A mistrial has been declared after a jury failed to reach a verdict in the case against the man accused of sparking the deadly 2025 Palisades Fire in Los Angeles.
A federal judge declared a mistrial Friday, a day after jurors said they had come to a standstill in deliberations in the trial of 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht.
He faced three federal charges: arson, malicious destruction by means of a fire and timber set aflame.
“The court finds there is a manifest necessity to declare a mistrial because the jury is deadlocked,” Judge Anne Hwang said, with 10 jurors set on a not-guilty verdict and two others determined to convict.
“We have people on both sides that are dead set, unwavering and unwilling to change their opinion,” a note from the jury Thursday read by Judge Anne Hwang said.
The jury also said there was nothing the court could do to help and that they were split on all three charges.
Prosecution had requested Hwang to tell the jury to deliberate longer, but she said there was a “risk of coercion” given how definitive the jury seemed.
After the mistrial declaration, federal prosecutors said they'll retry the case.
Rinderknecht pleaded not guilty to starting what became one of the most destructive wildfires in California history.
Prosecutors say Rinderknecht started a fire on Jan. 1, 2025, that burned undetected deep in root systems before flaring back up a week later.
The Palisades Fire began Jan. 7 and burned through the hillside neighborhoods of Pacific Palisades and Malibu, killing 12 people.
