The judge in the trial of the suspected arsonist behind the deadly Palisades fire declared a mistrial on Friday, saying jurors were hopelessly deadlocked on a verdict.
Arson suspect Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, faces three federal counts: arson, malicious destruction by means of fire, and timber set aflame. Prosecutors allege that he ignited the Jan. 1, 2025 Lachman fire, which was later destroyed and re-ignited on Jan. 7 during the Santa Ana windstorm.
The subsequent Palisades Fire killed 12 people and destroyed more than 6,000 homes, devastating the Pacific Palisades community located west of Santa Monica.
U.S. District Judge Anne Hwang declared a mistrial after jurors said the 12-member panel was deadlocked, with 10 voting to find Rinderknecht “not guilty” and two insisting on a guilty verdict.
The jurors have been in deliberations since Wednesday morning, first professing that they had reached a decision before sending Hwang a note that they actually “cannot come to a unanimous verdict.”
“We have people on both sides that are dead set, unwavering and unwilling to change their opinion,” the note explained.
The note also claimed that the court could do nothing to help the jurors reach a decision. On Friday, Hwang asked multiple jurors whether they agreed they were deadlocked, and all agreed.
It remains unclear why the jury initially stated that it had reached a decision on Thursday, but then reversed. Hwang then concluded the day’s proceedings, directing jurors to return on Friday to determine the next steps.
Both the defense and prosecution teams discussed with Hwang on how to resume the trial on Friday morning.
The prosecution team requested more time for the jury to deliberate, but Hwang denied the request due to “risk of coercion,” while defense attorney Steve Haney claimed that the vote count was a “pretty resounding indication” that Rinderknecht is innocent.
After the mistrial was announced, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli wrote on X that “The evidence is strong that Jonathan Rinderknecht is responsible for igniting the fire on January 1, 2025, which eventually became the Palisades fire. We fully intend to retry this case before a new jury and obtain guilty verdicts on all charged counts.”
A new trial has been set for Oct. 19. Rinderknecht will remain in custody without bail until the second trial.
Rinderknecht’s first trial began on June 8, after he pleaded not guilty to starting the fire that went on to kill 12 people. Rinderknecht was not charged in connection with those deaths, nor was prosecution allowed to discuss the deaths during the trial.
The trial included eight days of testimony from witnesses, experts, and investigators before jurors began their deliberation. In Tuesday’s closing argument, prosecutors petitioned for jurors to return with a guilty verdict, based on location data evidence that places Rinderknecht at the scene of the crime.
“That is what the evidence has proven throughout this trial, beyond a reasonable doubt,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Danbee Kim.
Additionally, Kim claimed that Rinderknecht’s motive for starting the fire can be found through his online activity that proves his outrage with the “rich and powerful,” while presenting an image of a green Bic barbecue lighter in his car.
“He went up a hill in the Pacific Palisades, a neighborhood he personally associated with wealth and rejection, he took this lighter with him,” Kim said.
During his first court appearance on Oct. 9, 2025, testimony given claimed that on Sept. 19, Rinderknecht allegedly threatened to burn down his sister and brother-in-law’s home in Florida, where he had been staying.
Rinderknecht’s father also claimed that his son threatened to shoot his brother-in-law on Sept. 25.
The father, who was visiting from France, alerted the police over his concerns and that Rinderknecht had access to a firearm.
Authorities searched the property, finding the weapon stuffed inside a plush toy in the garage after Rinderknecht claimed it was locked away in a safe. Two young children had previously been staying at the residence, but the family moved out over Rinderknecht’s mental health.
However, Haney told jurors that New Year’s fireworks are a more reasonable explanation for the start of the fire, saying there wasn’t enough proof that the fire was caused by arson. Haney claimed the scene of the first fire was never investigated until after the second fire had burned over it again, erasing any clues as to the cause.
”If you are left uncertain on this bridge between Jan. 1 and Jan. 7, then reasonable doubt remains,” Haney said.
The prosecution further asked Hwang if a list of exhibits shown throughout the trial could be sent to the jurors, even though the jurors already had access to all of the individual exhibits. The defense objected, claiming that a list would insinuate that the exhibits were important to inspect.
Hwang agreed with the defense, and no list was supplied.
The jurors then deliberated for 13 hours over the course of two days before a deadlock occurred. The jury is made up of four women and eight men, after two of the original jurors were replaced.
The Palisades fire destroyed over 16,000 structures and burned nearly 60,000 acres, completely consuming neighborhoods in the city of Malibu and the Pacific Palisades, where Rinderknecht is a former resident. Only 17 homes have been approved for occupancy since rebuilding began.
Get real estate news in your inbox
