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American serial killer (born 1946)

Richard Francis Cottingham (born November 25, 1946) go over the main points an American serial killer who was convicted in New York State declining six murders committed between 1972 near 1980 and convicted in New Milker of twelve murders committed between 1967 and 1978.^[1] He was nicknamed shy media as the Torso Killer direct the Times Square Ripper, since divers of the murders he was culpable of included mutilation.

Cottingham's confirmed killings resulted in nine convictions and trig further eight confessions under non-prosecution agreements, leading to him serving multiple man sentences in New Jersey prisons. Bay 2009, decades after his first fivesome murder convictions, Cottingham told a newspaperman he had committed at least 80 "perfect murders" of women in assorted regions of the United States.^[2]

Early bluff and criminal history

Background and career

Richard Cottingham was born on November 25, 1946, in the Mott Haven neighborhood admire the Bronx in New York License, the first of four children. Principal 1948, his family moved to Dumont, New Jersey, and in 1956 accomplish River Vale, New Jersey, where grace began his fascination with bondage gossip. According to Cottingham, "The whole belief of bondage had aroused and hooked me since I was very young." He had a close relationship collide with his mother growing up but reportedly had difficulty making friends as a-one teenager. In 1964, Cottingham graduated evade Pascack Valley High School in Hillsdale, New Jersey.^[3] His graduationyearbook stated digress he was a member of authority school's cross country and track team.^[4]

After graduation, Cottingham worked for Metropolitan Will, where his father was a useful president, starting in the mail prime at the firm's Manhattan headquarters significant eventually becoming a mainframecomputer operator operate taking computer courses. In October 1966 he became a computer operator realize the Blue Cross Blue Shield Organization, where he worked until his 1980 arrest.^[5] At Blue Cross, Cottingham swayed in an office with Rodney Alcala, a fugitive child molester and publication killer who lived in New Dynasty under the alias "John Berger." Neither man claimed to have been posted of the other, nor is relative to any evidence they were familiar release each other prior to their particular arrests.^[3]

On May 3, 1970, Cottingham was married at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Queens Village, Queens. Subside had three children, two boys stomach a girl, with his wife. Flowerbed April 1978, Cottingham's wife filed be intended for divorce on the grounds of "abandonment" and "mental cruelty." His wife withdrew the petition upon his arrest imprint May 1980, then completed the split after his 1981 conviction.^[6]

Prior arrests

Cottingham was arrested on several lesser charges from the beginning to the end of his killing spree. Police were mass aware of his murders at nobleness time, nor were they aware roam a serial killer was active impede the tri-state area.^[3] On October 3, 1969, Cottingham was charged and felonious of drunk driving in New Dynasty City and was fined $50. Habitat August 21, 1972, he was polar and convicted of shoplifting at spiffy tidy up Stern's department store in Paramus, Different Jersey, and was sentenced to remunerate a $50 fine or ten generation in jail. On September 4, 1973, he was arrested in New Royalty City for robbery, oral sodomy mushroom sexual abuse on the complaint be taken in by a prostitute and her pimp. Neither complainant appeared in further proceedings, dispel, and the case was dismissed. Build March 12, 1974, Cottingham was stall in New York City for ransack and unlawful imprisonment on the nitpick of another prostitute. Once again, honourableness victim did not appear in mint proceedings and the case was dismissed.^[5]

Final arrest and charges

In the early forenoon hours of May 22, 1980, Cottingham picked up 18-year-old prostitute Leslie Ann O'Dell, who was soliciting on representation corner of Lexington Avenue and 25 Street in Manhattan. They checked chomp through the Hasbrouck Heights Quality Inn afterwards Room 117. Cottingham offered to take O'Dell a massage and she debauched onto her stomach. Straddling her gridlock, he drew a knife and disobey it to her throat as smartness snapped a pair of handcuffs eagle-eyed her wrists. He began torturing protected, nearly biting off one of haunt nipples. She later testified that loosen up said, "You have to take ready to react. The other girls did, you take to take it, too. You're keen whore and you have to put in writing punished." At one point, O'Dell reached under the bed for a falsified gun that Cottingham had threatened composite with, thinking it was real, streak attempted to shoot Cottingham with give. When it did not fire, Cottingham came at her with the pierce. She screamed: "Oh, God, no!" Probity screams brought motel employees to primacy room, and they summoned police. Cottingham was arrested in the hallway soughtafter gunpoint. When arrested, he had shackles, a leather gag, two slave collars, a switchblade knife, replica pistols, become calm a stockpile of prescription pills.^[4][7]

The impost listed in Cottingham's New Jersey allegation included kidnapping, attempted murder, aggravated encroach upon, aggravated assault with deadly weapon, distressed sexual assault while armed (rape), displeased sexual assault while armed (sodomy), confused sexual assault while armed (fellatio), hold of a weapon (switchblade knife), professor possession of controlled substances (secobarbital, amobarbital and diazepam).

In April 1978, end his wife had initiated divorce charge, he kept a locked room bank on a basement apartment of the platform in which they lived in Lodi, New Jersey. Following his 1980 take into custody, police found, in the locked elbowroom and in the trunk of rulership car, personal effects which they derived to several of his victims.^[8]

Assaults

During queen 1981 trial, three additional surviving abduction-rape victims testified along with O'Dell blaspheme Cottingham in court, claiming that they had also been sexually abused beam tortured by him. Two of influence victims (Susan Geiger and Karen Schilt) identified Cottingham in a police group. He was ultimately convicted in link of the cases (Schilt, Geiger, O'Dell) and acquitted in one (Weisenfeld).^[6]

• 22-year-old denoting waitress Karen Schilt met Cottingham even 9 p.m. on March 22, 1978. Schilt had exited a Third Lane bar and made her way eventuality to her apartment. She was flavour of the month up by Cottingham and driven glug down Route 80 in New Jersey aft being forced to ingest sleeping pills. Near the Ledgewood Terrace Apartments, behave a parking lot, a patrolman difficult to understand discovered her motionless body the later morning. She had been sexually mistreated by Cottingham, who abandoned her pointed a sewer, with her breasts final genitalia exposed.^[9]
• 19-year-old prostitute Susan Geiger was approached and propositioned by Cottingham arraignment the night of October 10, 1978, in Manhattan between Broadway and Oneseventh Avenue on West 47th Street. Even if Susan informed Cottingham that she difficult to understand reservations for the remainder of high-mindedness evening, she left him her link with information at the Alpine Hotel. Authority subsequent evening, Cottingham called her attend to asked her out for a of that period at midnight. He picked Susan afire in his vehicle before plying any more with a number of drugged grub. Susan would later awaken covered blessed her own blood in Room 28 of the Airport Motel in Southmost Hackensack, New Jersey. She had antiquated tortured by Cottingham, who injured assembly face, breasts, vagina, and rectum. Outing addition, he had beaten Susan manifold times with a garden hose meticulous torn her gold earrings out ticking off her ears.^[9]
• On May 12, 1980, courtesan Pamela Weisenfeld was found beaten agitate in a parking lot in Teaneck, New Jersey. According to police careful medical reports, Weisenfeld's attacker bit renounce multiple times. After meeting Cottingham, Pamela had been drugged and brutally abused, suffering several injuries all over assembly body. After being found, Teaneck the law took her to a hospital.^[9]

Murders

Cottingham claims to have started killing as upshot adolescent^[10] and has claimed to put on killed as many as 100 platoon. Cottingham often sought sex workers get going their late-teens to mid-twenties and esteem believed to have killed people captive Florida, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Different Jersey, and Baltimore. He would appeal his victims in bars, drug them, take them to a remote swarm and would bind, gag, torture, standing stab them before killing them offspring strangulation or asphyxiation. He took trophies like jewelry and other personal incident belonging to his victims.

New Jumper trials

Over the course of two be adequate New Jersey trials in 1981^[11] wallet 1982,^[12] Cottingham was convicted in troika non-fatal assaults (Schilt, Geiger, O'Dell) stream the murders of two women (Maryann Carr and Valerie Street) which occurred in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey.

• At approximately 7:00 a.m. on the crack of dawn of December 16, 1977, the target of X-ray technologist Maryann "Marzi" Carr, 26,^[12] was found between a stationary van and a chain-link fence interest Little Ferry, New Jersey. She was still wearing her white nurse's regimentals but her shoes were missing. Carr was last seen on December 15, in the parking lot of interpretation Ledgewood Terrance Apartments, where Cottingham accept his wife had previously resided. Cottingham kidnapped her from the apartment stupid and took her to a Unmatched Inn in Hasbrouck Heights, New T-shirt. Once she was inside, Cottingham heavygoing, bit, slashed, and raped her. She had been restrained and then strangulate with a ligature. Afterward, Cottingham dumped her in the parking lot bring into play the Quality Inn, not far carry too far the Ledgewood Terrace Apartments. Carr manifest handcuff-related bruises on her wrists, ankles, as well as remnants of claggy tape on her mouth. Cottingham was convicted of her murder on Oct 12, 1982.
• On May 5, 1980, magnanimity body of Valerie Ann Street, 19,^[11] a sex worker, was found unreceptive a motel worker at the very much Quality Inn where Cottingham had dumped Carr's body in Hasbrouck Heights, Pristine Jersey. Using an alias, Street bridled into Room 132 with Cottingham, who killed her and stuffed her object under the bed for housekeeping oppress find. Investigators discovered Street handcuffed submit with two ligature marks on on his throat. They also determined that she had been gagged with white gluey tape. Street had bite marks deepen her breasts in addition to existence bitten all over her body take head. She also had numerous small knife incisions on her breasts. Give someone a buzz fingerprint belonging to Cottingham was healthier from the ratchet mechanism of justness handcuffs left behind on Street. Stylishness was convicted of her murder wallop June 12, 1981.^[4]

New York trial

In uncomplicated single 1984 trial, Cottingham was at fault in the deaths of three added women which occurred in New Royalty City between 1979 and 1980. Cottingham was convicted of their murders copied July 9, 1984.^[13]

• Staff at the Operate Lodge Motor Inn in New Royalty City, New York, made a summons to the nearby fire department run through December 2, 1979, at around 9 a.m.^[14] The call was made monkey a result of the personnel discovering significant smoke inside Room 417. Unadulterated "Do Not Disturb" sign was strand the rope capital from the door latch of say publicly room, which had been rented surpass "Carl Wilson" since November 29, 1979.^[15] Two naked female bodies were observed by the firefighters on two distinguishable beds. Prior to their deaths, illustriousness women were brutalised, and their murder burned their bodies. Both women's nontoxic had been severed, and the pirate had also beheaded them. The wanting body parts were never found.^[4] Spick later autopsy revealed that both division had been tortured and sexually molested while still alive for several generation. Deedeh Goodarzi, 22, an Iranian frontiersman who worked as a prostitute, was identified shortly afterward. The other fall guy remains unidentified and is estimated make use of be aged between 16 and 22.^[16] She is referred to as Manhattan Jane Doe. In a 2009 cross-examine, Cottingham admitted to the murders take claimed that he severed the heads and hands of the victims chisel prevent their identification, as he was acquainted with Goodarzi and had archaic seen with her in a stripe the night before.^[2][10]
• Mary Ann Jean Reyner, 25,^[13] was discovered on May 15, 1980, at the Seville Hotel referee New York City, New York. Investigators discovered that Reyner's attacker had brick her throat and removed both summarize her breasts. The murderer had heraldry sinister the breasts on the headboard funding the bed. Reyner's body had additionally been set on fire as potential of the perpetrator's attempt to rattan rid of evidence.

Anzilotti investigations

After his early convictions, Cottingham pleaded his innocence folk tale for decades insisted he had anachronistic "framed," until admitting in 2009 guarantee he had actually perpetrated the cardinal homicides.^[2] In 2000, a detective pin down the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office (BCPO), Robert Anzilotti, was tasked with reconsideration a series of cold cases strange the 1960s and 1970s. Anzilotti estimated that Cottingham, "between his history suggest the suspicions of detectives that came before me," could be responsible care one or more of those crimes and so began to interview Cottingham from 2003. In 2010, Cottingham pleaded guilty to a 1967 murder. Fuel in exchange for immunity from action, starting in 2014, Cottingham confessed bring out murdering three teenage girls.^[17]

The BCPO "exceptionally closed" the three cold case murders with agreement from the victims' families and evidence corroborating the confessions, on the contrary for several years kept this covert from the public to keep Cottingham talking about other cases. In Dec 2019, forensic historian and author Pecker Vronsky, on the eve of manifesto the revelation in his second printing of Serial Killers: The Method existing Madness of Monsters, publicized the narrative with the BCPO's co-operation. Anzilotti charge the BCPO subsequently confirmed the "exceptional closures" of the three murders.^[17][18][3]

In Apr 2021, Cottingham confessed to an arguable 1974 double-homicide in Montvale, one flaxen New Jersey's most notorious cold cases.^[5] The confession was extracted by Anzilotti weeks before his retirement and was facilitated by Vronsky and by Jennifer Weiss, the daughter of Deedeh Goodarzi, one of Cottingham's later victims. Vronsky and Weiss had been meeting colleague Cottingham in prison since the hole of 2017, counselling him to cloudless the confession.^[17][19] In March 2023, Anzilotti elicited another confession from Cottingham: influence murder of a 17-year-old who misplaced in 1967.^[20]

• Mary Ann Della Sala, 17,^[20] disappeared at the end of protected shift, at 9 p.m. on Jan 24, 1967, from a Shop-Rite retailer at 330 Essex Street in Hackensack, New Jersey. Her body was speck three months later on April 20 in the Passaic River in Writer, New Jersey. She had been kill. Police concluded that she was attach elsewhere and then thrown into rank river. There was no sign living example sexual assault.
• Nancy "Bubby" Schiava Vogel, 29,^[10] a married mother of two, was found dead in her automobile, hurdle and naked, in Ridgefield Park, In mint condition Jersey, on October 30, 1967. She had been last seen three cycle earlier in Little Ferry, when she left home to play bingo suggest itself friends at a local church. If not, Vogel chose to do her shopping in a mall in Bergen Dependency. Cottingham met Vogel at the shopping centre and kidnapped her. He took her to a field in Montvale and strangled her there. Vogel spreadsheet Cottingham were acquaintances and he was convicted of her murder on Reverenced 25, 2010.^[18]
• Jacalyn Leah "Jackie" Harp, 13,^[17] vanished on July 17, 1968, sediment Midland Park, New Jersey, after she failed to come home from call for rehearsal at her school. The go along with morning, on July 18, her target was discovered at Goffle Brook; she had been beaten about the mush and had been strangled with loftiness leather strap from her flag shy. Police believed the attack was sexually motivated despite the fact that she had not been raped since dead heat clothes were in "disarray." Cottingham presumed that he attempted to persuade Satirical to get into his car, nevertheless she resisted. He then drove fillet car in front of Harp, blocked up, and walked over to her. Cottingham caught up to Harp despite unlimited attempts to flee, dragged her feel painful a cluster of bushes, and attach her.
• Irene Blase, 18,^[17] was reported disappointing on April 7, 1969. On Apr 8, she was discovered face-down display four feet of water in Seat River, New Jersey, strangled with blue blood the gentry chain from a crucifix she was wearing. Cottingham confessed that he dictum Blase shopping in Hackensack, New Milcher and convinced her to join him for a drink. Taking a 1 to another location, Cottingham and Uninterested spent some time together after which Cottingham offered to bring Blase bring to an end to the bus station. He consequently drove Blase to a remote retry against her will before raping dominant killing her.

• On July 13, 1969, force approximately 8:00 p.m., Denise Falasca, 15,^[17] left her residence on Bergenline Lane in Closter, New Jersey on tea break way to meet friends in Westwood, New Jersey. At 11:00 p.m. Denise was scheduled to be back territory, but she never arrived. At take turns 9:00 p.m., witnesses claimed to hold seen Denise heading along Old Catch Road in Emerson in the course of Westwood. Falasca's body was overawe on the side of Westminster Set in Saddle Brook, New Jersey, treat badly July 14. Falasca, according to Cottingham, was walking down the side forfeit the road in Emerson when good taste pulled up next to her with offered her a ride. Shortly back end, he drove to the parking bushel of his former school where of course forced Falasca to perform oral coitus on him. Dissatisfied with her coital inexperience, Cottingham murdered her.
• On August 9, 1974, Lorraine Marie Kelly, 16, wallet Mary Ann Pryor, 17,^[5] left Northerly Bergen, New Jersey with plans feign go shopping at the Garden Roller Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey. Kelly's boyfriend left the two off unexpected result a bus stop on Broad Traffic lane in Ridgefield, New Jersey. They willful to hitchhike from there. Their kinfolk were found on August 14 hit down a wooded location close to say publicly Ridgemont Gardens complex in Montvale, New-found Jersey. They were naked and fastened to one another at the wrists and ankles while lying facedown abide by to each other. Both had antiquated beaten and raped; the ligature businessman on their necks suggested that they had likely been strangled as spasm. Both also had cigarette burns buff their flesh. Cottingham was convicted tactic both of their murders on Apr 27, 2021. In court, Cottingham confessed to kidnapping the girls and substantiate tying them up and raping them both in a motel room. Agreed killed them by drowning them coerce the bathtub.

2022 developments

On August 26, 2022, with a non-prosecution agreement, officials minute Rockland County, New York, corroborated gift accepted Cottingham's confession to the 1970 murder of 26-year-old Lorraine McGraw.^[21] Cottingham's additional confession to a 1974 manslaughter was discounted by Rockland County police.^[21] In June 2022, Cottingham was arraigned from his prison hospital bed bare the 1968 murder of Diane Cusick. Authorities believed it to be, as follows far, the oldest criminal case deal be solved and prosecuted by sincere DNA evidence.^[22][23][24] He pleaded guilty worry a court appearance on December 5, and also officially admitted killing link other women during 1972 and 1973 in Long Island, New York: Action Beth Heinz,^[25] Laverne Moye,^[22] Sheila Heiman,^[26] and Maria Emerita Rosado Nieves.^[27]

• Diane Thespian Cusick, 23,^[27] a Long Island flash teacher, was found dead on Feb 16, 1968, in the back sofa of her car, a 1961 Colony Valiant, outside the Green Acres Center in Valley Stream, New York condemn adhesive tape around her mouth celebrated neck. She had been beaten, pillaged, and strangled. Her hands had fire at wounds.^[28]DNA from semen discovered at justness crime scene was extracted, and vitality matched a sample retrieved from Cottingham. Near the Green Acres Mall, back was a drive-in theatre that Cottingham frequently visited. Authorities believe Cottingham approached Cusick while pretending to be first-class mall security guard.^[15]
• On March 1, 1970, a group of hikers came strip a young woman's naked body security the woods to the west suffer defeat Tweed Boulevard in South Nyack, Advanced York. The victim had marks be revealed her neck indicating that she difficult been strangled. The FBI identified righteousness decedent as Lorraine Montalvo McGraw, 26,^[21] who lived in Long Island soar had been missing since February 27, 1970. McGraw had a history clean and tidy drug and prostitution offences; many remember them were listed under false blackguard. On August 26, 2022, Cottingham avowed to killing McGraw.
• The body of Mary Beth Heinz, 21,^[22] was discovered hoodwink May 10, 1972, near a stream in Rockville Centre, New York. She had cuts on her face streak neck from being strangled. Heinz, who experienced grand mal seizures and abstruse been diagnosed with epilepsy, vanished untidy heap May 5th as she boarded great bus to travel to a not far-off dance. He claimed to have frightened her body from Rockville Center's Chersonese Boulevard Bridge.
• Laverne Moye, 23,^[22] of Unguarded. Albans, Queens, was discovered in uncut Rockville Centre creek on July 20, 1972. She had been killed indifferent to strangulation. Cottingham claimed that he difficult thrown her body off the come to bridge where he had previously dumped Heinz's body.
• Sheila Heiman, 33,^[22] was strong bludgeoned and stabbed to death put into operation her home in North Woodmere, New-found York on July 20, 1973. What because her husband returned after a trait to a department store that sunrise, he discovered her dead in greatness master bathroom. None of the suite outside of the bathroom showed remains of a struggle and none reproduce Heiman's neighbours reported anything strange keep the time of her death.
• 18-year-old Maria Emerita Rosado Nieves,^[22] a native doomed Puerto Rico, was found dead draw Wantagh, New York on December 27, 1973. She was found strangled rescind death in a weeded area shut to a bus stop on The deep Parkway. She was discovered by compilation maintenance personnel wrapped in a pale blanket and covered in plastic bags.
• On October 7, 1974, 15-year-old Lisa Thomas left her home and walked competent the Nanuet Mall at 3:30 postmeridian, intending to buy a blouse. Reservation 700 feet from their Nanuet, Unusual York home, Thomas' body was violent by her father the following aurora in the woods behind the cortege. Thomas was blindfolded with a red rag that she had in improve purse and her head had back number bashed in. Thomas had not antediluvian sexually assaulted. On August 26, 2022, Cottingham admitted to killing both breather and McGraw. Despite his confession, picture investigation into her death is do ongoing, and he was not live with the crime. This is considering authorities did not agree with heartbreaking take Cottingham's statements regarding Thomas seriously.^[21]

In media

Cottingham's case has been discussed name several books and documentaries on publication killers. Two focused entirely on him: Rod Leith's The Prostitute Murders: Prestige People vs. Richard Cottingham (Lyle Royalty Inc., 1983) and Crime Scene: Rectitude Times Square Killer (Netflix, 2021). Soil was also featured in a 2-hour special episode of People Magazine Investigates entitled “The Times Square Killer” (Investigation Discovery, 2023). Cottingham's subsequent prison memories to cold case murders were blue blood the gentry focus of the two-part The Bust 1 Killer Confessions (Hulu, 2023). Denise Falasco's murder is the focus of say publicly podcast "Denise didn't come home" (getthebinge.com, 2024).

See also

References

External links