Free Republic

Ex-University of Chicago 'genius' turned ecoterrorist But prominent physicists take up Billy Cottrell's cause LOS ANGELES -- William "Billy" Cottrell was such an exceptional student at the University of Chicago that he was described by his professors as something of an eccentric genius. He even won the award for best senior thesis in physics, addressing string theory, which seeks a single unifying way to explain all forces and all forms of matter. Today the 27-year-old is in jail. Two years after his 2002 graduation with honors as a double major in physics and math, Cottrell was charged and convicted as...

Sarah Cottrell will replace Ned Farquhar as energy and environment policy adviser for Gov. Bill Richardson. Cottrell, whose duties will include advising the governor on environmental issues and helping with initiatives on water and air quality and climate change, will begin work July 12. She graduated from Princetons Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs in June with a master's in Public Affairs and a concentration in science, technology and environmental policy. Cottrell has worked for the Pew Center on Global Climate Change in Arlington, Va.; the Grand Canyon Trust's Air and Energy Program in Flagstaff, Ariz; and was...

LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- An aspiring physicist was sentenced Monday to more than eight years in prison and ordered to pay $3.5 million for his role in a spree of arson and vandalism that targeted gas-guzzling Hummers and other sports utility vehicles. Rejecting pleas for clemency from William Cottrell, a 24-year-old doctoral candidate in physics at the California Institute of Technology, U.S. District Judge Gary Klausner added more time to the sentence after finding that Cottrell was trying to sway consumers with his anti-SUV message. The slogans Cottrell spray-painted onto vehicles included "Fat Lazy Americans," "No Respect for Earth"...

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A graduate student was sentenced Monday to more than eight years in prison and ordered to pay millions of dollars in restitution for firebombing scores of sport utility vehicles. William Jensen Cottrell, 24, was convicted in November of conspiracy to commit arson and seven counts of arson for an August 2003 vandalism spree that damaged and destroyed about 125 SUVs. Prosecutors estimated the total damage was about $2.3 million. U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner sentenced Cottrell to 100 months and ordered him to pay $3.5 million in restitution. Cottrell hung his head upon hearing the...

<p>A California Institute of Technology graduate student was arrested Tuesday in connection with last summer's vandalism of 125 sport utility vehicles and fires set at a San Gabriel Valley auto dealership in apparent support of the Earth Liberation Front, the FBI said.</p>

Caltech Graduate Student Arrested in SUV Arson, Vandalism Spree By Greg Risling Associated Press Writer Published: Mar 9, 2004 LOS ANGELES (AP) - A California Institute of Technology graduate student was arrested Tuesday in connection with an August arson and vandalism spree targeting 125 sports utility vehicles at four car dealerships, the FBI said. William Cottrell, 23, used an alias when he e-mailed The Los Angeles Times, claiming to be a member of the eco-terrorist group Earth Liberation Front and offering specific details to prove his involvement in the firebombings, the FBI said. "The FBI hasn't seemed to pick...