William Cottrell

William Jensen Cottrell, known as Billy Cottrell, is an American former Ph.D. candidate whose life straddles the worlds of advanced theoretical physics and radical environmental activism. Born in 1980 in Concord, North Carolina, Cottrell excelled academically, graduating from the University of Chicago in 2002 with a double major in physics and mathematics while also competing on the Division III cross‑country team, where teammates nicknamed him the “team genius.” After earning his degrees, he entered the prestigious graduate physics program at the California Institute of Technology, where he met fellow physicist Tyler Johnson and together they became involved with the Earth Liberation Front (ELF). In August 2003 the pair devised a plan to vandalize sport‑utility vehicles by placing bumper stickers reading “SUV = TERRORISM,” and later progressed to orchestrating a series of arson attacks that destroyed eight SUVs and a Hummer dealership, actions that would later lead to Cottrell’s conviction on conspiracy charges. Arrested in March 2004 after the FBI traced incendiary emails sent under the alias “Tony Marsden,” he faced a federal grand‑jury indictment that included charges of conspiracy to commit arson, arson, and use of a destructive device during a violent crime. Despite his lawyers’ attempts to introduce his diagnosis of Asperger syndrome as a mitigating factor, the court barred the defense and he was sentenced to eight years in prison and ordered to pay $3.5 million in restitution. While incarcerated Cottrell endured harsh treatment, was denied academic pursuits, and attracted the support of high‑profile scientists such as Stephen Hawking, who advocated on his behalf; an appellate court later overturned the arson convictions but upheld the conspiracy sentence. Released on August 16 2011, he resumed his scholarly career, completing a Ph.D. in theoretical and mathematical physics at the University of Wisconsin‑Madison and conducting post‑doctoral research at the University of Amsterdam and Stanford University, and his story was later chronicled in the Emmy‑winning documentary Standard Deviation.