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LOS ANGELES -- The 29-year-old antheral accused of starting a occurrence that yet turned into the deadly and destructive Palisades Fire pleaded not blameworthy Thursday successful a Los Angeles courtroom.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, a erstwhile nonmigratory of Pacific Palisades, was arrested successful Florida earlier this month.
He is charged with 1 number of demolition of spot by means of fire, 1 number of arson affecting spot utilized successful interstate commerce and 1 region of timber acceptable a fire.
If convicted connected each charges, Rinderknecht faces up to 45 years successful national prison.
During his archetypal tribunal quality connected Thursday, Rinderknecht's attorney, Steven Haney, tried to reason against detention, which was ordered connected October 9 by a Florida judge.
Haney said his lawsuit has nary past of intelligence wellness issues oregon cause usage and has nary anterior transgression record, and that he's charged with a occurrence that occurred 7 days aft the occurrence he's accused of starting.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Rozella A. Oliver decided to proceed the anterior judge's bid to stay successful custody.
Just arsenic the arraignment was astir to begin, Rinderknecht interrupted and said, "Can I really accidental thing astir detainment?"
Rinderknecht's lawyer tried to halt him past asked the justice for a break, which they took.
Rinderknecht came backmost to the courtroom and entered a plea of not guilty.
A proceedings day has been acceptable for December 16. The proceedings is expected to past 7 to 10 days.
Timeline of Rinderknecht's alleged actions starring up to fire
Rinderknecht started the Lachman Fire successful the aboriginal greeting hours of Jan. 1 aft moving arsenic an Uber operator the nighttime before, according to the national transgression complaint.
Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said 2 of his passengers told instrumentality enforcement that helium appeared agitated and aggravated that night. After helium dropped disconnected a rider successful the Pacific Palisades, Essayli said Rinderknecht parked his car and tried but failed to interaction a erstwhile friend.
Then, Rinderknecht exited his car, walked up a trail, took iPhone videos from a adjacent hilltop and listened to a "rap song, whose euphony video included objects being lit connected fire."
Essayli said Rinderknecht listened to the opus and watched the euphony video repeatedly successful the days starring up to the Lachman Fire.
After the Lachman Fire ignited, Rinderknecht called 911 to study the blaze but did not get service. Cellphone records amusement Rinderknecht was the lone idiosyncratic successful the country wherever the occurrence started.
He fled the country successful his car but turned astir erstwhile helium saw occurrence engines approach, Essayli said.
"While the Lachman Fire burned, the suspect walked up the aforesaid way from earlier that nighttime to ticker the occurrence and firefighters," Essayli said, adding that Rinderknecht recorded videos of the country utilizing his iPhone.
"Although firefighters suppressed the blaze, the occurrence continued to smolder and pain underground wrong the basal operation of the dense vegetation," Essayli said during a property league earlier this month. "It smoldered underground for astir a week until connected January 7, dense winds caused this underground occurrence to aboveground and dispersed supra ground, causing what became known arsenic the Palisades Fire - 1 of the astir destructive fires successful Los Angeles City history."
In the complaint, the ATF calls the Palisades Fire a "holdover fire." The ailment shows images of the pain scar and wherever some fires started.
During an interrogation Jan. 24, Rinderknecht told investigators wherever the occurrence began, accusation not yet nationalist and that helium would not person known if helium hadn't witnessed it, the ailment said.
He lied astir his location, claiming helium was adjacent the bottommost of the hiking trail, Essayli said.
The fishy was visibly anxious during that interview, according to the complaint. His efforts to telephone 911 and his question to ChatGPT astir a cigaret lighting a occurrence indicated helium "wanted to sphere grounds of himself trying to assistance successful the suppression of the occurrence and helium wanted to make grounds regarding a much guiltless mentation for the origin of the fire," the ailment said.
Investigators determined the Jan. 1 occurrence was intentionally lit, apt by a lighter taken to vegetation oregon paper, according to the transgression complaint. They excluded different possibilities, including fireworks, lightning and powerfulness lines. Authorities besides looked into whether a cigaret whitethorn person caused the fire, but concluded that was not the cause, the ailment says.
Investigators recovered a "barbecue-style" lighter wrong the mitt compartment of Rinderknecht's car connected Jan. 24. It appeared to beryllium the aforesaid lighter arsenic 1 that was successful his flat connected Dec. 31, based connected a photograph connected his phone. He admitted to bringing a lighter with him erstwhile helium walked up the hill.
Federal prosecutors besides allege that the suspect's ChatGPT log shows helium created an representation depicting a burning wood and crowds fleeing it.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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