Mistrial in L.A. Wildfire Case, DOJ in Shambles

Sunday, June 28, 2026

A mistrial was declared Friday in the federal trial of a 30-year-old former Uber driver accused of setting what would become the destructive wildfire in Los Angeles history.

Posted by LegallyYourDead at 08:33 AM | 5 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry |

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via @laist.com Jonathan Rinderknecht was facing up to 45 years in prison. The jury was deadlocked after about two days of deliberations.

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-- NPR (@npr.org) 12:46 PM Â· Jun 26, 2026

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"COMPLETE INCOMPETENCE"

Does not threaten Donald Trump.

#1 | Posted by Zed at 2026-06-26 01:22 PM | Reply

Based upon the reporting I have seen, it seems that the Trump lawyers (a.k.a., the DoJ) wanted to place the blame on someone, anyone, regardless of the credibility of the evidence they presented.

The Defense seemed to be able to show other evidence that cast significant doubts upon the case presented by Pres Trump's lawyers.

#2 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-06-26 07:59 PM | Reply

To be fair...the firestorm absolutely came from a fire previously thought to be out. But whether this guy set it or kids with fireworks....ummm, you need this prickly thing called "evidence"

#3 | Posted by LegallyYourDead at 2026-06-26 09:28 PM | Reply

OH I see...
-The fire started the fire. The fire we know he started, started the fire, so he didn do nuffin.

#4 | Posted by john_savage2 at 2026-06-28 10:42 AM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

clean link no charge-
archive.is

During the trial, prosecutors called more than 30 witnesses, who painted a picture of a man spiraling mentally and seeking vengeance against the wealthy when he hiked to a clearing overlooking Pacific Palisades and allegedly used a lighter to set the Lachman fire on Jan. 1, 2025.

#5 | Posted by john_savage2 at 2026-06-28 10:45 AM | Reply