Jonathan Rinderknecht is accused of starting the fire that burned more than 20,000 acres in Southern California
Credit: David Crane/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty; Bill Essayli, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California
NEED TO KNOW
- The federal trial of the man accused of starting the Palisades Fire ended in a mistrial after jurors failed to reach a verdict
- Jonathan Rinderknecht was being tried on arson charges, to which he pleaded not guilty
- According to reports, the jury had voted 10-2 in favor of acquittal while prosecutors vowed to retry the case
The trial of the man accused of starting the devastating 2025 Palisades Fire has ended in a mistrial, with jurors unable to reach a verdict.
Jonathan Rinderknecht was being tried in federal court on charges of destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.
But after two days of deliberations, jurors failed to come to a unanimous verdict and a mistrial was declared, according to reports from NBC News, KABC and the Los Angeles Times.
"We have people on both sides that are dead set, unwavering and unwilling to change their opinion," the jury said in a note, KABC reported.
The outlet and the Times further reported that jurors were deadlocked on all three counts and that 10 had voted to acquit Rinderknecht, while two wanted to convict him.
Related: Alleged Palisades Arsonist Sought 'Revenge Against Society,' Prosecutors Claim at Trial
Related: Accused Palisades Arsonist Was 'Fixated' on Luigi Mangione, Said He Resented the Wealthy: Prosecutors
Following the mistrial ruling, Rinderknecht's attorney, Steve Haney, said the jury had not been convinced beyond a reasonable doubt, according to the Times.
“10 to two is a pretty resounding indication of what the jury felt about this case and we felt that way from the very beginning,” Haney said, per the outlet.
Despite the ruling, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said on X that prosecutors intend to retry the case.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
"The evidence is strong that Jonathan Rinderknecht is responsible for igniting the fire on January 1, 2025, which eventually became the Palisades Fire," he wrote. "We fully intend to retry this case before a new jury and obtain guilty verdicts on all charged counts."
Authorities accused Rinderknecht of starting the fire in Los Angeles' Pacific Palisades neighborhood, which burned over 20,000 acres, caused multiple deaths and resulted in billions of dollars in property damage.
Read the full article here
