In Palisades arson trial, judge blocks evidence of alleged Bible burning and arson threat
A judge on Friday refused to allow evidence that the defendant in the Palisades fire case once burned a Bible and threatened to burn down his sister’s house, while warning the defense attorney to “step up your questions.”
US District Judge Anne Hwang said Jonathan Rinderknecht’s past actions “were not conclusive evidence of the charges in this case,” but she was concerned that the state attorney’s examination left the impression that he had never expressed an interest in intentionally setting fires.
Rinderknecht is charged with starting the Lachman fire, which smoldered underground for a week before erupting in the deadly Palisades fire on Jan. 7, 2025. If convicted, he faces up to 45 years in prison.
Before the trial, which started this week, Hwang decided that the prosecutors could not present those previous actions because they are discriminatory. But Asst. US Atty. Mark Williams argued on Friday that Rinderknecht’s lawyer opened the door on the subject with his questions the day before.
When Steve Haney questioned the witness for the trial on Thursday, US Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Michael Montevidoni, the defense attorney pointed out that his client never asked for advice on ChatGPT to start a fire.
“You haven’t found any search on any device related to burning, have you?” Haney asked. “Any Internet search for intentionally starting a fire … any Internet search for what kind of burning device, lamp, torch, flare, is best used to start a fire? … You never found any purchase of fire starters?”
Again and again, the ATF agent said no.
Williams said Haney’s questions told the judge that Rinderknecht never expressed a desire to set fire, which the prosecutor said was “exactly what happened” when Rinderknecht threatened to burn down his sister’s house in Florida.
“It is clear that threatening to burn someone’s house is related to the crime of vandalism,” said Williams. “The defense attorney was warned before your trial that if he goes into places like this he will open the door.”
Williams said Haney’s questioning was an attack on the agent’s credibility and said the impression left with the judge was that he “didn’t get any of this evidence.”
“The act of burning a Bible, your Bible, which is what was shown on ChatGPT is not burning,” Haney argued in response. “It was a religious protest, that’s not arson.”
Haney argued that Rinderknecht’s comments about the burning of his sister’s house occurred five months after the Lachman fire, during a family dispute.
“I can’t believe the door is open,” Haney said. “I believe the line of questioning was clear. It was a line of questioning entirely about his instructions and his searches on his internet devices.”
Although Hwang refused to allow that evidence to be introduced, he said he was very concerned “that there is an illusion or a perception that there is no evidence that your client ever intentionally set fire to anything. Because that is not true.”
“I will be as specific as possible … you need to strengthen your questions,” Hwang warned. “To be clear, you are not allowed to argue in closing that Mr. Rinderknecht has no history of burning things or threatening to burn things.”
