Overview
- Federal prosecutors say Jonathan Rinderknecht was fixated on Luigi Mangione and motivated by resentment toward wealthy residents, according to a new trial memorandum.
- The filing points to online searches such as “Free Luigi Mangione” and anti‑billionaire phrases, along with Uber passenger accounts describing erratic driving and angry rants on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.
- Prosecutors say they will rely on cellphone location data, expert testimony on fire cause, a barbecue lighter with his DNA, and evidence he called 911, left the scene, then returned to record firefighters.
- The defense counters that there is no eyewitness to any ignition, no accelerant or surveillance evidence, and argues the larger blaze stemmed from a failure to fully put out an earlier brush fire.
- Trial is scheduled for June 8 with up to 50 witnesses, and Rinderknecht remains jailed after a 2025 bond denial in a case centered on a fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of structures.