got defensive, insisting, “You can’t say that something happened with the retainer because I’ve never said that.”
If it’s not the money, what is it? Did Nick confess something so heinous that even Jackson couldn’t stomach it? Or is Nick Reiner sabotaging his own defense from behind bars? The silence is deafening, and Jackson’s pivot to the Bohm case only deepens the mystery.
THE $ MILLION BAIL DRAMA
The Fraser Bohm case highlights exactly why people hire Alan Jackson: he is the luxury brand of legal defense. In November , Judge Thomas Rubinson denied a motion to reduce Bohm’s bail from a staggering $ million to $ million. In doing so, the judge threw some serious shade that reveals the power dynamics at play.
“There are many, many defendants sitting in the county jail right now who would love me to reduce their bail so they can hire Alan Jackson or other private counsel,” Rubinson quipped in open court. “That’s not the way it works.”
Even the bench acknowledges that Jackson is the status symbol for defendants with deep pockets. Bohm’s family clearly has the resources to keep the Jackson machine running. This fuels the theory that perhaps the Reiner family estate—now frozen or contested due to the murders—cut off the funding tap for Nick. Jackson claims it’s ethics, but in Hollywood law, ethics often align with cleared checks.
“TAKE IT TO THE BANK”: THE CRYPTIC DEFENSE
Despite fleeing the Reiner case, Jackson left a parting gift that has legal pundits scratching their heads. In his final press conference regarding Nick, he made a definitive, almost arrogant proclamation.
“What we’ve learned, and you can take this to the bank, is that, pursuant to the law in California, Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder,” Jackson declared.
Why say that if you’re quitting? Insiders believe Jackson is protecting his win/loss record. By setting up the narrative of innocence—likely hinging on an insanity defense—Jackson ensures that if Nick gets off, he can claim credit for the strategy. If Nick goes down, Jackson can say he wasn’t the one driving the bus. It is a win-win for the lawyer, but a confusing mess for the public.
This statement also contrasts sharply with his demeanor in the Bohm case. With Bohm, he is patting backs and following procedure. With Reiner, he was dropping cryptic bombshells and running for the exit. The “not guilty” comment suggests Jackson knows exactly what happened in that Brentwood home, and he wants no part of the trial that will expose it.
INSIDE THE VAN NUYS SHOWDOWN
Wednesday’s hearing for Bohm was technically procedural, but the atmosphere was electric. The courtroom was packed. The families of the four victims—Niamh, Peyton, Asha, and Deslyn—have been waiting for justice since October . Seeing the defendant sharing a warm moment with his superstar lawyer must have been a bitter pill to swallow.
Bohm’s agreement to waive his speedy trial rights pushes the next hearing to February . This delay tactic is classic Jackson. Slow the wheels of justice, let the public outrage cool down, and look for a technicality. It is the exact strategy he likely would have employed for Nick Reiner, had the relationship not imploded.
Meanwhile, prosecutors claim Bohm lost control of his BMW while speeding on the PCH, slamming into parked cars that ricocheted into the victims. It is a gruesome, chaotic crime scene. Yet Jackson stood outside telling The Post that everyone is “doing great.” The disconnect between the lawyer’s confidence and the tragedy of the crime is the kind of drama TMZ lives for.
WHAT IS NICK REINER HIDING?
While Jackson works his magic for Bohm, Nick Reiner sits alone. He has been assigned public defender Kimberly Greene, a capable lawyer but one without the media machine Jackson commands. Greene admitted she has had “no contact” with the Reiner family, meaning Nick is completely isolated.
The Reiner siblings, Jake and Romy, have issued statements mourning their parents but have remained silent on their brother’s legal team shuffle. The fact that Nick went from the best money can buy to a public defender in the span of a week suggests he has been cut off financially and emotionally by what remains of his family.
“I don’t want you, your audience, [or] anybody else to start speculating,” Jackson told Billy Bush. Too late, Alan. The speculation is the story.
CLIFFHANGER: THE NEXT COURT DATE
The legal circus is split in two. Fraser Bohm returns to court on February , with Alan Jackson by his side, fighting to keep a rich kid out of prison for a quadruple vehicular manslaughter charge. Nick Reiner returns on February , with a public defender and the weight of a double murder charge on his shoulders.
Will Jackson’s strategy for Bohm work? And more importantly, will the truth about why he really left Nick Reiner finally come out when the public defender starts filing motions? One thing is certain: Alan Jackson knows where all the bodies are buried, and his return to court proves he is ready to keep fighting—as long as the client plays by his rules.
