Defense attorney for man accused of torturing deadly palisades Fire Case reduced and labeled ScapeGoating
The attorney for the man charged with intentionally setting off the fire that later became the deadly Palisades fire says the live evidence against his client has diminished and the charges against the attorney have been dropped.
Jonathan Rindennecht, 29, was arraigned this week on three counts of hit-and-run and faces the prospect of up to 45 years in prison. LA uber driver and Florida resident arrested by FBI on Oct. 7 and they are facing the charge of destruction of property by the accused in six days they were killed by a devastating wild fire.
Prosecutors on Wednesday filed a new indictment against Rindenkenit that raised the stakes by adding one count of arson involving the use of a used material to a used object.
But Steve Haney, the lawyer recently retained by Chrenchech, said that the case against Rindennecht is minor, and that he is legally decorated until the fire of the palisades does not happen.
He said the time between the Lachman fire on Jan. 1 and the Palisades Fire on Jan. 7 leaves are open to a higher chamber of variation that may lead to damaging and fatal burns. Rirernecht was moved away from both fires, Haney said.
“I don’t see any evidence linking the Lachman fire to the two fires,” Hane said. He said the government’s case is “fraught with all kinds of problems.”
“Finding a painting of the palisades Fire is un-American,” said Haney, who is best known for representing sports figures in criminal proceedings.
Haney said he has seen his major client face off against his client, but the federal government has not offered to testify against him in the case. His client pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and is due to appear in federal court in California in the next few weeks.
“He longs for the truth to be told,” said Hane.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Working with the Los Angeles Police Department, Continues Large Fire Becomes Small Lachman Fire, Jan. 1.
Federal prosecutors say Rindennecht maliciously started the Lachman fire near Skull Rock shortly after midnight on New Year’s Day after working as an Uber driver. Law enforcement authorities used witness statements, video surveillance, cell phone data, and analysis of fire energy and patterns to determine that Randirnecht was responsible for the initial abandonment, prosecutors said.
The Palisades Fire killed 12 people, burned 23,400 acres — an area roughly 1.5 times the size of Manhattan — and destroyed more than 6,800 buildings.
On Randernecht’s phone, investigators found an AI-generated image of a house on fire and people trying to escape, according to Bill Essayli, an associate district attorney in central California.
Two Uber passengers who traveled on different days between 10: 15 and 11: 15 on New Year’s EVER told the law jointly that he appeared angry and worried.
After dropping off a passenger in Pacific Palisades, he parked near the Skull Rock Trailhead and crossed the trail while listening to a French rap song depicting trash on fire, prosecutors said.
Randinecht’s parents live in France, where his father is a citizen, according to Shawn Hurley, a pastor with Medowbrook Baptist Church in Lima, Ohio, who has known the family for 30 years.
Randennecht also spent time in France, but was living in the Hollywood apartment at the time the Lachman fire allegedly started. Natural sensors first detect that flare at 12:12 AM on Jan. 1.
Over the next five minutes, Rinternecht tried to call 911 several times but was unable to get through to the bottom of the line and get cellphone service, prosecutors said. At that time, a nearby resident immediately contacted the authorities.
Randernecht told the law enforcement that he first saw the fire from the bottom of the trail; However, data from his iPhone showed he was standing 30 meters from the fire as it quickly spread, prosecutors said.
The Los Angeles Fire Department, which was criticized for failing to deploy adequate resources during the fire weather conditions on Jan. 7 When the fire is extinguished, it is now faced with examining whether it is possible to prevent the renewal of the Lachman fire.
Staff writer Clara Harter contributed to this report.
