After two grueling days behind closed doors, a federal jury on Thursday admitted it is deadlocked in the high-stakes arson trial over the catastrophic January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires.
The jury told U.S. District Judge Anne Hwang it was unable to reach a unanimous verdict against Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, who is charged with three federal arson counts, including destruction of property by fire, arson involving property used in interstate commerce, and setting timber afire. Hwang ordered jurors to resume deliberations Friday rather than declare a mistrial.
Defense attorney Steve Haney pressed Hwang to issue an Allen charge, the legal equivalent of a formal nudge, urging the stalled panel to break the logjam and find common ground. The government’s entire case hinges on a slow-burning fuse: prosecutors claim Rinderknecht intentionally sparked the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Day, a fire they argue smoldered deep underground before erupting into the catastrophic Palisades Fire six days later.
Rinderknecht has maintained his innocence, pleading not guilty despite facing a staggering 45 years in federal prison if convicted. The government’s case against him relies heavily on surveillance footage, cellphone pings, and a damning paper trail of online activity, including ChatGPT searches querying whether a cigarette could spark a wildfire, to put him squarely at the fire’s origin just moments before the first plumes of smoke were reported.
They also presented testimony from witnesses who described his behavior before the fire and recordings of his interviews with investigators. Haney argued the government failed to prove Rinderknecht started the fire, saying that investigators found no physical evidence tying him to the scene. He maintained the Lachman and Palisades fires were separate incidents and argued fireworks, not his client, ignited the blaze.
Countering the government’s timeline, the defense team argued that Rinderknecht’s behavior was that of a concerned bystander, not a criminal. They highlighted his multiple 911 calls and the fact that he never fled the area after the fire erupted. A defense witness testified that he heard an explosion near the area before seeing four men leave the scene.
Earlier this week, Hwang denied the defense’s motion to dismiss after prosecutors argued expert testimony supported their theory that the Palisades Fire originated from the earlier Lachman Fire. As Breitbart News previously reported, the Palisades Fire claimed 12 lives and leveled nearly 7,000 homes and other buildings.