Rinderknecht Pleads Not Guilty to 2 Revised Palisades Fire Felonies After 10-2 Mistrial
Updated
Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 20
Rinderknecht Pleads Not Guilty to 2 Revised Palisades Fire Felonies After 10-2 Mistrial
3 articles · Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 20
Summary
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, entered a not-guilty plea Wednesday to two revised federal felony counts—destruction of property using fire and arson affecting interstate commerce.
Prosecutors say he ignited the Lachman Fire on Jan. 1, 2025, and lingering embers later grew into the Jan. 7 Palisades Fire, which killed 12 people, destroyed more than 6,000 structures and burned over 23,000 acres.
Defense lawyer Steven Haney argued there is no evidence tying Rinderknecht to the broader disaster, saying fireworks may have started the blaze and that his client repeatedly called 911 to report it.
The plea follows a mistrial declared days ago after jurors deadlocked on all three original counts; 10 favored acquittal and two favored conviction. A retrial is now set for Nov. 2.
After a near-acquittal, will excluded evidence of past threats doom the prosecution's second attempt to secure justice for 12 lost lives?
Is the government scapegoating a bystander for the catastrophic 2025 Palisades blaze to mask delayed emergency responses and systemic recovery failures?