Jury deadlocks in federal trial of man accused of starting deadly Palisades Fire in Los Angeles
Jurors in the federal trial of a man accused of starting the deadly 2025 Palisades Fire in California told a judge on Thursday that the panel was deadlocked — shortly after previously stating they had reached a verdict.
The announcement came on the second day of deliberations in the trial against Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, following a 10-day federal trial over the blaze. The conflagration stands as the most destructive in Los Angeles County's history and claimed at least a dozen lives.
A note sent by the jury foreman to the judge initially stated that the panel had reached a verdict. However, a second note sent just minutes later claimed the opposite.
"We have people on both sides that are dead-set. Unwavering. We are at a standstill. We are unsure how to proceed," the note read.
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In response, the judge asked the jury what the court could do to assist them.
"For example, would an additional instruction or the re-reading of any testimony help the jury in their deliberations?" the judge asked.
"There is nothing the court can do to assist the jury in their deliberations. Additional instructions or rereading the testimony would not help in deliberations. Unfortunately, we cannot reach a unanimous verdict," the jury replied.
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Both the prosecution and defense agreed they needed more time to research legal options after the jury's latest update. The judge eventually instructed the jurors to return and resume deliberations at 9 a.m. Friday.
A deadlocked jury could ultimately result in the judge declaring a mistrial. Federal prosecutors would then have to decide whether to re-try Rinderknecht, who is charged with destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce, and timber set afire. He has pleaded not guilty.
Federal prosecutors maintain that Rinderknecht was driven by anger, loneliness, and a thirst for revenge against the wealthy when he allegedly started what would become the Palisades Fire.
The fire originally started shortly after midnight on Jan. 1, 2025, in a remote, brush-heavy area in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood. That initial blaze was dubbed the Lachman Fire.
Firefighters responded to the scene on New Year's Day and believed they had successfully extinguished the blaze. However, investigators later determined that the fire never fully went out and instead continued to smolder underground.
On Jan. 7, 2025, powerful Santa Ana winds fanned the underground embers and caused the fire to resurface above ground. Driven by the strong winds and severe drought, the blaze exploded into the Palisades Fire, eventually burning over 23,000 acres and destroying roughly 6,800 structures, many of them homes.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Danbee Kim told jurors during closing arguments on Tuesday that the affluent Palisades area represented a wealth disparity across the country to Rinderknecht, noting that the defendant "had a deeply entrenched belief that the wealthy were destroying the world."
Defense attorney Steven Haney argued that no physical evidence linked Rinderknecht to the destruction and contended that the Lachman and Palisades fires were entirely separate events that had nothing to do with his client, FOX Los Angeles reported.