In April, a judge sentenced William Cottrell, 24, to 8 years in prison and ordered him to pay $3.5 million for his part in a 2003 arson at an automobile dealership.
In November 2004, Cottrell was convicted on 8 of 9 counts related to the arsons. The jury acquitted Cottrell of the most serious charge, use of a destructive device during a crime of violence, that would have carried a 30-year minimum sentence.
Cottrell spray-painted slogans such as “Fat Lazy Americans”, “No Respect for Earth”, and “SUV=Terrorism” but claimed that two accomplices, Tyler Johnson and Michie Oe actually committed the arsons. Johnson and Oe are currently wanted fugitives.
At his trial, Cottrell’s lawyers tried to mount a defense based on Cottrell’s alleged autism, but were prevented from doing so by the trial judge, and an appellate court rejected a request for a new trial on that grounds after Cottrell’s conviction.
Cottrell’s defense tried the same tactic at sentencing, asking for U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner to sentence Cottrell to the five-year mandatory minimum because Cottrell’s autism impaired his ability to understand his actions.
Klausner rejected that line of reasoning saying that Cottrell’s high intelligence indicated he was more, not less likely, to understand the consequences of his actions,
What a talent to have wasted. There’s only one person to blame for that, and I’m sure Mr. Cottrell understands that it’s him.
Since there is no parole for federal prisoners, Cottrell will serve the full eight years minus credit for time already served.
Source:
Calif. student gets 8 years for SUV vandalism. Reuters, April 18, 2005.