Ten of 12 jurors favored acquittal in June deadlock
Federal prosecutors have filed a new indictment against Jonathan Rinderknecht, cutting the case against him from three charges to two as they prepare to retry the man accused of starting the 2025 wildfire that became the most destructive in Los Angeles’ history.
The new charging document, filed Thursday in Los Angeles, narrows the government’s case. A federal jury deadlocked in June on whether to convict Rinderknecht of intentionally sparking the fire, which killed 12 people and incinerated much of the Pacific Palisades and other neighborhoods in Malibu. Ten of 12 jurors wanted to acquit him on all three felony charges, leading the judge to declare a mistrial. Prosecutors vowed to try again, and a second trial is set to start in the fall.
In the reduced indictment, prosecutors allege that Rinderknecht used a barbecue lighter on Jan. 1, 2025, to spark a fire that burned undetected deep in root systems before flaring back up Jan. 7 to become the Palisades Fire. The blaze destroyed more than 6,800 buildings.