Jury to return Friday for further instruction after reaching a standstill in Palisades Fire arson trial

CNN

By Jack Hannah, Nick Watt, CNN

Los Angeles (CNN) — After 14 hours of deliberations, federal jurors weighing the fate of the man accused of starting last year’s deadly Palisades Fire in Los Angeles ended their day Thursday with a simple note: “We cannot reach a unanimous verdict on any of the three charges.”

The word “cannot” was underlined.

Jurors were told to return Friday morning in the case against Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, as a judge considers how to respond.

The jury first sent a note Thursday indicating it had reached a verdict, then shortly after that sent another one that read, “We have people on both sides, dead set, unwavering to change their opinion, we are at a standstill.”

That note sparked a flurry of debate from prosecutors and the defense on how to proceed. The judge sent jurors a note asking if they could agree unanimously on any of the charges: destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.

The jury responded with the note in which “cannot” is underlined, US District Judge Anne Hwang said in court.

Prosecutors suggested they could give more arguments. The defense suggested an Allen charge, essentially a more strongly worded jury instruction urging jurors to continue trying to come to an agreement, the Associated Press reported.

The jury is at “an impasse,” one of Rinderknecht’s lawyers said when discussing with the judge and prosecutors how to move forward. “The latest note is a pretty clear indication as to where they are.”

The court told the jury in yet another note it would “respond to your note when you return” on Friday at 9 a.m. local time.

If a jury is deadlocked, or “hung,” a judge can declare a mistrial, ending the trial without a clear resolution. Judges often do not declare mistrials until several steps have been taken to ensure a jury is truly deadlocked.

Rinderknecht is feeling “a lot of anxiety,” but “he’s hanging in there,” defense attorney Steve Haney told reporters Thursday after court adjourned. Prosecutors did not speak to reporters at that time.

How both sides cast the accused

Prosecutors called more than 30 witnesses over six days, painting Rinderknecht as a vengeful and angry person who ignited a blaze that later became the Palisades Fire, claiming a dozen lives and scorching thousands of homes and businesses in Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades neighborhood.

Prosecutors argued Rinderknecht was alone in a clearing on a Palisades hillside in the early hours of New Year’s Day 2025 when a fire, then dubbed the Lachman Fire, broke out. Though firefighters soon suppressed the blaze, an arson investigator testified the fire smoldered underground before heavy winds made it flare again on January 7, becoming the Palisades Fire.

Prosecutors contended Rinderknecht was motivated by his desire to seek revenge against society at large and also was angry at the wealthy and his inability to find companionship on New Year’s Eve.

Passengers driven by Rinderknecht, who was working as an Uber driver, testified he ranted about capitalism and was fixated by Luigi Mangione, the 28-year-old accused in the December 2024 killing of a health care executive in New York.

Rinderknecht’s attorneys called nine witnesses over about three days, including a consultant and former arson investigator who said there was not enough evidence to illustrate a serious intent to start a fire – and fireworks were “the most obvious cause” of the blaze.

Other witness testimony was used to corroborate defense claims that New Year’s revelers were setting off fireworks in the area that night.

Rinderknecht’s defense also acknowledged he saw flames that night at the clearing – known as the Hidden Buddha – and emphasized he called 911 several times, though the calls could not immediately connect.

Haney argued no one saw his client light a fire and cast Rinderknecht as a scapegoat.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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