• news
  • WEDNESDAY APRIL 20 2005 11:18 AM

See Billy. See Billy Vandalize H2s. See Billy Pay $3.5 Million.

Submitted by Stiles

Edited by legionnaire

William Cottrell, a 24 year old doctoral candidate in physics at the California Institute of Technology has been sentenced to eight years in prison and three and a half million dollars in restitution for his role in a 2003 string of arsons and vandalism targeting large SUVs at auto dealerships and private homes.

His two co-conspirators fled the country to avoid prosecution.

Cottrell’s attorneys asked for the five-year mandatory minimum sentence saying that their client has Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism marked by impaired ability to understand social situations.

They said it affected his judgment and kept him from backing out when his two friends started lighting Molotov cocktails.

But Judge Klausner said high intelligence should work against a defendant, not in his favor. “What a talent to have wasted,” Klausner said. “There’s only one person to blame for that, and I’m sure Mr. Cottrell understands that it’s him.”

Attorneys estimated that Cottrell, who had faced a mandatory minimum sentence of five years, could spend six years in jail, including credit for time served.


Giving SUV drivers the finger would have been a better choice, Billy.

  • PERMALINK
  • PRINT
  • Digg This
  • Email To A Friend
 

Previous

PAGE: 

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

 ... 9

Next

Comments
s5

s5

San Francisco, CA
OLD SKOOL

APR 20, 2005 07:41 PM

crime does pay, you just have to pick the right crime.

vandalism: 8 years in prison, $3.5 million fine.

air pollution, killing other motorists and pedestrians, parking and traffic snarls in major cities: free! no jail time! profitable!

Brinstar

Brinstar

Chicago, IL
September 2002

APR 20, 2005 07:45 PM

Well, if we are speaking of this specific Hummer owner, who the hell even knows how often they drive? Sort of condemning everyone who owns one because you know... some people are wasting a lot of gas... I don't know.

I don't exactly see the rest of the driving world carpooling and using public transportation as much as possible. I'm sure most of us lazyasses (myself definately included) use cars for short trips when we could use bicycles or walk.

You know, the "he who has no sin" thing seems to fit aptly here. I am willing to bet that most of the posters in this thread waste gas. I know I do.

theseeman

theseeman

Asheville, NC
December 2002

APR 20, 2005 07:50 PM

Brinstar said:

Attack_Macaque said:
2) I'm personally baffled by the twisted logic being used by those of you who are equating an act of vandalism that endangers noone with the bombing of abortion clinics, which, intentionally or otherwise, pose an obvious threat to the lives of people who might be inside the building, innocent bystanders, and the firemen/policemen who have to deal with the aftermath.



So firebombing a car doesn't carry any of these consequences? I imagine the gas tank could go up.

But whatever... fine. The whole point was just to draw a parallel between something this person supported and something they probably don't. How about breaking all the windows of an abortion clinic? That won't hurt anyone. Should we condone that as a "political act"?



I think you are misunderstanding something. A political act is just that. Stating what it is does not condone the action. Ethnic Cleansing is a political act. The fire bombing of Dresden was a political act. If I say something is yellow I am not calling it happy I am stateing a fact about the object. In calling an act political I am NOT condoning the act.

Wren

Wren

SUICIDEGIRL

Minnesota, USA

APR 20, 2005 07:55 PM

1point6180 said:

Wren said:

mydogfarted said:
A crime is a crime is a crime.



No shit. It is one thing to protest and boycott and educate the public, but vandalism is childish and it doesn't help anyone. There are much better ways to get your point across.



Ok so I get it:
Destroying private property is criminal.
A lifestyle choice based on excess which threatens everyone and everything on the planet is just ducky.

robot



No one is saying "OMG HUMMERS ARE GREAT LETS ALL DRIVE THEM!!!1" Yes, it sucks that gas guzzling vehicles are becoming the mode of transportation of choice for upper class Americans. I fully agree with the notion that owning a Hummer automatically makes you an asshole. Destroying private property makes you an asshole, too, and it doesn't do your cause a damn bit of good. It just makes the people who agree with you look like lunatics.

s5

s5

San Francisco, CA
OLD SKOOL

APR 20, 2005 07:59 PM

Brinstar said:
Well, if we are speaking of this specific Hummer owner, who the hell even knows how often they drive? Sort of condemning everyone who owns one because you know... some people are wasting a lot of gas... I don't know.



if it were really just "some people", there wouldn't be a problem. but the H2 isn't purchased as a utility vehicle - it's purchased as a status symbol to drive a single passenger and no cargo around populated areas.

s5

s5

San Francisco, CA
OLD SKOOL

APR 20, 2005 08:00 PM

Wren said:
It just makes the people who agree with you look like lunatics.



i don't know about that. the anti-abortion lunatics who actually kill people still have plenty of influence and support for their cause.

Koenigsegg

Koenigsegg

I'm lost
July 2004

APR 20, 2005 08:02 PM

serves him right

Attack_Macaque

Attack_Macaque

Mesquite, TX
September 2004

APR 20, 2005 08:03 PM

Brinstar said:

Attack_Macaque said:
2) I'm personally baffled by the twisted logic being used by those of you who are equating an act of vandalism that endangers noone with the bombing of abortion clinics, which, intentionally or otherwise, pose an obvious threat to the lives of people who might be inside the building, innocent bystanders, and the firemen/policemen who have to deal with the aftermath.



So firebombing a car doesn't carry any of these consequences? I imagine the gas tank could go up.


Okay, somehow I managed to miss the firebombing stuff and thought that they were just vandalizing the cars, and that the severity of their punishment was based solely on the number and cost of the cars they were fucking up. So I'm withdrawing this point with my apologies.

But whatever... fine. The whole point was just to draw a parallel between something this person supported and something they probably don't. How about breaking all the windows of an abortion clinic? That won't hurt anyone. Should we condone that as a "political act"?


Well, I could understand the logic of a person who opposes abortion rights seeing it as a personal act. It would still piss me off because I support a woman's right to choose, but I would definitely differentiate such an act from the bombing of a clinic. As I would also differentiate the vandalizing of a H2 from the blowing up of one.

s5

s5

San Francisco, CA
OLD SKOOL

APR 20, 2005 08:12 PM

Michael_DeSade said:
When there are grave injustices, yes. But your attempt at moral relativism looks pretty stupid when you sit back and compare fighting legalized institutional racism with blowing up Dad's SUV.



you can't compare "fighting legalized institutional racism" with "blowing up Dad's SUV". it's apples and oranges.

institutional racism: a political cause.
blowing up Dad's SUV: one method of fighting for a political cause.

the correct comparison is between "fighting legalized institutional racism" and "fighting for the environment". both are worthy causes, even when you don't necessarily agree with the methods.

Cigarette

Cigarette

Cleveland, OH
April 2004

APR 20, 2005 08:36 PM

Seems like the hatred for the H2 is a pretty arbitrary line, isn't it? It's really just relative to other cars, isn't it? By the logic I'm seeing here, if a group of Luddites came and blew up your Saturn, saying that your vehicle creates an inordinate amount of pollution for the utility it provides relative to their bicycles, then they'd be committing a political act that they should be applauded for, right?

SYH

SYH

Redford, MI
February 2003

APR 20, 2005 08:44 PM

alpha_hazard said:
I'll never understand how burning an entire vehicle at low temperatures constitutes fighting pollution...



Thank you.

Max16Characters

Max16Characters

Korea, Republic Of
March 2003

APR 20, 2005 08:51 PM

I personally like the bumper stickers that read: "I'm the reason we're in Iraq right now" that some put on Hummers.

SYH

SYH

Redford, MI
February 2003

APR 20, 2005 08:51 PM

s5 said:

Michael_DeSade said:
When there are grave injustices, yes. But your attempt at moral relativism looks pretty stupid when you sit back and compare fighting legalized institutional racism with blowing up Dad's SUV.



you can't compare "fighting legalized institutional racism" with "blowing up Dad's SUV". it's apples and oranges.

institutional racism: a political cause.
blowing up Dad's SUV: one method of fighting for a political cause.

the correct comparison is between "fighting legalized institutional racism" and "fighting for the environment". both are worthy causes, even when you don't necessarily agree with the methods.



Fighting for the environment?! The man torched some trucks, and car fires are not known for their complete combustion. I can guarantee you the emissions of just ONE of those fires sullied the sainted environment more than a lifetime of emissions (exhaust, tires, interior, etc.) from an untorched H2.

Yep, fighting for the environment--one car fire at a time.

[Edited on Apr 20, 2005 by SYH]

thrash242

thrash242

Pearland, TX
September 2004

APR 20, 2005 08:55 PM

theseeman said:
Whoa not the reaction I expected from SG. This was a poltical act. Where are the anarchists on this? Would those who condem this also condem the actions of the ELF?



You're damn straight I would.

Cigarette

Cigarette

Cleveland, OH
April 2004

APR 20, 2005 08:55 PM

SYH said:

s5 said:

Michael_DeSade said:
When there are grave injustices, yes. But your attempt at moral relativism looks pretty stupid when you sit back and compare fighting legalized institutional racism with blowing up Dad's SUV.



you can't compare "fighting legalized institutional racism" with "blowing up Dad's SUV". it's apples and oranges.

institutional racism: a political cause.
blowing up Dad's SUV: one method of fighting for a political cause.

the correct comparison is between "fighting legalized institutional racism" and "fighting for the environment". both are worthy causes, even when you don't necessarily agree with the methods.



Fighting for the environment?! The man torched some trucks, and car fires are not known for their complete combustion. I can guarantee you the emissions of just ONE of those fires sullied the sainted environment more than a lifetime of emissions (exhaust, tires, interior, etc.) from an untorched H2.

Yep, fighting for the environment--one car fire at a time.

[Edited on Apr 20, 2005 by SYH]



Well, to be fair, just because you're fighting for something doesn't mean you're actually helping the cause. wink

Previous

PAGE: 

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

 ... 9

Next

featured interviews