The trial for the man accused of starting the fire that would become the Palisades fire in California has ended without a verdict. The judge in the case, Anne Hwang, declared a mistrial Friday morning, after the jury said it couldn’t come to a decision. Ten jurors were set on a not guilty verdict while two were set on guilty. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli immediately declared on social media that the case would be retried. He said the evidence against Jonathan Rinderknecht (rin-der-kuh-nesht) is strong, and he’ll get a guilty verdict. The Palisades fire killed a dozen people, burned thousands of homes, and cost billions of dollars. Prosecutors say Rinderknescht started the Lachman fire because he was lonely and angry at the world. That fire was thought to be put out in early January 2025, but smoldered underground and become the Palisades fire on January 7th.
