Rinderknecht Arson Trial Resumes with Opening Statements
The second federal trial for the man accused of starting the Palisades Fire begins in downtown Los Angeles.
By Ryan Davidson ·
Attorneys for the government and the defense are set to deliver opening statements on Wednesday in the federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles. This marks the start of the second trial for Jonathan Rinderknecht, a 30-year-old man accused of starting a fire that evolved into the Palisades Fire. The Palisades Fire remains the most destructive blaze in Los Angeles history, killing 12 people and burning 23,448 acres. It destroyed approximately 6,500 structures across Pacific Palisades and Malibu.
A final jury panel was selected on Tuesday after prospective jurors underwent questioning on Monday and Tuesday. In the first trial earlier this year, the jury deadlocked 10-2 in favor of acquitting Rinderknecht on three arson charges. The judge declared a mistrial following that deadlock. Prosecutors have since moved forward with a superseding indictment that drops one count, leaving two federal arson charges.
The remaining charges allege destruction of property by means of fire and arson affecting property used in interstate commerce. The new indictment focuses specifically on the alleged setting of the Lachman Fire. U.S. District Judge Anne Hwang has ruled that references to the first trial are prohibited during this retrial. Rinderknecht remains in federal custody after three separate judges determined he posed a danger to the community. Those determinations cited evidence that he hid a firearm in a child’s teddy bear and threatened to burn his sister’s house in Florida.
Prosecutors argue that Rinderknecht intentionally ignited vegetation near the Summit neighborhood on December 31, 2024. They claim he used a grill lighter to start the Lachman Fire, which smoldered for a week before Santa Ana winds reignited it on January 7, 2025. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli stated that the evidence is strong that Rinderknecht is responsible for igniting the fire. He wrote on X that prosecutors fully intend to obtain guilty verdicts on all charged counts.
Defense attorney Steven Haney contends that his client is innocent. He argued that the 10-2 vote in the first trial showed the government failed to prove its case. Haney told jurors that the Lachman Fire could have started before Rinderknecht arrived on the scene. He suggested the initial fire was likely caused by errant New Year’s Eve fireworks. Haney said Rinderknecht, a part-time Uber driver, was on the trail near the Hidden Buddha clearing and simply called 911 to report the flames.
The previous trial lasted 10 days and featured more than 30 witnesses. Prosecutors relied on video surveillance, cell phone data, and fire dynamics analysis to argue Rinderknecht set the fire and lied to investigators. The defense maintained that no hard evidence tied Rinderknecht directly to arson and that the Lachman and Palisades fires were separate events. Haney stated that a retrial would likely result in another acquittal because the government did not have enough evidence to prove its case.
