Retrial set to start for man accused of starting deadly Palisades fire
The first trial ended in a June mistrial, and prosecutors ask that jurors not weigh firefighters' work on the earlier Lachman fire.
Jury selection was set to begin on Monday, Nov. 2, in Los Angeles in the retrial of Jonathan Rinderknecht, a former Uber driver accused of starting the Palisades fire in January 2025. The fire killed 12 people and burned more than 23,000 acres. His first trial ended in June when the jury could not reach a unanimous decision, and Judge Anne Hwang declared a mistrial.
Rinderknecht has to a revised . It charges him with burning property, with arson affecting property used in interstate commerce, and with setting timber afire. Law enforcement officials said he lit a brush fire on a hillside that grew into the 8-acre Lachman fire.
Firefighters put it out, but it smoldered underground and later erupted into the Palisades fire. Federal prosecutors asked the court to tell jurors not to consider how well firefighters handled the Lachman fire, and a judge tentatively granted the request. The defense failed to keep descriptions of ChatGPT images Rinderknecht made out of the trial.
Lead defense attorney Steve Haney says his client is a scapegoat for firefighters' failure to fully extinguish the first fire.
- 12 people killed in the Palisades fire — The Guardian (US)
- 23,000+ acres burned in the Palisades fire — UPI
- 2 to 10 jury split in the first trial, with two voting to convict and 10 for not guilty — The Guardian (US)
- 8 acres size of the Lachman fire — The Guardian (US)
Three sides of the story
Liberal2 outlets
Jurors, fire department blame and the ChatGPT images
The Guardian builds its report around why the first jury split. Two jurors voted to convict and 10 voted not guilty, and one juror is quoted saying others' negligence made it hard to hold him responsible "for the whole Palisades." It notes that the fire department's handling of the Lachman fire loomed over the case, though jurors heard no evidence on it.
The Guardian also describes the prosecution's portrait of Rinderknecht as a lonely, angry man. It says prosecutor Danbee C Kim reportedly told closing arguments that he lit the fire "to take back power." It reports that the defense unsuccessfully tried to keep descriptions of his ChatGPT images from the retrial jury, and quotes his lawyers' filing arguing the images are poor evidence of intent.
It adds that victims are still pursuing damages from the city. NPR's report says the man accused of starting the blaze behind the Palisades fire faces a second trial after the first ended in a mistrial in June.
Center1 outlet
The revised charges and the accused's movements
UPI opens with the procedure: jury selection in the retrial, a mistrial declared by Judge Anne Hwang in June, and a revised indictment to which Rinderknecht pleaded not guilty. It cites KNBC-TV that prosecutors dropped one original charge and revised two. UPI then lays out what court documents and authorities say about Jan. 1, 2025.
He drove as an Uber driver to the Skull Rock Trailhead, allegedly started the fire, and tried to reach 911 without cell service. It also reports that he allegedly returned and filmed the scene. The Lachman fire was suppressed, then smoldered and erupted into the Palisades fire on Jan. 7.
UPI quotes lead defense attorney Steve Haney saying his client is being used as a "scapegoat" for firefighters' failure to fully put out the Lachman fire. It also relays the Guardian's report that prosecutors asked the court to tell jurors not to weigh the firefighters' efforts.
Conservative0 outlets
No right-leaning coverage was given
Outlets on this side gave the story little coverage.
Which side made the stronger case?
All sources: 3 articles from 3 outlets
Liberal (2)
- NPR: Second trial for man accused of starting deadly Palisades fire to begin
- The Guardian (US): Man accused of starting deadly Palisades fire to be retried for arson after mistrial
Center (1)
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