Palisades Fire arson suspect pleads not guilty to new, reduced charges following mistrial
Jonathan Rinderknecht, the man accused of sparking the blaze that later became the devastating Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, was arraigned on reduced charges in federal court on Wednesday after his first trial was declared a mistrial.
The 29-year-old pleaded not guilty, his attorney said, to two counts of arson.
The charges differ from his first trial, where he faced two arson counts and a third count for timber set afire. That count was dropped in the new grand jury indictment.
The first arson charge was also altered, now referring only to the Lachman Fire, which broke out on Jan. 1, 2025. Investigators say the Palisades Fire, which started six days later on Jan. 7, may have been started by Santa Ana winds that rekindled embers near the same location as the Lachman Fire.
Defense attorney Steve Haney told reporters after the hearing that their strategy will mostly remain the same for the new charges, as he claims Rinderknecht is innocent.
"I've maintained all along that the charging was a little bit curious," Haney said. "[Prosecutors] still need to establish that there's some bridge between the two fires, the Lachman Fire on Jan. 1 and Palisades on Jan. 7, and I think that's a real challenge."
The initial trial in June resulted in a hung jury, with 10 jurors out of 12 set on a not-guilty verdict.
Haney said there's "no direct evidence" that Rinderknecht started the Lachman Fire.
"[The prosecution] changed their charging to level or change the playing field, so they can have a better chance of conviction at the second trial," Haney said. "I don't fault them for that."
Federal prosecutors, meanwhile, disagree with Haney.
"The evidence is strong that Jonathan Rinderknecht is responsible for igniting the fire on January 1, 2025, which eventually became the Palisades fire," First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said after the initial mistrial ruling. "We fully intend to retry this case before a new jury and obtain guilty verdicts on all charged counts.
Rinderknecht's trial date was continued to Nov. 2.