Prosecutors are painting a picture of a man consumed by anger and resentment in the hours before they say he set the fire that would grow into one of California’s most destructive wildfires. The pretrial memo, disclosed April 29, details witness accounts that Rinderknecht was driving erratically while working for Uber on New Year’s Eve and venting to passengers about his frustrations.
Witnesses described him as “angry, intense, driving erratically, and ranting about being ‘pissed off at the world,’” according to the prosecutors’ filing. Court documents also say Rinderknecht spoke to riders about alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter Luigi Mangione, capitalism, and vigilantism.
When investigators asked Rinderknecht in a Jan. 24 interview why someone might commit arson in the Palisades, he “responded that it would be out of resentment of the rich enjoying their money as ‘we’re basically being enslaved by them,’” the memo states, and again referenced Mangione’s alleged crime. Prosecutors also say Rinderknecht was distraught over a failed relationship and upset that he did not have plans for New Year’s Eve.
Rinderknecht has pleaded not guilty. His attorney, Steve Haney, told the Associated Press on Sunday, “My client maintains his innocence as he has from the beginning and we look forward to clearing his name at trial.” Haney added, “The offered motive that my client started a fire on NYs Eve because he did not have a date speaks for itself.”
The defense argues that Rinderknecht is being blamed for the Los Angeles Fire Department’s incomplete response. At a March news conference, Haney pointed to a deposition from a lawsuit filed by fire victims, in which a firefighter testified he noticed the ground was still smoldering from the Jan. 1 fire the next day and alerted a supervisor about hot spots. In contrast, a battalion chief testified he walked the perimeter of the burn area four times that day and ensured all hot spots were extinguished.
Fire Chief Jaime Moore, appointed in October, has said he is concerned about the conflicting accounts and commissioned an independent report on how the initial fire was handled.
The original fire ignited Jan. 1, 2025, and burned undetected deep in root systems before flaring back up on Jan. 7. The resulting Palisades Fire killed 12 people as it tore through hillside neighborhoods in Pacific Palisades and Malibu. Jury selection for Rinderknecht’s trial is set to begin June 8.