Nick Rayner
“Calm” and “numbness” after the murder of parents
Published
Nick Rayner spends his days in a Los Angeles jail dealing with the fallout from his parents' violent murders, and he can't quite wrap his head around it… TMZ has learned.
A source with first-hand knowledge tells TMZ… Nick isn't shaking in grief. Rather, he is “in a fog”… in no small part due to his medical condition and the medications he is taking.
Our source further characterizes Nick as “calm,” “aware” and “dazed,” adding that Nick is not even close to processing what happened.
TMZ.com
TMZ broke the story… Nick was diagnosis of schizophrenia. We're told he was out of control in the weeks before the murders. Our sources described Nick as “erratic” and “dangerous.” As we reported, he recently checked into a rehab center in Los Angeles that specializes in mental health and substance abuse and was under the care of a psychiatrist.
We're told Nick's medications were changed weeks before the murders, causing Nick to lose even more control. Doctors adjusted the medications, but to no avail.
And, as we've reported, it's likely that Nick will plead not guilty by reason of insanity, a defense that requires evidence that he didn't understand the nature and quality of his actions. What's interesting…we're told that Nick's schizophrenia has been made worse by substance abuse and that could be a problem. Prosecutors will almost certainly argue that if Nick voluntarily took illegal drugs – just like a drunk driver – this cannot be used as a defense to the crime.
