Mistrial Declared for Accused Palisades Fire Arsonist Jonathan Rinderknecht
The jury could not reach a unanimous verdict. A retrial is slated for October.
In the autumn of 2025, authorities arrested Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, for allegedly starting a fire that turned into the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, California.
Rinderknecht allegedly started the fire on January 1. It exploded due to intense winds on January 7 and ripped through the prestigious neighborhood of Pacific Palisades, killing 12 people. It also destroyed over 6,000 homes and buildings.
The authorities charged Rinderknecht with destruction of property by means of fire.
There has been an update to this case. A judge recently declared a mistrial in Rinderknecht’s federal trial.
The judge declared a mistrial Friday in the federal trial of the man accused of starting the deadly blaze that devastated the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles last year, with the jury unable to reach a verdict.
Jonathan Rinderknecht was accused of “maliciously” starting a fire that six days later developed into what became known as the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles history.
He was indicted on three federal counts — destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire — which carry up to 45 years in prison. He pleaded not guilty.
The jurors could not reach a verdict.
Juror #4, a woman named Syrena from Lompoc, Calif., told The California Post that she felt the government didn’t present a convincing enough case and wasted jurors’ time.
“It’s disappointing because of how much money and time they put into the same thing. I don’t know … but like, yeah, bullsh–t,” she said.
“I really felt like, ‘What are we doing here?’ a lot of times. And at first my thoughts were like, ‘Oh, even if he’s guilty, there’s not enough…’ You know like you feel like that? You see it on TV all the time — murderers get off, and I mean, that’s how my brain went.
“You’re supposed to be presenting this case to me to convict that man, and I felt like, ‘No, that doesn’t make sense. Like, what?’ Like, you’re making me feel like he’s more and more innocent with each fact.”?
Ten of the 12 jurors insisted Jonathan Rinderknecht is innocent. The judge in the case quickly set an Oct. 19 retrial date and ordered him jailed until then.https://t.co/F8qgp8focd
— East Idaho News (@EastIDNews) June 27, 2026
The move came after the empaneled jury was strongly encouraged to reach a unanimous verdict.
The note said that jurors on both sides “are unwilling to change their opinion” and that they are “at a standstill,” unsure of how to proceed.
Defense attorney Steve Haney requested an Allen charge, in which a judge gives specific instructions to encourage a deadlocked jury in a criminal trial to reach a unanimous verdict and avoid a mistrial. It is also commonly known as the “dynamite charge” or “hammer charge,” because it serves as a final, high-pressure effort to force an agreement.
Haney moved for a mistrial on Friday, while federal prosecutor Mark Williams initially pushed back. The judge asked each juror whether it was impossible to come to a unanimous decision for the charges, and each member of the jury replied “yes.” That’s when Williams agreed to a mistrial.
Rinderknecht will remain in custody. A retrial is planned for Oct. 19.
Former LA fire investigator Ed Nordskog accused the investigators of confirmation bias, noting that he often responded to dozens of fires on New Year’s Eve, most of them started by fireworks.
“They’re choosing to look at information in a very sinister way when they should be a little more open about it,” Nordskog said.
Defense witnesses also noted that the fire scene could have been compromised because access was not closed off until Jan. 14, nearly two weeks after the first blaze started.
“Can you convict a man based on a crime scene that was destroyed? Stripped of all evidence? Evidence that could’ve proved his innocence?” Haney asked jurors during closing arguments.
The evidence is strong that Jonathan Rinderknecht is responsible for igniting the fire on January 1, 2025, which eventually became the Palisades fire. We fully intend to retry this case before a new jury and obtain guilty verdicts on all charged counts.
— F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) June 26, 2026
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Comments
He’s a scapegoat to deflect blame from government officials. Some on the jury noticed that.
He’s a lunatic who the jurors sympathize with.
It’s LA. He was tried by a jury of his peers — fellow lunatics.
I dunno… Perhaps prosecutors should try going after people directly responsible for allowing a fire to smolder for over a week before flaring up (coincidentally just as she was going to Africa for some reason)?
Or maybe the person who allowed water reservoirs to run dry and fire trucks to fall into disrepair.
Or who hired leadership based upon which genitalia a person has or which sex they sleep with instead of competence.
Yeah, I’m sure that case can be made.
But it won’t.
Charge and punish the officials responsible for the empty water reservoir s.
It is possible that he started the fire.
It is absolutely certain that official malfeasance exacerbated the situation and prevented timely intervention.
Perhaps the wrong person is on trial…?
ISTR he admitted to starting the fire.
I have to agree. He may indeed be a lunatic, and he may indeed have started a fire but every city in California knows that there is a huge fire risk every year from a myriad of potential causes. Had there been a decent city government with a real and fully funded fire department with hydrants with water in them, the odds are very high that there would have still been a fire but a small one.
Its all part of the plan. No accountability. So they can re-purpose the land for public housing projects for illegal aliens. LA marxist mayor gives herself pat on back.
Arson always seems difficult to prove, in court, absent conclusive evidence (e.g., video footage of the defendant, committing the crime).
Seems like a nice guy.
He is from LA. It was a California judge and jury who committed the mistrial. Cut him loose in La with a PR bond, some napalm, and matches.
Subotai Bahadur
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