The federal trial over the devastating January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires hit a major obstacle Thursday when jurors informed the court they were unable to reach a unanimous verdict after two days of deliberations.

The deadlocked jury notified U.S. District Judge Anne Hwang that it could not agree on whether Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, is guilty of the three federal arson charges he faces. Those charges include arson involving property used in interstate commerce, destruction of property by fire, and setting timber afire. Rather than declaring a mistrial, Hwang instructed the jurors to return Friday and continue their deliberations.

Defense attorney Steve Haney urged the judge to deliver an Allen charge, a special instruction encouraging jurors to continue discussing the case in an effort to reach a unanimous decision.

Federal prosecutors contend that Rinderknecht deliberately ignited the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Day. According to their theory, the blaze continued to smolder underground for nearly a week before reigniting as the catastrophic Palisades Fire six days later.

Rinderknecht has pleaded not guilty and insists he did not start the fire. If convicted on all counts, he faces up to 45 years in federal prison. Prosecutors built their case around surveillance video, cellphone location data, and what they described as incriminating online activity, including ChatGPT searches asking whether a cigarette could ignite a wildfire. They argue the evidence places Rinderknecht at the fire’s point of origin shortly before smoke was first reported.

The government also called witnesses who testified about Rinderknecht’s actions before the fire and introduced recordings of interviews he gave to investigators.

Haney countered that prosecutors failed to produce any physical evidence connecting his client to the fire’s origin. He argued that the Lachman Fire and the later Palisades Fire were unrelated events and maintained that fireworks—not Rinderknecht—were responsible for igniting the blaze.

The defense further argued that Rinderknecht behaved like someone trying to help rather than someone attempting to conceal a crime. Attorneys pointed to the multiple 911 calls he made and emphasized that he remained at the scene instead of fleeing. They also presented a witness who testified that he heard an explosion near the area before observing four men leave the location.

Earlier in the week, Judge Hwang rejected the defense’s request to dismiss the case after prosecutors presented expert testimony supporting their claim that the Palisades Fire originated from the earlier Lachman Fire. The Palisades Fire ultimately claimed 12 lives and destroyed nearly 7,000 homes and other structures.

{Matzav.com}