Rinderknecht Defense Seeks Firework Testimony in Retrial

Jonathan Rinderknecht’s defense is seeking to introduce testimony that marks at a home owned by Chris Bosh indicate a firework was launched there, as prosecutors ask a court to exclude the retired investigator who made that assessment. The dispute concerns evidence in Rinderknecht’s retrial over the January 2025 fires in Pacific Palisades. The marks’ origin and any connection to the fires have not been established.

The defense wants Michael T. Cole, a retired Cal Fire investigator who spent 18 years in the agency’s arson unit, to testify about marks and an associated burn and smoke trail on the property’s driveway and rear patio. In a court filing, defense attorney Steve Haney said Cole would describe the marks as physical evidence of a launched firework, based on his training and experience.

Federal prosecutors are seeking to disqualify Cole. They argue that his opinion rests on six drone photographs of a brown stain, taken in either February 2025 or February 2026, and that he did not inspect the site in person or conduct other testing. The court’s decision on whether Cole may testify has not been reported.

Bosh owns the residence and was reportedly renting it out when the fires...