LOS ANGELES (KABC) — An ATF special agent returned to the stand Wednesday in the federal arson trial of Jonathan Rinderknecht, telling jurors investigators found software on the defendant’s phone linking him to the dark web and that he asked ChatGPT how to delete all video messages from iCloud shortly after a search warrant was served.
The agent also testified that Rinderknecht used artificial intelligence to generate images depicting wildfires and wealth disparity.
Prosecutors allege Rinderknecht intentionally set the Lachman Fire on Jan. 1, 2025, and that the blaze smoldered underground for a week before reigniting as the Palisades Fire during high winds on Jan. 7.
They say he acted out of anger at society because he had no friends and received no invitations to New Year’s celebrations.
Legal analyst Neama Rahmani said the defense appears focused on separating the two fires in the minds of jurors.
“You can tell by their cross examination when they’re asking the prosecution’s witnesses, ‘Were any structures damaged or any lives lost?’ that if the jurors return a guilty verdict, the defense wants it to be limited to just that first fire,” Rahmani said.
Rinderknecht’s attorney has argued prosecutors lack evidence, noting investigators found no accelerant, no witnesses who identified Rinderknecht and have no confession. But Rahmani said prosecutors still have substantial material to work with.
“A Bic lighter was found, a geo-fence location puts him there, the Uber passengers he dropped off said that he appeared agitated, and there’s a motive: he wanted to wage war against the rich,” he said.
During cross-examination, the defense pressed the ATF agent, who acknowledged that no law enforcement agency conducted crime scene preservation around the Lachman Fire.
Rahmani added that some victims of the Palisades Fire may not want Rinderknecht convicted of causing the second blaze, because it could affect their civil lawsuits against the city of Los Angeles and the state of California.
“That makes it much more difficult for those homeowners to pursue their claims and collect their damages from a deep pocket government entity that has the ability to pay,” he said.
The trial is ongoing.
Copyright © 2026 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.
LOS ANGELES (KABC) — An ATF special agent returned to the stand Wednesday in the federal arson trial of Jonathan Rinderknecht, telling jurors investigators found software on the defendant’s phone linking him to the dark web and that he asked ChatGPT how to delete all video messages from iCloud shortly after a search warrant was served.
The agent also testified that Rinderknecht used artificial intelligence to generate images depicting wildfires and wealth disparity.
Prosecutors allege Rinderknecht intentionally set the Lachman Fire on Jan. 1, 2025, and that the blaze smoldered underground for a week before reigniting as the Palisades Fire during high winds on Jan. 7.
They say he acted out of anger at society because he had no friends and received no invitations to New Year’s celebrations.
Legal analyst Neama Rahmani said the defense appears focused on separating the two fires in the minds of jurors.
“You can tell by their cross examination when they’re asking the prosecution’s witnesses, ‘Were any structures damaged or any lives lost?’ that if the jurors return a guilty verdict, the defense wants it to be limited to just that first fire,” Rahmani said.
Rinderknecht’s attorney has argued prosecutors lack evidence, noting investigators found no accelerant, no witnesses who identified Rinderknecht and have no confession. But Rahmani said prosecutors still have substantial material to work with.
“A Bic lighter was found, a geo-fence location puts him there, the Uber passengers he dropped off said that he appeared agitated, and there’s a motive: he wanted to wage war against the rich,” he said.
During cross-examination, the defense pressed the ATF agent, who acknowledged that no law enforcement agency conducted crime scene preservation around the Lachman Fire.
Rahmani added that some victims of the Palisades Fire may not want Rinderknecht convicted of causing the second blaze, because it could affect their civil lawsuits against the city of Los Angeles and the state of California.
“That makes it much more difficult for those homeowners to pursue their claims and collect their damages from a deep pocket government entity that has the ability to pay,” he said.
The trial is ongoing.
Copyright © 2026 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.
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