Defense Introduces New Evidence in Arson Retrial
Defense attorneys for Jonathan Rinderknecht have introduced court filings linking a luxury property owned by NBA Hall of Famer Chris Bosh to the origins of the catastrophic January 2025 Palisades Fire. The filing, reported by the New York Post, seeks to introduce testimony from a retired Cal Fire investigator to challenge the prosecution’s theory that Rinderknecht ignited the blaze with a handheld lighter.
Rinderknecht is currently facing a federal retrial following a mistrial declared in June. Prosecutors allege he sparked the initial “Lachman Fire” on January 1, 2025, which they claim smoldered underground for six days before erupting into the deadly Palisades Fire. The defense team, led by attorney Steve Haney, argues that witness accounts of fireworks in the vicinity of the property—which Bosh was renting out to tenants at the time—provide a more plausible alternative cause for the initial ignition.
Disputed Expert Testimony
The defense intends to call Michael T. Cole, a retired Cal Fire investigator with 18 years of experience in the agency’s arson unit, to testify regarding markings found on the driveway of the Bosh-owned residence. According to court documents, Cole observed and documented a “mark and an associated burn and smoke trail” on the property’s patio and driveway. Cole maintains that, based on his training, these physical markers are consistent with the launch of a firework.
Federal prosecutors have moved to disqualify Cole, challenging his methodology and qualifications. In court filings, the prosecution argued that Cole’s assessment relies exclusively on six drone photographs taken weeks or even a year after the fire occurred. Prosecutors emphasized that there was no physical, on-site inspection or forensic testing performed at the Bosh residence. Furthermore, the government accused the defense of improperly delaying the disclosure of this witness, potentially prejudicing the ongoing trial proceedings.
Stakes of the Retrial
The outcome of the retrial carries significant legal and personal stakes, as the Palisades Fire resulted in 12 deaths and widespread destruction. During the current proceedings, Haney has attempted to demonstrate that the lighter allegedly found in Rinderknecht’s vehicle during a January 2025 search was incapable of starting the fire. He presented a video experiment to the jury showing a similar lighter failing to ignite dead brush under conditions comparable to those on the night of the incident.
Rinderknecht has remained in federal custody since his arrest in October 2025. The prosecution has narrowed the charges, focusing one count on the Lachman Fire and another on the larger, deadly Palisades disaster. The court must now decide whether to allow Cole’s expert testimony, a ruling that could alter the defense’s ability to present an alternative theory for the fire’s origin.