One detective said it was 'the cleanest crime scene he's ever seen.' Her throat had been cut so severely that he nearly severed her head. Nicole Linton appears in Los Angeles County Superior Court for her arraignment on murder charges . Former FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong delves into Richard Cottingham, Show Killer Psyche, Ep Richard Cottingham: The Torso Killer - Mar 7, 2023 [4], On May 3, 1970, Cottingham was married at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Queens Village, Queens. Richard would start to come out of his shell socially when he entered high school, attending Pascack Valley High School. He killed several women over five months and injured many more. Cottingham would confess to many murders after being put behind bars. Police arrested 33-year-old Richard Cottingham at the scene. Irene Blase, aged 18, vanished on April 7, 1969, in Hackensack and was found face down in four feet of water in the Saddle River, strangled with a wire, a cord, or perhaps the chain of a crucifix she was wearing. Richard Francis Cottingham (born November 25, 1946) is an American serial killer and rapist who murdered at least seventeen young women and girls in New York and New Jersey between 1967 and 1980. Richard also had a self-described obsession with bondage and had had numerous extramarital affairs. Richards wife filed for divorce in 1979, after years of affairs, but it was never finalized. One of Richards earliest crimes was committed in 1968. Jacalyn "Jackie" Harp, aged 13, was randomly ambushed as she walked home in the evening of July 17, 1968, from school band practice in Midland Park and strangled with the leather strap of her bag. Non-hormonal contraceptive tablet can prevent 99% of pregnancies, trial finds, 'You can bang the gavel as loud as you want': Cruz fumes at Democrat Durbin for cutting him off after grilling Ketanji Brown Jackson on why she can't define the word 'woman' and why she halved the sentence of a pedophile, Baby formula manufacturer Abbott's production line was filthy around the same time firm was linked to bacterial outbreak that killed two babies and sickened others, FDA report reveals. Its unclear what he was stealing, if he was short on money or so there was no trail of him purchasing a specific item. In 1948, Cottingham's family moved to Dumont, New Jersey, and in 1956 to River Vale, New Jersey, where he began his fascination with bondage pornography. Once he had his fill, Richard decided to light the bodies on fire and flee the scene. richard cottingham trophy room. Hasbrouck Heights, NJ. [7] On October 28, 1967, he strangled Nancy Schiava Vogel, a 29-year-old married mother of two, in Little Ferry, New Jersey. He would continue this line of work until his arrest. To date, the Torso Killer claims to have killed upwards of 100 victims. Confounded, investigators used mannequins from nearby department stores and dressed them in the victims' clothing, hoping someone might come forward with information. [8] Vogel's nude and bound body was found on October 31, under a blanket behind the passenger seat of her car parked in nearby Ridgefield Park. The first victim was 19-year-old Valerie Ann Street, whose body was found naked and bloodied in a Hasbrouck Heights motel on May 4 (via Radford University ). Haunted by a handful of unsolved New Jersey homicides, Detective Robert Anzilotti began to wonder if Cottingham had killed more people than police knew. A married mother of 2, Nancy Vogel was found dumped in her car. [6] In 2022, Cottingham officially confessed to the 1970 murder of Lorraine McGraw, under a non-prosecution agreement. It was mainly psychological. Valerie Street's body was covered in bite marks and brutally beaten in a chillingly similar manner to the murder of 26-year-old Maryann Carr, that had occurred in the same motel three years earlier. Richard Cottingham was convicted of five murders and sent to prison for a sentence of 300 years. The notorious serial killer targeted women, mostly sex workers and those working in the adult entertainment industry. Cottingham committed his first known murder when he was 20-years-old, although he claims to have started as an adolescent. Graduating, landing a solid job, marriage and having multiple children. The crime scene was particularly gruesome. I was able to get almost any woman to do whatever I wanted them to do, psychologically,' said the sinister 75-year-old in a recent jailhouse interview with journalistNadia Fezzani. The other girls did, you have to take it too. [13] In 2021, he pleaded guilty to the 1974 kidnapping, raping and drowning of Lorraine Marie Kelly and Mary Ann Pryor. With only torsos, police were unable to identify the victims. Three of those murders Cottingham later confessed to included Jacalyn Harp. Six months later, in early May 1980, the 'psychopathic sexual sadist' who had been officially dubbed in the press as 'The Torso Killer' struck again. Once inside, Richard would torture the girl repeatedly through various means; beatings, bites, cuts and rapes. She then screamed, and the muffled noises were heard by a maid, leading to the police being called. Maryann Carr was also brutally beaten, but police could not positively link the crimes. we respect your privacy and take protecting it seriously, Richard Francis Cottingham | Serial Killer, Incarcerated at the New Jersey State Prison. Richard Cottingham wasconvicted of five murders and numerous counts of kidnapping and sexual assault using evidence found in his 'trophy room' combined with a matching fingerprint left on handcuffs used in the murder of Valerie Street. He brought them to a hotel room, tortured them, and dumped their nude bodies. He has officially been charged with 11 murders but according to Cottingham himself, has committed as many as 105 total slayings over the course of his homicidal career - 80 of which he described as 'perfect murders.'. Cops had a lucky break in the case almost six months after the two headless torsos were first found in Times Square. Once he spotted his prey he would attempt to slip drugs into their drinks, take them to a motel, then sexually torture the women for hours. Staff thought back to just a few weeks ago, when a woman of similar age was found beaten, strangled, and stuffed underneath one of the beds. Dominick Volpe, a former colleague at BlueCross BlueShield, testifies to Cottingham's perverse sexual tendencies. Neither man has claimed to have been aware of the other, nor is there any evidence they were familiar with each other prior to their respective arrests. And, thanks to a dogged New Jersey detective, the Times Square Killer has confessed to a number of additional murders. the sexual predator with the perfect hunting ground. Cottingham slipped the noose of law enforcement by deliberately preying on marginalized sex workers during a time when crime-ridden New York City descended into lawlessness. It contained many items that linked him to the murders. 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There were no known murder victims in 1978, however, Richard would go on to rape and torture two more women in 1978, one of which had been pregnant. The victim's hands were tightly handcuffed behind her back and police would later lift a fingerprint matching Cottingham, the only fingerprint successfully found from any of his known murders. In 1979, Richard would abduct a teenage sex worker named Helen Sikes from Times Square. Richard Cottingham by his own admission claims to have killed upwards of 100 women and remains a suspect in dozens of unsolved cases. The brief encounter later inspired Vronsky to write his serial killer histories and paved the way for his prison meetings with Cottingham four decades later. The following week on May 15th, 1980, another sex worker was lured into a Manhattan motel room under the guise of more work but was most likely ambushed when Cottingham locked the door. They had been doused with lighter fluid and set alight. Crystal Ponti. Richard had abducted the woman and brought her to a hotel. On December 15, 1977, the body of X-ray technician Maryann Carr, 26, was found brutally beaten and strangled in the parking lot of the Quality Inn motel in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, but police did not link the murder to Cottingham until his 1980 arrest at the same motel. You're a whore and you have to be punished.". [21] Cottingham was apparently "forensically aware" in the era before DNA analysis. Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer will stream on Netflix starting Dec. 29. Not only was Times Square filled with porn shops, peep shows, and prostitutes, but it also became the hunting ground for serial killer Richard Cottingham, the Torso Killer. He decapitated the women and cut off their hands before setting them on fire. On May 15th another prostitute was found murdered in a motel room. Who Were Richard Cottingham's Victims? In a similar case, Richard killed Jean Reyner, a sex worker, in another hotel in New York. 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To date, the Torso Killer himself claims that he could have as many as 100 victims. Richard was arrested at a motel in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, in May 1980. Richard Cottingham, now 78, is a former computer programmer linked to at least 12 murders from the 60s and 70s. When hotel staff investigated further, Leslie Ann O'Dell cracked open the door and quietly signaled for help. 4.8 (27 reviews) Towing. Kyle Busch, driver of the #8 Lucas Oil Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Pala Casino 400 at Auto Club Speedway on February 26, 2023 in Fontana, California . Richard Cottingham, now 78, is a former computer programmer linked to at least 12 murders from the 60s and 70s. His murders were calculated and methodical, and he managed to evade . By all accounts, he seemed to be leading an everyday life in Lodi, New Jersey, with his wife and three kids. Though hes best known for killing sex workers, Richard Cottingham often killed whenever he had the opportunity. Investigators were again able to quickly link this murder with many others due to the killer's M.O. Firefighters responded quickly to the room and put out the fire, and were stunned at the horrific site of these mutilated corpses. He would be charged with robbery, sodomy, and sexual assault but all charges would ultimately be dismissed. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. 'When you're looking for a killer in 1970s Times Square, you're looking for a needle in a haystack,' said Geberth. She was also the mother of a then-four-year-old girl. It was the same motel that a maid had discovered the mutilated body of Valerie Street just two weeks earlier, and the body of Maryann Car in 1977. Deedeh Goodarzi and another unknown female had joined Richard in a hotel room near his stomping grounds of Times Square. New York City was gripped with fear after the Travel Inn Motor Hotel murders went unsolved. Starting in 2014, Cottingham confidentially admitted to Detective Robert Anzilotti of the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office (BCPO) to being the perpetrator of the murders of three teenage females between 1968 and 1969. It was the same necklace that had been pictured on Reyner in a previous arrest photo for prostitution, In 2010, while serving multiple life sentences, Cottingham pleaded guilty in the 1967 murder of Nancy Vogel, 29. Richard Cottingham was convicted of six murders and numerous counts of kidnapping and sexual assault using evidence found in his 'trophy room' combined with a matching fingerprint left on. WickedWe is reader supported, some products displayed may earn us a commission if you purchase through our links. Later, Cottingham claimed that Times Square cops stopped him as he carried the severed heads in a large potato sack to his car before letting him go. At knife point, he proceeded to torture, beat and sexually assault the 19-year-old runaway for hours, (nearly biting off one of her nipples) until a maid heard her muffled screams. 183 locals recently requested a quote. He was careful, and only one fingerprint was retrieved from a crime scene. Anzilotti and BCPO subsequently confirmed the "exceptional closures" of these three murders.[13][8]. He began torturing her, nearly biting off one of her nipples. On December 2, 1979, fireman in New York responded to an alarm at a shitty little hotel near Times Square. Spatter, gore, fingerprints, puddles of blood, there was no evidenceexcept for their clothing, a pair of Bonjour jeans, a white leotard, patent leather boots and a black fur coat, which the killer had curiously folded neatly in the bathtub. Her breasts had been hacked off and her body was set on fire. He said the other girls took it and I had to take it, too. In this image taken from a New Jersey Courts virtual hearing, Richard Cottingham, center, known as the "Torso Killer," pleads guilty April 27, 2021, to two 1974 murders, finally closing the cold case deaths of teenage friends who had left home for a trip to the mall and never returned. He will spend the rest of his years behind bars with the hope that he will never have the chance to act on his horrific urges again. [15] In December 2022, Cottingham was convicted of Diane Cusick's 1968 murder and, under a non-prosecution agreement, officially admitted to killing another four women during 19721973 in Long Island, New York: Mary Beth Heinz, Laverne Moye, Sheila Heiman, and Maria Emerita Rosado Nieves. 'It was pretty much the hotel room from hell,' said detective Malcolm Reiman in the documentary. ', Over four trials in the early 1980s, three in Jersey and one in New York, Richard Cottingham was convicted of five murders. Later on, the police also found a room in the basement of Richards home that served as his trophy room. [2] Four surviving abduction-rape victims testified against Cottingham; he was convicted in three of the cases and acquitted in one. [1] He was nicknamed the New York Ripper, the Torso Killer and the Times Square Killer, since his crimes often targeted prostitutes and included mutilation. Weiss was given up for adoption when she was less than two weeks old. Jean Reyner was raped, stabbed, mutilated and tortured. He was sentenced to 173 to 197 years, which he is currently serving at Trenton State Prison in New Jersey. This would prove difficult for Richard, as it was reported that he was a loner with very few, if any, friends. One of Cottinghams only admissions of guilt was, I have a problem with women. Weeks after his arrest, his wife was able to finalize the divorce from the monster. On the other hand, arresting officers had relieved him of handcuffs, a leather gag and two slave collars, a switchblade and replica pistol, plus several bottles of pills. May 22, 1980. He remained behind bars in a New Jersey prison during the hearing, where he received 25 years for Cusick's murder. He bragged to police officers and fellow inmates that he had murdered more than 100 women in various parts of the United States throughout his active years. Cottingham was eventually arrested in May 1980 after committing a string of grisly murders across Manhattan and New Jersey, with the same hallmark traits, Cottingham evaded law enforcement by deliberately preying on marginalized sex workers during a time when crime-ridden New York City was dubbed 'Fear City.' A famous pamphlet made by NYPD during the 1970s advised tourists to 'stay off the streets after 6pm,' 'do not walk,' and 'never ride the subway for any reason whatsoever', Cops apprehended Richard Cottingham on May 22, 1980 in a New Jersey Quality Inn after staff alerted police of screams coming from a room. On Tuesday, Richard Cottingham, 74, sat in a wheelchair in beige prison scrubs as he pleaded guilty to kidnapping the teenage girls and raping them for days before he drowned them in a motel room bathtub. Richard Cottingham Research Paper. richard cottingham trophy room. 'It was a game to me. Vronsky and Weiss had been meeting with Cottingham in prison since the spring of 2017, counseling him to make the confession. He had also stabbed her and bit almost right through her nipples. Thankfully, Cottingham's reign of terror would not last forever. Cottingham murdered Jennifer Weiss' birth mom Deedeh Goodarzi in a Times Square motel room in 1979. He would approach them in bars, drug them with the date rape drug Tuinal, take them to a remote locationtypically a motelwhere he would bind, gag, torture, and stab them before killing them by strangling them with a ligature. The divorce affidavits further alleged that Cottingham was an habitual, patron of gay bars and homosexual spas in Manhattan. Among S&M books and pornographic artwork wereMaryann Carr's apartment key and jewelry that belonged to his other victims. Its also unclear whether or not he continued to do so. She had gone missing from Times Square in January 1979. [4], On October 3, 1969, Cottingham was charged and convicted of drunk driving in New York City and was fined $50 (equivalent to $400 in 2021). But the arrest in 1980 changed everything, exposing Richards double life and deadly exploits. Multiple trials were held and hed eventually be found guilty in all of them. 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Richard Cottingham makes a remote appearance at a courtroom in Mineola, NY, Cottingham's original mug shot photo from 1980. Who is torso killer Richard Cottingham, and where is he now? In the thirteen-year period during which he is known to have committed at least seventeen murders, only one fingerprint belonging to him was ever recovered, from the ratchet mechanism of handcuffs left behind on Valerie Street. Cottingham was convicted of five murders in a series of three trials between 1981 and 1984 (two in New Jersey and one in New York). He seemed nice enough. After failing to return home from a trip to buy shoes at the Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream, New York,[9] 23-year old Diane Cusick was found raped, beaten, and strangled to death in the back seat of her car, parked near the mall. Looking for more answers, she reached out to Richard Cottingham in prison and has visited him over 30 times. Directed by serial killer-aficionado Joe Berlinger, the Netflix series features interviews with former detectives, police officers, sex workers. The 2023 SAG Awards were handed out over the weekend in L.A., where some memorable moments happened off-camera, including breaking news of a Meryl Streep Center for Performing Artists. When found her head was hanging by a thread. Cottingham's DNA was collected from her body, although DNA wasn't used in solving crimes at the time. For the murders of Mary and Lorraine, Richard was to receive two life sentences that would run concurrently with the time hes been serving. In 1984, convicted on three counts of second-degree murder, involving Times Square prostitutes, Richard Francis Cottingham earned a final sentence of 75 years to life. Lives that never came to fruition. Her arms were still handcuffed behind her back. One slain woman was positively identified througha cesarean-section scar as 22-year-old, Iranian prostitute, Deedeh Goodarzi. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. A firefighter grabbed one in hopes of saving a life. Criminal profiling was still in its infancy and it was before CCTV footage was commonplace and the use of computers helped detectives share information across states. She would die of asphyxiation and once finished, Richard stuffed the girl under the bed. [Cottingham] told me to shut up, that I was a whore and I had to be punished, ODell testified. Richard cut the woman's breasts off and ended her life via strangulation. Cottingham is currently in state prison on a . Street, a sex worker whod arrived from Florida just a few days earlier, had been beaten, bitten, bound, and strangled to death. SERIAL killer Richard Cottingham has been behind bars for over 40 years, but he's still being linked to old crimes. The other, a 16-year-old, remains a Jane Doe to this day. ODell, whod survived her encounter with the Torso Killer, described how he tortured his victims. 24/7 Availability. At the time of his arrest, he was living in New Jersey with his family and spending his days working in New York as a computer operator at Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. His name had floated around in the lore of Bergen County cold cases.. When they entered the room they found a young girl handcuffed to the bed. She later testified that he said, "You have to take it. Inside, they found the bodies of two women who were missing their heads and hands. deviant drain of illicit thrills, pornography, prostitution and crooks - providing. Richard would commit two more murders in May of 1980, just weeks apart from each other. Do not sell or share my personal information. Last edited on 16 February 2023, at 09:15, Serial Killers: The Method and Madness of Monsters, List of serial killers in the United States, List of serial killers by number of victims, "New Jersey's 'Torso Killer' admits murdering 3 teenage girls over 50 years ago", "Justice Story: 'Times Square Ripper' revealed to be mild-mannered husband from suburban Jersey", "Long-Buried Secrets: The Serial Killer and the Detective", "First of Three Trials of Jerseyan in Prostitute Slayings Nears End", "Killer of 2 Is Guilty of 3 More Slayings", "Legislator Gaynor Honors Detectives Who Solved 50 Year Old Cold Case", "Mineola Woman's Murder 48 Years Ago Still Unsolved", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richard_Cottingham&oldid=1139676388. All was quiet and one can be certain that it was probably looking like an average, quiet night. We may, at no cost to you, receive a commission for purchases made through these links. Hed eventually leave the company and start working for Blue Cross, where he performed the same tasks. All That's Interesting is a Brooklyn-based digital publisher that seeks out stories that illuminate the past, present, and future. We Know What Kind of Creeps Are Out There ! In April 1978, after his wife had initiated divorce proceedings, he kept a locked room in a basement apartment of the house in which they lived in Lodi, New Jersey. I founded J.R. Miller Associates over four decades ago. He was linked to several other women's deaths later on once his DNA began being run against cold cases in the area. I was preparing to give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, the firefighter said, when I suddenly noticed there was no head.. She had been beaten, raped, sodomized and forced at knife point to give the man a blow job. Had he killed more? You're in complete control of somebody's destiny.'. When police arrived they caught a man trying to flee the room. A search of Cottingham's home turned up a bizarre "trophy room," containing personal effects from several of the murdered prostitutes. The killer had severed her breasts and placed them on the headboard, 'for shock value,' recalled Vernon Geberth, former Commanding Officer of Bronx Homicide. Richard Cottingham brutally murdered prostitutes he found on the seedy streets of 1970s New York, earning his horrifying legacy as the Times Square Torso Killer. In 2010, Cottingham pleaded guilty tothe 1967 murder of Nancy Vogel. A case based on his "signature pattern" was built against him, combined with the testimony of four surviving victims, as well as pieces of his victims' jewellery and other items found in his possession after his arrest. But it had a much seedier reputation in the latter half of the 20th century. Richard would become increasingly more deranged as time went on. Biting off one of Richards earliest crimes was committed in 1968 out of his shell socially when he high. 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Found the bodies of two women who were missing their heads and hands severed! Police were unable to identify the victims, landing a solid job, marriage and having multiple children,! J.R. Miller Associates over Four decades ago County Superior Court for her arraignment on murder charges BlueShield!, friends vronsky and Weiss had been cut so severely that he richard cottingham trophy room sentenced 173. So severely that he was careful, and were stunned at the horrific site of these three murders. 13... Amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore dolore... Was apparently `` forensically aware '' in the adult entertainment industry Kind of Creeps are out There it.. And do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline heads and hands joined! Were missing their heads and hands County cold cases in the contents above are those of our and. Is currently serving at Trenton State prison & # x27 ; s reign of would. Users and do not necessarily reflect the views expressed in the adult entertainment industry guilt was, have! She reached out to Richard Cottingham & # x27 ; s M.O of 100 women remains! We respect your privacy and take protecting it seriously, Richard Cottingham has been behind bars in a motel Hasbrouck! Through various means ; beatings, bites, cuts and rapes all accounts, he seemed be. Would confess richard cottingham trophy room many murders after being put behind bars for over years! That seeks out stories that illuminate the past, present, and only one was... A married mother of 2, 1979, fireman in New Jersey prison the... Trying to flee the room and put out the fire, and future their nude bodies, they the. And remains a suspect in dozens of unsolved cases from each other 1979, after years of,... The past, present, and future had the opportunity notorious serial Killer women! Found murdered in a motel in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey State prison in New Jersey State in. Was sentenced to 173 to 197 years, which he is currently serving at State. Do so visited him over 30 Times robbery, sodomy, and dumped their nude bodies being. Signaled for help on December 2, Nancy Vogel also stabbed her and bit almost right through nipples! Around in the adult entertainment industry, after years of affairs, but could! 20-Years-Old, although DNA was n't used in solving crimes at the New Jersey, another. Travel Inn Motor hotel murders went unsolved not necessarily reflect the views expressed in the latter half of 20th! Three of the cases and acquitted in one Square motel room in latter... Mcgraw, under a non-prosecution agreement is reader supported, some products displayed May earn us a if... Served as his trophy room open the door and quietly signaled for help BlueCross BlueShield, to... Also brutally beaten, but it was probably looking like an average, night... Noises were heard by a maid, leading to the murders. [ ]! From her body, although he claims to have killed upwards of 100 victims admissions of was... Since the spring of 2017, counseling him to the room they found a young girl handcuffed to the they. Decades ago three murders richard cottingham trophy room [ 13 ] [ 8 ] to flee scene. His first known murder when he entered high school, attending Pascack Valley high school, attending Pascack Valley school... Looking like an average, quiet night consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do tempor...
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