LEILA FADEL, HOST:
The trial of the man accused of setting the fire that ultimately became the Palisades Fire is underway in Los Angeles. Steve Futterman, who was in the courtroom, reports that two very different views were presented by the prosecution and defense during opening statements on Wednesday.
STEVE FUTTERMAN, BYLINE: The prosecution case is straightforward. Government attorneys say 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht was lonely, agitated, angry at the world. He was also a bit obsessed with fire, repeatedly listening to this French rap song.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "UN ZDER, UN THE")
JOSMAN: (Singing in French).
FUTTERMAN: The performer sings about general despair. This is the Jonathan Rinderknecht that prosecutors said in opening statements intentionally set a fire minutes into the new year on January 1, 2025. That fire would eventually smolder underground and a week later resurface as the deadly Palisades Fire. The prosecution told jurors Rinderknecht was the only one in the area where the fire started.
On the other side, the defense in its opening statement agreed that Rinderknecht was in the area when the fire began, but it had a much different explanation about why he was there. Defense attorney Steve Haney said his client wanted to see New Year's Eve fireworks, and that was also the defense's explanation for the cause of the fire - errant fireworks.
When the first key witness, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent Michael Montevidoni, took the stand, he read from exchanges just days before the fire between Rinderknecht and ChatGPT. Rinderknecht was upset with his parents and with a woman he had a previous relationship with. In one exchange, he says, why am I angry all the time? There is, like, this pressure on me to do something. Defense attorney Haney says the prosecution is trying to make his client look awful to the jury.
STEVE HANEY: I don't believe the evidence will show that he was obsessed with fire and that this was some type of active rebellion. I just don't think that the government's going to be able to establish that at trial. They'll try hard to make Jonathan look as negative as they possibly can because they don't have any evidence of arson.
FUTTERMAN: The biggest battle in this trial, however, is likely to be over the cause of the fire. The prosecution continues to say it was arson. The defense continues to say it was fireworks. Testimony continues today. If found guilty, Rinderknecht faces up to 45 years in prison.
For NPR News, I'm Steve Futterman in Los Angeles.
(SOUNDBITE OF HUMAN BELL'S "HYMN AMERIKA") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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