Jury selection begins Monday in the trial of the man accused of setting a fire that prosecutors say smoldered for a week and grew into the deadly Palisades Fire.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, who was working as an Uber driver at the time, is alleged to have started the Lachman Fire just before midnight on January 1st, 2025, after dropping off passengers.
His defense attorney says there isn't a "shred of evidence" that he intentionally started the fire.
According to prosecutors, geolocation data from his cell phone carrier placed him in a clearing 30 feet from the fire as it rapidly grew.
If convicted as charged, Rinderknecht faces up to 45 years in federal prison.
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