Palisades Fire arson suspect faces 1 less criminal charge, indictment revised
A new indictment was filed this week against the Palisades Fire suspect after a mistrial was declared in June and prosecutors vowed to retry the case.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, now faces two criminal charges instead of three for allegedly starting the Lachman Fire that grew, one week later, into the deadly 2025 Palisades Fire.
Federal prosecutors obtained a revised indictment charging Rinderknecht with two federal arson counts: destruction of property by means of fire and arson affecting property used in interstate commerce. The third charge of timber set afire was dropped.
In the new indictment, the first charge refers only to Rinderknecht's alleged setting of the Lachman Fire, rather than the Lachman and Palisades fires. He is accused of starting the Lachman Fire, and prosecutors are seeking to hold him responsible for damage related to the Palisades Fire.
With 10 jurors out of 12 set on a not-guilty verdict in June's trial, defense attorney Steve Haney said the vote count was a "pretty resounding indication" that his client is innocent.
Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said earlier that his office fully intends to retry the case before a new jury.
"The evidence is strong that Jonathan Rinderknecht is responsible for igniting the fire on January 1, 2025, which eventually became the Palisades fire," Essayli said in a June 26 post on X.
The case against Rinderknecht argues that he maliciously started a fire near the Pacific Palisades neighborhood the morning of Jan. 1, 2025. That blaze, the Lachman Fire, eventually grew into the deadly Palisades Fire.
Investigators determined that the remnants of the Lachman Fire were rekindled by catastrophic Santa Ana winds, which likely reignited embers that led to the Palisades Fire, which began near the same location.
Haney pointed out that 8 to 10 acres burned in the Lachman Fire and that the area is open land with no buildings or structures.
Rinderknecht is due in court for a status conference next week, with a re-trial tentatively set for October.
