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2h ago

Jury Deadlocks in Federal Trial Over Palisades Fire

The split jury leaves Judge Anne Hwang weighing re‑instruction, a formal Allen charge or declaring a mistrial that could send the case back for retrial.

Firefighters watch the flames from the Palisades Fire burning a home on January 8, 2025, in Los Angeles.
An aerial view shows homes under construction amid empty lots more than a year after the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
An aerial view shows the cleared site of a mobile home park more than a year after the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Jonathan Rinderknecht, accused of deliberately setting a blaze that grew into one of the deadliest and most destructive wildfires on record in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, attends his trial at federal court in Los Angeles, California, U.S. June 10, 2026 in a courtroom sketch. REUTERS/Mona Edwards

Overview

  • After roughly two days of deliberations the jury first sent a note saying it had reached a verdict and then told the court Thursday it was at a standstill and could not reach unanimous decisions.
  • Prosecutors have charged Jonathan Rinderknecht with three federal arson counts that carry up to 45 years in prison if he is convicted.
  • The government built a circumstantial case with cellphone location data, surveillance video, fire‑dynamics expert testimony, online activity and photos of a green Bic lighter to place him at the Jan. 1 ignition point.
  • The defense has stressed there is no direct physical evidence tying Rinderknecht to the blaze, argued fireworks are a more likely cause and criticized delays in preserving the original scene that could have destroyed forensic clues.
  • The outcome matters to victims and public accountability because the Palisades Fire burned more than 23,000 acres, destroyed thousands of structures and killed a dozen people, and a mistrial would force prosecutors to decide whether to try the case again.