LOS ANGELES (AP) — Attorneys are weighing their options after a jury said it could not decide whether to convict the man accused of sparking the deadly 2025 Palisades Fire in Los Angeles after two days of deliberation.Jurors said Thursday they couldn’t reach a consensus in the trial of 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht on three federal charges, a surprise development after less than 30 minutes earlier they said they had come to a unanimous verdict. They were asked to return to court Friday morning.Judges often do not declare mistrials until multiple steps have been taken to ensure a jury is truly deadlocked.“We have people on both sides that are dead set, unwavering and unwilling to change their opinion,” a note from the jury read by Judge Anne Hwang said. “We are at a standstill. We are unsure how to proceed.”Rinderknecht pleaded not guilty to starting what became one of the most destructive wildfires in California history. He was charged with arson, malicious destruction by means of a fire and timber set aflame.
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.
