Federal Jury Begins Second Trial in Palisades Arson Case
Prospective jurors are being questioned in downtown Los Angeles as the government seeks a conviction in the fire that destroyed 6,500 structures.
By Amelia Gupta ·
Jury selection began Monday for the retrial of Jonathan Rinderknecht, the man accused of starting the fire that became the deadliest blaze in Los Angeles history.
The Palisades Fire killed 12 people and burned 23,448 acres. It destroyed approximately 6,500 structures across the Pacific Palisades and Malibu communities. The damage and insurance claims reached into the billions of dollars. The fire originated on New Year’s Day 2025 as the Lachman Fire. It smoldered for one week before strong winds reignited it into the Palisades Fire.
Rinderknecht, 30, faces two federal arson charges in this second attempt. Prosecutors dropped a third charge from the original indictment. The remaining counts are destruction of property by means of fire and arson affecting property used in interstate commerce. Rinderknecht has pleaded not guilty to both counts. He remains in federal custody because three separate judges determined he poses a danger to the community. That determination relied on evidence that he hid a firearm in a child’s teddy bear and threatened to burn down his sister’s house in Florida.
The first trial ended in June when a jury deadlocked 10 to 2 in favor of acquitting Rinderknecht. Judge Anne Hwang declared a mistrial. She ruled that no reference to the first trial may occur during the retrial. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli stated that prosecutors intend to obtain guilty verdicts on all charged counts. He wrote on X that the evidence strongly shows Rinderknecht ignited the fire on January 1, 2025.
Defense attorney Steven Haney argues that the previous jury’s 10 to 2 split verdict indicates the government lacked sufficient evidence. He stated that the retrial will likely result in another acquittal. Haney told reporters that prosecutors failed miserably in their initial effort. He suggested that Assistant U.S. Attorney Essayli should try the case himself next time.
During the first 10-day trial, the government presented more than 30 witnesses, video surveillance, cell phone data, and fire dynamics analysis. Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht used a grill lighter to ignite hilltop vegetation near the Pacific Palisades Summit neighborhood around midnight on December 31, 2024. They claimed he acted out of anger and a desire for revenge against the wealthy. The evidence was largely circumstantial.
The defense countered that the Lachman Fire and the Palisades Fire were separate events. Haney told jurors that the initial blaze was likely caused by errant New Year’s Eve fireworks. He said Rinderknecht was on the trail near the Hidden Buddha clearing but did nothing more than call 911 to report the smoke. Haney noted that no hard evidence tied his client to the arson and that nobody knows for sure when the fire started.
