Attorneys for suspect in Los Angeles' Palisades Fire seek his release based on new evidence

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Defense attorneys for the man accused of sparking the deadly Palisades Fire in Los Angeles will hold a news conference Thursday to call for his release from jail in light of new evidence they say shows he is not responsible for the blaze.

Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, was charged in October with starting what became one of the most destructive wildfires in California history. It began Jan. 7, 2025, in hillside neighborhoods of Pacific Palisades and Malibu and killed 12 people.

Prosecutors say Rinderknecht started a fire on Jan. 1 that burned undetected deep in root systems before flaring back up a week later. Rinderknecht has pleaded not guilty, and his attorneys say he is being used as a scapegoat for the Los Angeles Fire Department’s failure to fully extinguish the earlier blaze.

They have pointed to a newly released deposition in which a firefighter testified that he noticed the ground was still smoldering from the fire on Jan. 2 and alerted a supervisors that there were hot spots. That testimony was gathered as part of a lawsuit filed by fire victims against the city.

A battalion chief testified that he walked the perimeter of the burn area four times throughout the day and ensured all hot spots were out.

Fire Department Chief Jaime Moore, who was appointed in October, has said he is concerned about the differences in the firefighters’ testimonies and commissioned an independent report on how the Jan. 1 fire was handled.

Attorney Steve Haney said this evidence was not available to the defense when Rinderknecht was indicted.

“This evidence calls into question not only the fundamental fairness for my client’s continued detention, but the very foundation of the charges themselves,” Haney said in a statement. “This is not a case about an individual causing a fire. This is a case about government agencies failing to do their jobs.”

Haney said Rinderknecht, who has been jailed for 150 days, should have never been indicted and should be released immediately.