LOS ANGELES (CNS) – A behavioral analyst specializing in arsonists told a federal jury Wednesday that a thirst for “societal revenge and excitement” drove Jonathan Rinderknecht to set what would become the most destructive wildfire in Los Angeles history.
Expert witness Kevin Kelm, a former special agent with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, testified in downtown Los Angeles that “escalating anger” and “social isolation” compelled Rinderknecht to set the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve 2025, which smoldered underground before bursting into view six days later as the deadly Palisades Fire.
Kelm said alleged arsonists such as Rinderknecht are driven by extreme frustration and anger, often leading to spontaneous acts of fire-setting prompted by a desire for revenge against the world…