A federal appeals court overturned a Caltech graduate student's convictions on two counts of arson for his role in the 2003 torching of several SUVs at San Gabriel Valley, CA, car dealers, attacks authorities blamed on a radical environmentalist group. The U.S. Court of Appeal for the Ninth Circuit upheld the conviction of William Cottrell, 26, on a conspiracy count, but the court vacated two arson convictions in its ruling, issued last week but made public Thursday.
The court agreed with Cottrell's attorneys, who argued that
the judge in his trial should have allowed testimony from medical expert
witnesses regarding Cottrell's Asperger's syndrome. "It was relevant and could have assisted the jury's
determination of whether Cottrell had the specific intent required for
aiding and abetting (arson)," the court's ruling said.
Excerpted from PasadenaStarNews.com.
