We're going live with defense attorney and former prosecutor Eric Faddis to break down the recusal motion that just froze the Mickey Stines murder case — and we're taking your questions.

Here's what happened: The defense discovered video showing Special Judge Christopher Cohron seated next to Judge Kevin Mullins at a mental health commission meeting, seven days before Mullins was shot to death by Stines in his Letcher County chambers. According to the defense motion, Cohron never disclosed this to the parties. Now they want him off the case — arguing that in a trial built entirely around Stines' mental state, this undisclosed connection creates an appearance of bias that can't be overlooked.

Cohron has already denied the defense's motion to unseal Stines' psychiatric evaluation. He blocked them from using it at the bond hearing. The defense is connecting those rulings to what they found in that video. And now everything is frozen until someone decides whether Cohron stays or goes.

Eric Faddis walks us through the legal standard for recusal, what happens if Cohron refuses to step aside, and how this fight could escalate all the way to the Chief Justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court. We're also covering the venue battle, the sealed psychiatric report, and why prosecutors still haven't announced whether they're seeking the death penalty — fifteen months into this case.

Got questions? Drop them in the chat. Eric's here to answer.

#MickeyStines #HiddenKillersLive #EricFaddis #JudgeRecusal #KevinMullins #LetherCounty #LiveStream #TrueCrimeLive #KentuckyMurder #CriminalDefense

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"Nick Reiner is NOT guilty of murder under California law."

That was Alan Jackson's parting shot — delivered from the courthouse steps after withdrawing as Nick's attorney. He's telegraphing an insanity defense. But does Nick Reiner actually have a case?

On this live breakdown, attorney and former prosecutor Eric Faddis walks us through exactly what it takes to win an insanity defense in California — and why it's one of the hardest strategies in criminal law.

California uses the M'Naghten Rule. The defense must prove that at the precise moment of the killings, Nick either didn't understand what he was doing or couldn't distinguish right from wrong. Having schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder — both reported in Nick's case — isn't enough. Being on medication isn't enough. Being psychotic the week before isn't enough. It's about that exact moment.

Sources say Nick's medication was changed weeks before the killings. His behavior became "erratic and dangerous." But sources also say he was coherent enough to attend a Christmas party days earlier — and that's exactly the kind of evidence prosecutors use to undermine insanity claims.

Eric breaks down the two-phase trial process California uses, how Nick's documented drug addiction complicates the mental health picture, and what actually happens if the defense succeeds. Spoiler: Nick doesn't go free. He goes to a state psychiatric hospital, potentially for life.

Less than one percent of defendants plead insanity. About a quarter succeed. Where does Nick Reiner's case fall?

Join us live as we examine the hardest defense in criminal law — and whether Nick Reiner can actually win it.

#NickReiner #RobReiner #InsanityDefense #LiveBreakdown #TrueCrimeLive #CaliforniaLaw #Schizophrenia #MurderTrial #HiddenKillersLive #LegalAnalysis

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It happened fast. Alan Jackson — the high-profile defense attorney who took Nick Reiner's case within hours of his arrest — just withdrew from the case, citing circumstances "beyond Nick's control." Sources point to money. But Jackson's parting words point to something else entirely: "Nick Reiner is NOT guilty of murder under California law. Print that."

What does a defense attorney know after three weeks of investigation that makes him that confident? And why is he walking away?

On this live breakdown, we're joined by attorney and former prosecutor Eric Faddis to analyze the chaos unfolding in the Reiner murder case. Public defender Kimberly Greene is now on the case — she met Nick for roughly thirty seconds before the hearing and says the family wasn't even aware of the switch.

Eric walks us through the mechanics: What happens to Jackson's work product? Do those ten sealed subpoenas transfer to the new defense team? How does a public defender's office prepare for a capital murder case on short notice? And does this actually hurt Nick — or does the LA County Public Defender's track record suggest otherwise?

Deputy DA Habib Balian is prosecuting — the same attorney who handled the Menendez resentencing and Robert Durst trial. Does the prosecution gain an advantage from defense-side chaos?

The arraignment is now set for February 23rd. No plea entered. The insanity defense is being telegraphed. And somewhere in all of this, two people are dead and their son is facing life in prison or worse.

This is the Reiner case in real time. Let's break it down.

#NickReiner #RobReiner #BREAKING #ReinerCase #AlanJackson #TrueCrimeLive #MurderTrial #InsanityDefense #HiddenKillersLive #EricFaddis

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