William Cottrell (physicist)

William Cottrell (* 1980 ) is a physicist convicted of conspiracy and arson as a terrorist.

Cottrell studied theoretical physics at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena . He was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome .

On August 22, 2003, he was driving through Pasadena with two friends. They sprayed vehicles with graffiti denouncing their ecological concern. Eventually Molotov cocktails were thrown at vehicles, 125 of which were destroyed or damaged. The total damage was five million dollars.

In court, Cottrell said he was unaware of the arson intentions and asked his friend Tyler Johnson to stop during the crime. However, in 2005 he was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison. Under the PATRIOT Act , he was now officially classified as a terrorist . His friends went into hiding after the fact.

Cottrell suggested that the prison authorities work as a math teacher for fellow inmates. His request was rejected. While in custody, Cottrell wrote letters to relatives about poor prison conditions. His materials for physics studies had been taken from him. He was also put in a cold solitary cell. Visits were almost never approved. A letter from Peter Freund , also signed by Kip Thorne and Stephen Hawking , asked the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to better deal with Cottrell so that his talents would be nurtured and his idiosyncrasies considered. The letter had no positive effect.

Web links

• LA Weekly report with excerpts from the letter