LOS ANGELES (KABC) — A mistrial was declared Friday in the arson case against Jonathan Rinderknecht, the man accused of setting what eventually became the Palisades Fire. Prosecutors said they will try again.
The judge declared the mistrial after a jury on Thursday said that they could not reach a verdict in 29-year-old Rinderknecht's trial on three federal charges: arson, malicious destruction by means of fire and timber set aflame.
The deadlock was 10 jurors set on a not guilty verdict and two jurors determined to convict.
The jury's note Thursday said "We have people on both sides that are dead set, unwavering and unwilling to change their opinion."
The jury also said there was nothing the court could do to help and that they were split on all three charges. Prosecution had requested Judge Anne Hwang to tell the jury to deliberate longer, but she said there was a "risk of coercion" given how definitive the jury seemed.
Following the mistrial declaration, Hwang set a tentative retrial date of Oct. 19 and scheduled a status conference for July 15. Over objections from Haney, the judge ordered Rinderknecht to remain in federal custody pending the new trial. Hwang said she found no combination of conditions that would assure Rinderknecht would appear for future court dates unless he was ordered to remain behind bars.
After the jury was dismissed, one of the jurors spoke to reporters outside the courthouse.
"I don't think there was enough evidence to say he started the first fire," said a jury member who gave her name only as Syrena, referring to the Lachman Fire. "But say he did? I don't see why everybody else's negligence of doing things incorrectly, where he needs to be responsible for the whole Palisades."
Once jury deliberations began, Syrena said, "I guess it was just — didn't realize how passionate some certain people felt. I thought personally, I was a 'not guilty' (vote), and I felt like I was going to be singled out and having to stand my ground, state my story. So I was kind of, like, a little relieved that I was on the more majority side — instead of being that person who wouldn't budge."
Syrena said she was "sad, as an American, that we couldn't come to a conclusion. I mean, I honestly wish I could come back and do it, because I wish we could've come to a conclusion."
Defense attorney Steve Haney said the vote count was a "pretty resounding indication" that his client is innocent.
Shortly after the mistrial was announced, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said that federal prosecutors "fully intend to retry this case."
"The evidence is strong that Jonathan Rinderknecht is responsible for igniting the fire on January 1, 2025, which eventually became the Palisades fire," Essayli posted.
At a courthouse news conference, Haney was asked about prosecutors' intention to retry the case.
"If they want to retry it again, we can retry it again," Haney said. "If Bill Essayli wants to cheerlead from the sidelines, maybe he should come in and try the case himself next time."
He predicted that a new trial would likely end up with Rinderknecht being acquitted.
"Ten-to-two is an overwhelming message from the jury that the government failed and did not have enough evidence to prove their case," Haney said.
The trial featured a trove of digital records and eight days of testimony from investigators, experts and witnesses.
Security camera recordings helped determine where the Jan. 1 fire is believed to have started: a mountainside spot off a trail in a neighborhood familiar to Rinderknecht. He dropped off his last Uber passenger in the same neighborhood, shortly before midnight, and later called 911 more than a dozen times. His phone's geolocation data showed him at the clearing and walking down the trail as he reported the fire.
Jurors saw records from his phone, email, Uber, social media accounts and OpenAI. Thousands of comments showed he regularly consulted ChatGPT.
"Why am I so angry all the time?" he said in one exchange.
Rinderknecht also spoke for roughly eight hours with a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent in late January, before he was a suspect.
ATF agent Matthew Beals drove with him to the site, so that Rinderknecht could identify his movements as the fire started – an account that conflicted with the place and time of his 911 calls, the agent testified.
Rinderknecht became "agitated" when asked for details, at one point accusing Beals of interrogating him as a suspect, the agent said. He repeatedly expressed dismay about political matters, and speculated that someone frustrated by inequality might hypothetically start a fire in the wealthy neighborhood.
All such behavior is consistent with that of a "societal revenge motivated" arsonist, testified Kevin Kelm, an expert in arsonist behavior.
Haney said investigators never found any searches about arson, the best way to start a fire, or purchases of fire-starting materials. And while his DNA was found on a barbecue lighter in his car, they couldn't prove a lighter sparked the blaze – only that it began with an "open flame," he said.
Fireworks were the most likely cause that New Year's Eve, the defense argued. One firefighter recalled hearing fireworks in the area shortly before and after midnight. And two residents and a security guard testified they either saw flashes of light or heard fireworks. Two saw a group of teenagers running down the trail afterward.
Former L.A. 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.
Prosecutors say Rinderknecht started a fire on Jan. 1, 2025, that burned undetected deep in root systems before flaring back up Jan. 7. The Palisades Fire ultimately killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes as it incinerated hillside neighborhoods in Pacific Palisades and the city of Malibu. Rebuilding has moved slowly in the Pacific Palisades – only 17 homes have been certified for occupancy.
His trial began June 8 and featured eight days of lengthy testimony from investigators, experts and witnesses from surrounding areas. Jurors deliberated for 13 hours over the course of two days before concluding that they could not produce a unanimous verdict.
The Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this report.
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