William Cottrell - Summer 2003 and SUV Arsons

Summer 2003 and SUV Arsons

In August 2003, Cottrell and Tyler Johnson developed a plan to place bumper stickers on SUVs reading "SUV = TERRORISM." In a series of e-mails that were later recovered by the FBI, Cottrell attempted to recruit his friends to help him purchase the bumper stickers. Cottrell, Johnson, and Johnson's girlfriend Michie Oe are alleged to have vandalized several SUV dealerships with spray paint. At the final dealership, Clippinger Hummer, a number of SUVs were destroyed by fires started by Molotov cocktails. The initials ELF were left on the destroyed vehicles, signifying an allegiance to the Earth Liberation Front. Cottrell and his attorneys allege that the fires were started by Johnson, while the FBI alleged that Cottrell was also directly involved.

After the arsons, the FBI initially arrested Josh Connole, an activist from Pomona, California. They were eventually forced to release Connole, although they refused for over a year to acknowledge his innocence. After Connole's arrest, the Los Angeles Times received an e-mail from a Caltech computer. The mystery e-mailer claimed responsibility for the arsons, mocked the FBI, and mentioned the previously undisclosed detail that Euler's Identity had been spray-painted on several vehicles. The FBI traced the e-mail to Caltech, and in the early months of 2004, they interviewed numerous witnesses at Caltech and eventually arrested Cottrell. The FBI investigation, led by Special Agent Richard Smith, failed to apprehend Johnson and Oe, who are believed to have fled the country.

It was reported that on December 26, 2009, Johnson was killed when he was struck by an avalanche in France. He had been hiking in the Corsican mountains when this occurred. According to Johnson's father, his body was found by a rescue team and the French consulate notified the Johnson family about his death. Johnson's father also confirmed that Johnson had been a fugitive for six years, and corresponded with his family only through a legal representative.