A federal judge in Los Angeles declared a mistrial on Friday after jurors remained deadlocked in the case against Jonathan Rinderknecht, who is accused of igniting the fire that authorities say became the catastrophic Palisades Fire.
Ruling from the bench on Friday, U.S. District Judge Anne Hwang said the court must “declare a mistrial because the jury is deadlocked.” Ten jurors were set to enter a not-guilty verdict for 29-year-old Rinderknecht, while two others were set on convicting him.
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Prosecutors say they will retry the case, which involved three federal courts of destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce, and timber set ablaze. The maximum penalty if convicted carries up to 45 years in prison.
“The evidence is strong that Jonathan Rinderknecht is responsible for igniting the fire on January 1, 2025, which eventually became the Palisades fire,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli. “We fully intend to retry this case before a new jury and obtain guilty verdicts on all charged counts.”
Rinderknecht had pleaded not guilty to three federal arson-related charges tied to the New Year’s Eve Lachman Fire in the Pacific Palisades area.
A note from the jury’s foreperson on Thursday first indicated the possibility of a mistrial, stating, “We have people on both sides that are dead set, unwavering and unwilling to change their opinion.”
Additionally, the jury indicated the court was unable to help them further on their dispute and that they were split across all three charges the defendant faces.
Prosecutors asked the jury to deliberate further on Friday, though Hwang, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, said she was concerned about a “risk of coercion” given how decisive the disagreements were among jurors.
Prosecutors say the blaze allegedly started by Rinderknecht smoldered underground for days before exploding into the wildfire that killed 12 people, destroyed thousands of structures across Los Angeles County, and burned more than 23,000 acres.
Meanwhile, the defendant’s attorney, Steve Haney, said the fact that 10 out of 12 jurors did not believe he was guilty was a “pretty resounding indication” that Rinderknecht was innocent.
Prosecutors say there was overwhelming evidence that points to the defendant’s guilt, including digital receipts of his inputs to ChatGPT, which indicated he was distraught over climate change and wealth disparity and wanted “revenge” against society for his grievances.
Additionally, evidence pointed to Rinderknecht’s infatuation with Luigi Mangione, the suspect facing two state cases and one federal prosecution tied to the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. After the CEO’s December 2024 death by gunshot, Rinderknecht allegedly searched for news about Mangione and typed in terms such as “free Luigi Mangione” and “lets take down all the billionaires” on his personal device.
Prosecutors also cited Rinderknecht’s location at the approximate time of the fire’s ignition on New Year’s Eve 2024. They say he was near Skull Rock Trailhead in Topanga State Park after dropping off one of his Uber passengers in the Pacific Palisades, and they further allege he used a BIC lighter to start the Lachman Fire.
One of the jurors who participated in the two-week trial was interviewed by ABC News following Friday’s proceedings, and she told the outlet she thought there were a “lot of holes” in the government’s indictment and that there was not enough evidence to prove that he started the first fire.
The Palisades Fire ignited on Jan. 7, 2025, nearly a week after the Lachman Fire and on the same day as the Eaton Fire that killed 19 people and destroyed thousands of acres across Los Angeles County.
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Rinderknecht’s attorneys argued that he was in the area to watch fireworks, that the Lachman fire was started by fireworks, and that Rinderknecht attempted to call 911 to stop the fire.
Prosecutors are likely to file a notice of intent to retry with the court or request a new trial date after the jury deadlocked.
