Jury appears deadlocked in Palisades fire arson trial, signaling possible mistrial
Key takeaways
- District Judge Anne Hwang, who read it aloud, suggesting the panel was deadlocked.
- “We have people on both sides that are deadset,” the note read.
- After discussions with defense attorneys and prosecutors, Hwang sent the jury back a note saying: “Is there anything the court can do to assist in the jury’s deliberations?
Andrew Grinsfelder, 18, waters down the roof of his mother’s home, hoping to prevent the Palisades fire from destroying their house in Pacific Palisades on January 8, 2025. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) By Brittny Mejia Staff Writer Follow June 25, 2026 3:34 PM PT 3 6 min Click here to listen to this article Share via Close extra sharing options Email Facebook X Linked In Threads Reddit Whats App Copy Link URL Copied! Print 0:00 0:00 1x This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.
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Signaling a possible mistrial, a federal jury hearing the arson case against Jonathan Rinderknecht, a 30-year-old former Uber driver, accused of setting what would become the deadliest wildfire in Los Angeles history, said on Thursday they were unable to come to a unanimous verdict after more than 13 hours of deliberations.