Eco-Defense Arrestee Bill Rodgers Found Dead in Cell in Arizona

[Dover]

Eco-Defense Arrestee Bill Rodgers Found Dead in Cell in Arizona
by feral Thursday December 22, 2005 at 11:52 PM

bill_photo.jpg, image/jpeg, 125x130

William "Bill" Rodgers, one of the people arrested in
this months FBI eco-witch hunt, has been found dead in
his cell. The police are claiming it was a suicide.

Bill was a longtime volunteer for anarchist,
environmentalist, and wildlife issues. He will be
missed.

Rest in peace, Bill,

12/22/2005 SHERIFF SAYS THAT BILL RODGERS KILLED HIMSELF IN CELL

William C. (Bill) Rodgers, aged 40, of Prescott, Arizona, was found dead in a
jail cell in Flagstaff early on December 22nd. The Coconino County sheriff's
office and medical examiner said that he had committed suicide by placing a
plastic bag over his head while he was in his one-person cell.

Bill Rodgers was one of six people arrested this month in connection with
eco-defense actions in Oregon and Washington in recent years. He was charged in the
firebombing of a government wildlife lab outside Olympia, Washington.

cont'd

http://www.houston.indymedia.org/news/2005/12/46477.php

[Richard D]

1. Suicided

[madeline_con]

2. Arson suspect KILLS himself?

This doesn't sound kosher.

Here's a site dedicated to him...

http://supportbill.org/

[mom cat]

3. Who gave him the plastic bag?

[MercutioATC]

5. Some jails don't have food service, so they get take-out for the inmates..

...perhaps somebody gave him the take-out bag?

[mom cat]

6. Of course. Why didn't I think of that. Jailers are so kind.

:sarcasm:

[MercutioATC]

7. Kindness has nothing to do with it...it's an economic issue.

If the facility is small, it may not make sense to provide in-house food service. If the prisoner is booked after mealtimes, some facilities WITH in-house service may choose to just get them take-out.

They're required to provide meals either way.

[mom cat]

8. It still sounds fishy to me.

[MercutioATC]

9. Possibly. I'm just suggesting one way he could have gotten the bag.

[mom cat]

10. Mostly fast food comes in paper bags. It is a possibility, but so

is foul play. As you can see, my trust level is quite low these days.

[MercutioATC]

11. I just don't see any logic in killing him.

They had him arrested. That's what they wanted. His death only raises questions.

[mom cat]

12. I do not know, but anyone who is willing to put their life on the line

to save the earth has a lot of fight in them. He would be a very unlikely candidate for suicide.

[MercutioATC]

14. People who firebomb research facilities are frequently mentally unstable.

...and unstable people can be very good candidates for all sorts of things, including suicide.

[mom cat]

15. This is obviously one to keep track of.

[Sven77]

4. was he

shot twice in the head ?

[Sequoia]

13. I don't believe it.

He was murdered.

[struggle4progress]

16. Suspect's death leaves mysteries

FBI says man was an eco-terrorist; friends disagree
By Joe Garner, Rocky Mountain News
December 31, 2005

... Rodgers' friends, who universally described him as a gentle and compassionate person committed to nonviolence, rallied outside his hearing and were stunned to be videotaped by law enforcement authorities ...

Rodgers knew little, if anything, of the case against him when he died. He had not seen or been told of the affidavit outlining what a confidential informant had told federal investigators about him ...

If you wanted to learn to sew or knit, you could join a class at the Catalyst. If you wanted to voice your opposition to the war in Iraq, you could join in a discussion at the Catalyst. If you wanted to serve meals to the needy, you could volunteer there for the group, Food Not Bombs ...

"I think it's widely understood that people who are economically privileged fare better in the criminal justice system than people like Bill, who lived a simple, subsistence life," said his friend, Katan ...

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_4354464,00.html