Mistrial announced in federal arson case involving California fire | Court Affairs

A new trial is scheduled for October after a jury failed to reach a verdict in a case overseen by Palisades Fire.

A US federal judge has announced a not guilty plea in another case the case is on fire brought in by someone who is suspected of starting the flames that would later grow into the deadliest fire in California history.

Judge Anne Hwang declared a mistrial on Friday morning, a day after local media reported that jurors in the case had informed her that they had not reached a unanimous verdict.

Of the 12 jurors, 10 believed that the suspect, Jonathan Rinderknecht, was innocent. Prosecutors have promised to retry the accused to light a fire.

“The evidence is strong that Jonathan Rinderknecht is responsible for starting the fire on January 1, 2025, which eventually became the Palisades fire. We want to retry this case before a new jury and find guilty verdicts on all charges against him,” the US attorney for the Central District of California, Bill Essayli, said in response to the social media post.

Judge Hwang ordered that Mr. Rinderknecht be detained until his trial resumes on October 19.

The fault of Palisades Firewhich killed 12 people and destroyed entire coastal areas north of Los Angeles, has become a hot topic.

Prosecutors say Rinderknecht used a butcher’s torch to start the fire on January 1, 2025. Firefighters initially believed they had successfully extinguished the blaze, but to start the fire on January 7 it continued to burn unexplained at the roots.

Then a fierce wind blew the flames of the fire in the area, and the fire started to spread in many areas and destroyed many people.

Conditions such as drought, exacerbated by climate change, and an increase in the number of people living in areas prone to wildfires, have led to an increase in wildfires in the Western US.

The judge, who identified herself as Syrena but declined to share her last name, told The Associated Press that it seemed unfair to blame Rinderknecht for the fire, to the exclusion of other parties.

“There is not enough evidence,” he said.

“Shouldn’t the firefighters have known?” he added.

The government did not provide direct evidence that Rinderknecht started the blaze, saying he was in the area and portraying him as a frustrated man who wanted to take out his anger on people by setting the fire.

“This is a huge victory, and it seems so unfair that, under the circumstances, the government is keeping my son in prison,” said his father, Joel Rinderknecht.