Rinderknecht Retrial Jury Selection Scheduled After June Deadlock

Jury selection for Jonathan Rinderknecht’s federal retrial over the 2025 Palisades Fire was scheduled for November 2 in Los Angeles, following a mistrial in June. The reports establish the planned start date but do not confirm that jury selection proceeded. Rinderknecht has pleaded not guilty to a revised indictment accusing him of arson linked to the Lachman Fire and the Palisades Fire. The new indictment contains two counts, compared with three in the original case. One alleges property damage by fire in connection with the January 1, 2025, Lachman Fire; the other alleges arson affecting property used in interstate commerce, tied to both fires. The first trial ended in a mistrial on June 26, 2026, after the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict. Ten jurors favored acquittal and two favored conviction. The deadlock resolved none of the allegations against Rinderknecht. Judge Anne Hwang is presiding over the retrial. Federal prosecutors allege that Rinderknecht intentionally set the Lachman Fire, which firefighters suppressed but which continued smoldering underground. They contend that it resurfaced on January 7 amid strong winds and became the Palisades Fire. The defense...