A federal jury has reached a decision in the criminal trial of Jonathan Rinderknecht. He is accused of starting the fire that led to the devastating Palisades Fire in January 2025.

一個聯邦陪審團已就 Jonathan Rinderknecht 的刑事審判達成決定。他被指控在 2025 年 1 月引起了導致 Palisades 大火這場災難的火源。

The prosecution argued that Rinderknecht, a former ride-share driver and dual U.S.-French citizen, intentionally started the 'Lachman Fire' early on January 1, 2025. Government lawyers emphasized that the defendant was motivated by a strong hatred of the wealthy residents of the Pacific Palisades. They explained that the fire burned underground for six days before becoming the massive Palisades Fire on January 7, which was made worse by strong Santa Ana winds. Consequently, the disaster destroyed about 6,800 buildings, burned over 23,000 acres, and killed 12 people.

控方主張，Rinderknecht 是一名原共享車司機且擁有美國與法國雙重國籍，他在 2025 年 1 月 1 日清晨故意引起了「Lachman 火災」。政府律師強調，被告是因為對 Pacific Palisades 的富裕居民心懷強烈憎恨而起意。他們解釋，火勢在地下燃燒了六天，直到 1 月 7 日才演變成大規模的 Palisades 大火，且強烈的聖安娜風使情況惡化。因此，這場災難摧毀了約 6,800 棟建築，燒毀超過 23,000 英畝土地，並導致 12 人死亡。

To prove his guilt, the government used a combination of GPS data, security videos, and digital evidence. For instance, they found that the defendant had asked an AI platform about how to start fires with cigarettes. Prosecutors also pointed out that his phone's location data placed him very close to where the fire started, which contradicted his own testimony. Furthermore, they presented a grill lighter found in a rental car as the likely tool used to start the fire.

為了證明其有罪，政府綜合使用了 GPS 數據、監視錄像和數位證據。例如，他們發現被告曾向一個 AI 平台詢問如何使用香菸引起火災。檢察官還指出，其手機的定位數據顯示他當時就在火災起點附近，這與他自己的證詞相矛盾。此外，他們在一部租用車中發現了一個烤肉點火槍，認為這很可能是用來起火的工具。

On the other hand, the defense argued that the government's evidence was incomplete. Defense lawyer Steven Haney suggested that the fire was probably caused by fireworks. This claim was supported by a retired detective and a local resident who reported hearing an explosion. Additionally, the defense argued that because authorities did not secure the area immediately, important evidence was lost. They also claimed that Rinderknecht's repeated 911 calls showed he was a witness, not the criminal.

另一方面，辯方則主張政府的證據並不完整。辯護律師 Steven Haney 認為火災可能是由煙火引起的。一名退休偵探和一名當地居民支持這一說法，稱聽到有爆炸聲。此外，辯方辯稱，由於當局未立即封鎖該區域，導致重要證據流失。他們還聲稱，Rinderknecht 反覆撥打 911 的記錄表明他是一名目擊者，而非罪犯。

The defendant is now waiting for the official verdict. He could face a prison sentence ranging from a minimum of five years to a maximum of 45 years.

被告目前正等待正式裁決。他可能面臨從最低 5 年到最高 45 年不等的監禁刑期。