Judge declares mistrial in arson case against man accused of sparking Palisades Fire
Key takeaways
- Defense attorney Steve Haney sits with Jonathan Rinderknecht during the trial at federal court in Los Angeles, California, on 10 June.
- Jurors deliberated for over 13 hours on Thursday on whether to convict Jonathan Rinderknecht on three federal charges, before announcing that they were deadlocked.
- “The court finds there is a manifest necessity to declare a mistrial because the jury is deadlocked,” Judge Anne Hwang said on Friday, with 10 jurors set on a not-guilty verdict and two others determined to convict.
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Defense attorney Steve Haney sits with Jonathan Rinderknecht during the trial at federal court in Los Angeles, California, on 10 June. Photograph: Mona Edwards/Reuters View image in fullscreen Defense attorney Steve Haney sits with Jonathan Rinderknecht during the trial at federal court in Los Angeles, California, on 10 June. Photograph: Mona Edwards/Reuters California wildfires Judge declares mistrial in arson case against man accused of sparking Palisades Fire Jurors in California deliberated for over 13 hours, before announcing that they were deadlocked
Prefer the Guardian on GoogleA federal judge declared a mistrial in the arson case against the 29-year-old man accused of sparking the deadly 2025 Palisades fire in Los Angeles, after the jury said it could not agree on a verdict.
Jurors deliberated for over 13 hours on Thursday on whether to convict Jonathan Rinderknecht on three federal charges, before announcing that they were deadlocked.