Jonathan Rinderknecht is headed back to court this fall after his first federal arson trial over the deadly Palisades Fire ended without a conviction.
According to the Associated Press, U.S. District Judge Anne Hwang declared a mistrial Friday after jurors deadlocked, then quickly set an October 19 retrial date and ordered Rinderknecht to remain jailed until then. The decision came after 10 of the 12 jurors reportedly insisted the 29-year-old was innocent, while two wanted to convict.
Rinderknecht has pleaded not guilty to charges of arson, malicious destruction by means of a fire, and timber set aflame. The Department of Justice case stems from allegations that he sparked the January 1, 2025 Lachman Fire, which prosecutors say smoldered underground before reigniting January 7 and becoming the Palisades Fire.
Defense attorney Steve Haney said Rinderknecht feels encouraged that most jurors “resoundingly found that the government’s case was not strong, and they did not have enough evidence to convict him.” His father, Joel Rinderknecht, also blasted the decision to keep him behind bars, saying, “This is a big victory, and it feels so unfair that, given the circumstances, the government maintains my son in jail.”
Prosecutors are not backing down. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said they have strong evidence and plan to seek guilty verdicts in the new trial. Earlier, he said prosecutors “fully intend to retry this case before a new jury and obtain guilty verdicts on all charged counts.”
The retrial will likely center on the same fight that divided the first jury: whether digital evidence, location data, and Rinderknecht’s alleged state of mind prove arson beyond a reasonable doubt.
Prosecutors said Rinderknecht used a barbecue lighter to start the first blaze and pointed to phone data, Uber records, 911 calls, social media activity, and ChatGPT exchanges, including one where he asked, “Why am I so angry all the time?” They also argued his comments about wealth inequality pointed to a “societal revenge motivated” arson profile.
The defense pushed back hard, arguing fireworks were the more likely cause and that investigators never found searches about arson, fire-starting methods, or purchases of fire-starting materials. Former LA fire investigator Ed Nordskog accused investigators of confirmation bias, saying, “They’re choosing to look at information in a very sinister way when they should be a little more open about it.”
Juror No. 4, who identified herself as Syrena, said she voted not guilty because “There’s just not enough proof.” She also said Rinderknecht’s ChatGPT use looked like he was “just being human.”
The stakes remain massive. The Palisades Fire killed 12 people, destroyed 6,845 structures, and damaged 975 more, while thousands of survivors continue fighting to rebuild.
