Overview
- A federal judge declared a mistrial on Friday after jurors told the court they could not reach a unanimous verdict in the case against Jonathan Rinderknecht, who was charged with starting a Jan. 1, 2025 brush fire prosecutors say later flared into the deadly Jan. 7 Palisades Fire.
- Jurors reported a firm split that left them unable to agree on any of the three counts, with most reports saying the panel was 10 favoring not guilty and 2 favoring guilty after roughly two days of deliberations.
- The trial featured heavy reliance on surveillance video, cellphone geolocation and the defendant’s online activity including ChatGPT records, while the defense stressed the absence of direct physical evidence and raised fireworks and scene contamination as alternative causes.
- Federal prosecutors immediately announced they plan to retry the case and court officials will soon address scheduling and whether Rinderknecht remains detained pending a new trial date.
- The mistrial leaves unresolved demands for accountability after a blaze that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of structures and means prosecutors must re-present complex forensics and voluminous digital records to a new jury, prolonging trauma for survivors and slowing community rebuilding.