A woman was found guilty by a
federal jury Thursday, of two counts of arson for acting as lookout in the 2001
burning of the
Briana Waters, 32, had been charged with five criminal counts, including conspiracy and use and possession of a destructive device. The jury deadlocked on these counts, for which the penalty could have been at least 35 years in jail. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Barlett said that prosecutors will announce within a week whether they will retry Waters on the deadlocked counts.
Now Waters faces five to 20 years in prison, the Associated Press informs. Five people were charged seven years ago for the UW arson. Only Waters was trialed; two of the respondents pleaded guilty, and testified against Waters hoping their sentences would be reduced. One of the defendants became a fugitive, while the fourth committed suicide after he was arrested.
A violin teacher from
The witnesses also said that
Waters had taken part in planning the arson, and that the bombs were built by
Waters’ then-boyfriend in the garage of a house in
The 2001 arson at the UW’s Center
for Urban Horticulture was carried out by the environmentalist activists as
they wrongly believed that it contained genetically engineered poplar trees. Samples
of rare and endangered plants were destroyed by the flames. The rebuilding of
the research center cost the University $7 million.
Waters will remain in the custody
of the