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Firefighters deliver conflicting testimony over fireworks in Palisades Fire arson trial
Defense witnesses said they heard fireworks, while prosecutors said the fire smoldered underground for six days before erupting into the Palisades Fire.
- The federal arson trial of Jonathan Rinderknecht, accused of sparking the 2025 Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, nears closing arguments, with the defendant facing up to 45 years in prison if convicted of three arson counts.
- Prosecutors allege Rinderknecht set the Lachman Fire on New Year's Eve 2025 using a green Bic lighter to seek "societal revenge," a motive behavioral analyst Dr. Kevin Kelm attributed to "escalating anger" and "social isolation."
- Contradictory firefighter testimony challenged defense attorney Steve Haney's fireworks theory Monday, while Judge Anne Hwang dismissed a juror for demonstrating bias toward the Los Angeles Fire Department.
- The fire burned 23,448 acres and killed 12 people, destroying Andy Leonard's "seafood shack" and the Reel Inn, which Leonard had operated for 38 years.
- Judge Hwang ruled evidence of LAFD negligence inadmissible, constraining the defense's strategy to shift blame for the fire's spread after first responders left the scene.
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Associated Press News+16 Reposted by 16 other sources
Firefighters deliver conflicting testimony over fireworks in Palisades Fire arson trial
Los Angeles firefighters delivered conflicting testimony in the federal arson trial of Jonathan Rinderknecht, who is accused of starting the deadly Palisades Fire in Los Angeles.
·New York, United States
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Jury Awaits Closing Arguments in Arson Trial of Palisades Fire Suspect
Attorneys are expected to give their closing arguments Monday in the trial of accused Palisades Fire arsonist Jonathan Rinderknecht before the case is handed to the jury to decide whether the defendant is guilty of causing what would become the most destructive wildfire in Los Angeles history. A dual French and U.S. citizen, 30-year-old Rinderknecht faces up to 45 years behind bars if found guilty of three arson counts: destruction of property b…
Coverage Details
Total News Sources22
Leaning Left7Leaning Right3Center11Last UpdatedBias Distribution53% Center
Bias Distribution
- 53% of the sources are Center
53% Center
L 33%
C 53%
14%
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