William Jensen Cottrell, ecoterrorist, accused of involvement in the San Gabriel Valley vandalism of SUVs and Hummers, was questioned by the FBI in January.
A profile of William Jensen Cottrell and his attorney Stephen Alexander. Cottrell is the alleged ecoterrorist who spray-painted and torched 133 SUVs in the San Gabriel Valley.
Cal Tech student William Jensen Cottrell, allegedly connected with an ecoterrorist group in connection with vandalism at Rusnak Mercedes-Benz and other car dealershships in the San Gabriel Valley, was arrested by the FBI.
25 year old Pomona man, Josh Connole, was arrested in connection with the vandalism and arson attacks on high priced SUVs and Hummers at several San Gabriel Valley dealerships.
A federal apeals court overturned William Cottrell's (aka Billy Cottrell), convictions on two counts of arson for his role in the 2003 torching of several sport utility vehicles (SUV) at San Gabriel Valley car dealers, attacks authorities blamed on a radical environmentalist group. The court ruled that the judge in his trial should have allowed testimony regarding Cottrell's Asperger's Syndrome, a disability that could have affected the jury's decision.
One year ago, alleged ecoterrorists Connole and Cottrell attacked Rusnak Mercedes Benz in Arcadia and other SUV dealerships in the San Gabriel Valley. The article includes a recap of events since the attack.
The car dealerships hit by ELF vandalism were back to business on Sunday. Ecoterrorists attacks destroyed 20 Hummers and other SUVs were damaged in the San Gabriel Valley.
Former Caltech graduate student William "Billy" Cottrell was re-sentenced to serve at least 18 more months in prison for participating in a vandalism spree in the San Gabriel Valley in 2003.
William Cottrell's (aka Billy Cottrell), a former Caltech physics student who was in prison for participating in firebombing 100 vehicles in the San Gabriel Valley (Duarte, Arcadia, West Covina) in 2003, will be resentenced. The federal court has dropped arson charges against him but he remains convicted on a conspiracy charge. He could be released or face more prison time.
Billy Cottrell, a Cal Tech graduate student who took part in a fire bombing spree that caused millions of dollars in damage to SUV dealerships in the San Gabriel Valley, was sentenced to more than 8 years in prison. See inset for chronology of ecoterror events.
FBI officials have new leads after viewing a videotape of two men vandalizing San Gabriel Valley auto dealerships, including Rusnak Mercedes-Benz in Arcadia. ELF has claimed responsibility for the vandalism on SUVs and Hummers vehicles.
In William Cottrell's trial, the jury never got to hear evidence about his Asperger's Syndrome. Judge R. Gary Klausner ruled that Asperger's could not be introduced at trial as a legal defense. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Klausner's ruling was a mistake and tossed out Cottrell's arson convictions, leaving only the conspiracy count. Last week Cottrell was re-sentenced to the original 100-month term for the conspiracy conviction, after prosecutors declined to retry the arson counts. One reason federal officials declined was because they did not want Asperger's Syndrome established as a viable legal defense.
Attorney Michael Mayock, representing convicted client Billy Cottrell, seeks a verdict reversal for the 2003 fire-bombing of sport utility vehicles (SUV) at a San Gabriel Valley automobile dealership. He says the jury did not know about Cottrell's Asperger's Syndrome, a neurological disorder. Cottrell's prison situation is 'nightmarish.'
U. S. District Court will unseal the SUV vandalism warrant for the arrest of Josh Connole, a peace activist who was never charged in connection with ecoterrorism in the San Gabriel Valley.
New legislation by Chris Chocola would define ecoterrorism and would mandate federal prison time. This bill targets the San Gabriel Valley SUV dealership vandals.