Federal Retrial Begins for Man Accused of Starting Fire That Killed 12
Jonathan Rinderknecht faces a new jury after a split verdict in December, with prosecutors seeking to limit juror focus to his actions.
By Marco Whitaker ·
Los Angeles federal prosecutors are preparing to retry Jonathan Rinderknecht, the 30-year-old former Uber driver accused of igniting the January 2025 Palisades wildfire that resulted in 12 deaths. The retrial commences this week following a December 31 verdict that ended in a hung jury.
According to federal charges, Rinderknecht dropped off a passenger in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on December 31, 2025. Law enforcement officials state he then walked to a hillside clearing where he started a brush fire. This initial blaze, identified as the Lachman fire, covered eight acres. Firefighters extinguished the visible flames on January 2, but embers smoldered underground for several days before re-erupting into the larger Palisades fire that destroyed thousands of structures.
Rinderknecht has pleaded not guilty to three counts: destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce, and timber set afire. During the previous trial, prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht acted out of personal grievances, including failed romantic relationships and resentment toward wealthy residents. They presented evidence that he used the ChatGPT application to generate dystopian images of a burning city months before the incident.
The first jury split, with two members voting to convict and ten voting not guilty. One juror who voted for acquittal told reporters that while she believed Rinderknecht started the initial fire, she hesitated to hold him responsible for the entire Palisades disaster given the handling of the Lachman blaze by other agencies. The jury was not permitted to hear evidence regarding the Los Angeles fire department’s response to the Lachman fire, yet the issue appeared to influence the verdict.
Prosecutors have requested specific jury instructions for the retrial to prevent jurors from evaluating the adequacy of the Lachman fire suppression efforts. A judge tentatively granted this request, according to court documents. The defense team opposed the introduction of the AI-generated images, arguing in a recent filing that the images represent program output rather than direct statements. The lawyers contended that the prompts showed the program did not produce exactly what Rinderknecht requested, making the images weak evidence of his intent.
Jury selection for the retrial is scheduled to begin Monday at a courthouse in downtown Los Angeles. Rinderknecht’s case is being closely monitored by victims of the Palisades fire, who are currently pursuing separate damages claims against the city.
Federal prosecutor Danbee C Kim told the jury in the previous trial that Rinderknecht lit the fire to take back power. The new trial will test whether a second jury can isolate Rinderknecht’s actions from the subsequent spread of the fire.
