In his possession police found a murder kit which consisted of handcuffs, leather gags, slave collars, knives, pistols, and pills. 'When you're looking for a killer in 1970s Times Square, you're looking for a needle in a haystack,' said Geberth. 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. Richard would soon meet his future wife, and the two were married on May 3rd, 1970. The couple had met a few hours earlier in Manhattan. He would grow up in a typical catholic household. In addition to multiple murder counts, Richard Francis Cottingham was linked with the brutal abduction and rape of three surviving victims including two prostitutes and a young housewife during 1978. Richard Francis Cottingham was born on November 25, 1946, in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City, the first of four children. He took the girls to a motel, where he tortured and sexually assaulted them for days before drowning them in a bathtub. The crime scene was particularly gruesome. After his arrest, NYPD drew comparisons to the numerous unsolved sexual assault cases with similar hallmarks to the New Jersey crimes. 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. She later testified that he said, "You have to take it. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Thankfully, Cottingham's reign of terror would not last forever. As a professional engineer in 17 states, I have been a voice for the functionality, efficiency, and sustainability of commercial and industrial facilities. [6] At Blue Cross, Cottingham worked in an office with Rodney Alcala, the fugitive child molester and future serial killer who lived in New York under the alias "John Berger". Richard Cottingham by his own admission claims to have killed upwards of 100 women and remains a suspect in dozens of unsolved cases. 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. [4][5], After his graduation, Cottingham worked for Metropolitan Life, where his father was a vice-president, starting in the mail room at the firm's Manhattan headquarters and eventually became a mainframe computer operator upon taking computer courses. The cases had overwhelming evidence against Cottingham in the way of receipts with his writing, linking him to the hotel rooms, fingerprints, and testimony from three different survivors. Cottingham offered to give O'Dell a massage and she rolled onto her stomach. Now 74, Cottingham, who claims responsibility for dozens of murders, has confessed to a handful. Though Anzilotti has retired, the detective believes that Richard Cottingham could be responsible for dozens of other unsolved cases. Over the years, he confessed to killing several more women, with his earliest known murder in 1967. I founded J.R. Miller Associates over four decades ago. [22][23] He pleaded guilty in a December court appearance, and also officially admitted killing four other women in Long Island: Mary Beth Heinz,[24] Laverne Moye,[16] Sheila Heiman,[25] and Maria Emerita Rosado Nieves.[26]. Thanks to Anzilottis persistence, Richard Cottingham confessed to killing 29-year-old Nancy Vogel in 1967, 13-year-old Jackie Harp in 1968, 18-year-old Irene Blase and 15-year-old Denise Falasca in 1969, and 17-year-old Mary Ann Pryor and 16-year-old Lorraine Kelly in 1974. In 1964, Cottingham graduated from Pascack Valley High School in Hillsdale, New Jersey. Before doing so the pair agreed on a price and after awhile found themselves checking in to a room. Cottingham confessed to Vogel's murder in 2010, nearly 30 years after his arrest. When they forced their way inside and put the fire out they found something more than burnt furniture. 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. Its unclear what he was stealing, if he was short on money or so there was no trail of him purchasing a specific item. Despite obvious similarities, 'no one in New Jersey connected them to the Times Square killer,' explained former NYPD detective Malcolm Reiman in the doc. Once he had his fill, Richard decided to light the bodies on fire and flee the scene. One of the unsolved cases was solved when he admitted guilt in the 1967 murder of Nancy Vogel, in 2010. richard cottingham trophy room. With that in mind, many investigators as well as the hotel staff had a lingering question. Most recently, in April 2021, Cottingham confessed and pleaded guilty to the double kidnapping and murdersof Lorraine Marie Kelly, 16 and Mary Ann Pryor, 17 in 1974. Cops had a lucky break in the case almost six months after the two headless torsos were first found in Times Square. Firefighters responded quickly to the room and put out the fire, and were stunned at the horrific site of these mutilated corpses. Known for being particularly cruel, Cottingham earned the nickname "The Torso Killer" because he would sometimes mutilate the body of his victims, leaving . A married mother of 2, Nancy Vogel was found dumped in her car. But it soon came out that the Torso Killer had murdered many more than five victims. Janet had even filed for divorce in 1979, though she reneged the next year. On December 2, 1979, the authorities were called to a hotel room in New York City after a fire was reported. Growing up, he had trouble making friends, and after graduating high school, he worked for his fathers insurance company. Inside, they found the bodies of two women who were missing their heads and hands. Their skulls were never found. After one of the trials, Richard smashed his glasses and attempted to take his own life but was unsuccessful. The 22-year-old's death appeared brutal: she had been beheaded and set on fire and her skull has yet to be found. [3], Cottingham was arrested on several lesser charges throughout his killing spree. The Torso Killer seemed to be escalating fast. One of these cases was of Diane Cusick, a 23-year-old dance teacher. Richard had also kidnapped 17-year-old Mary Ann Pryor and 16-year-old Lorraine Marie Kelly in August 1974 Manhattan, New York. Lives that never came to fruition. Goodarzi was only 22 when she was killed, beheaded and set on fire. They executed a search warrant on Cottingham's family home where they found a secret, locked 'trophy room' that stashed souvenirs of his evil deeds. He was with Leslie ODell, a teenage sex worker. [5] On May 15, 1980, Jean Reyner was strangled and her throat cut in New York's historic Seville Hotel. Hed spent his childhood in New Jersey, married his wife Janet in 1970, and had three children. The notorious serial killer targeted women, mostly sex workers and those working in the adult entertainment industry. He would commute daily to New York for his job, but once in a while, when the mood struck, Richard would not go home after work. He decapitated the women and cut off their hands before setting them on fire. The doc also spotlights a conversation with Jennifer Weiss, DeedahGoodarzi's biological daughter, who made headlines last year when she struck up an unlikely friendship with her mother's killer while he served his prison sentence. Richard Cottingham, 74, is currently in state prison on a life sentence for other murders. Richard kept things like jewelry and trinkets as souvenirs from the slayings. Weiss was given up for adoption when she was less than two weeks old. Nicole Linton appears in Los Angeles County Superior Court for her arraignment on murder charges . 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. He was linked to several other women's deaths later on once his DNA began being run against cold cases in the area. In 2010, Cottingham pleaded guilty tothe 1967 murder of Nancy Vogel. Both 1974 cases would be dismissed. Neither complainant appeared in further proceedings, however, and the case was dismissed. The first killing was that of Valerie Ann Street. He mainly stayed at home where he started to develop an obsession with bondage pornography. The series begins with a grisly discovery at the Travel Inn Motor Hotel in Times Square on December 2, 1979. The other girls did, you have to take it too. the Torso Killer pleaded guilty to the 1968 murder of Long Island mother Diane Cusick Monday in front of a Nassau County, New York judge, as . Richard was also connected to the murder of Valerie Street in New Jersey. After this look at Richard Cottingham, The Torso Killer, read up on Ed Kemper, the Co-Ed Killer, and Rodney Alcala, the Dating Game Killer. Then, read the stories of Jack the Rippers victims. She would later be found in Queens horribly mutilated. 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. Her body would be left in the room and subsequently set ablaze by Cottingham before fleeing the scene. Deedeh Goodarzi, Jane Doe, Jean Reyner, Valerie Street, and Maryann Carr (who was killed in 1977). One of Richards earliest crimes was committed in 1968. Leslie told the authorities that Richard picked her up in New York City, New York, and brought her to the motel in New Jersey. Richard Cottingham (1977-1980) was a 31-year old computer operator and valued employee of Blue Cross-Blue Shield in downtown New York City. His fingerprint was found on the handcuffs on her arms when she was located in a motel. Richard had abducted the woman and brought her to a hotel. An animal who lacked empathy for all and cared only for satisfying his sexual desires at any cost. Cottingham had been in the process of torturing his latest victim, 19-year-old Leslie Ann O'Dell, who survived the attack and testified against him during his trial. He would be charged with robbery, sodomy, and sexual assault but all charges would ultimately be dismissed. Jean Reyner was raped, stabbed, mutilated and tortured. The serial killer remains imprisoned in New Jersey. This time it seems the police were able to link this crime. He raped, sodomized, killed and mutilated 6 prostitutes in New York and New Jersey. Richard Cottingham was convicted of five murders and sent to prison for a sentence of 300 years. There easily could have been more crimes but its unknown. It contained many items that linked him to the murders. He said that uncountable times.. For the murders of Mary and Lorraine, Richard was to. I think we need to remember them because they deserve justice.'. Published: 09:02 EDT, 31 December 2021 | Updated: 09:02 EDT, 31 December 2021, A new Netflix documentary investigates Richard Cottingham, also known as the 'Times Square Killer' who said he raped and killed over 105 women and is currently serving a life sentence in New Jersey. Anzilotti and BCPO subsequently confirmed the "exceptional closures" of these three murders.[13][8]. 'It was pretty much the hotel room from hell,' said detective Malcolm Reiman in the documentary. He said that uncountable times.. On August 21, 1972, he is charged and convicted of shoplifting at a Stern's department store in Paramus, New Jersey, and was sentenced to pay a $50 fine or ten days in jail. By all accounts, he was 'an average guy who drove an average car and lived in an average house' explained reporter Rod Leith in the series. The women left in the room had been strangled, their heads and hands cut off, before the killer doused them both with lighter fluid and fled. Graduating, landing a solid job, marriage and having multiple children. Police believe that Cusick left the dance studio where she taught and went into the nearby mall to buy some shoes. But the arrest in 1980 changed everything, exposing Richards double life and deadly exploits. Relatives of serial killer Richard Cottingham known as both the "Torso Killer" and "Times Square" killer as the murderer confessed to five more slayings on Dec. 5, 2022, bringing his known . In April 1980, Cottinghams wife had filed for divorce, charging him with extreme cruelty and refusal to engage in marital sex since late 1976. On Monday, December 5, 2022, Cottingham admitted to killing a 23-year-old mother in Long Island, New York, in 1968. He returned back to the hotel to soak the crime scene in lighter fluid and set the room ablaze. He is currently being held at the New Jersey State Prison in Trenton, NJ, and is not eligible for parole. She had been cut about the chest and legs, beaten with a blunt instrument, and covered in bites and bruises, A picture taken of the New Jersey Courts virtual hearing in April 2021, when Richard Cottingham pleaded guilty 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. On May 15th another prostitute was found murdered in a motel room. [5][17], The charges listed in Cottingham's New Jersey indictment included kidnapping, attempted murder, aggravated assault, aggravated assault with deadly weapon, aggravated sexual assault while armed (rape), aggravated sexual assault while armed (sodomy), aggravated sexual assault while armed (fellatio), possession of a weapon (switchblade knife), and possession of controlled substances (secobarbital, amobarbital and diazepam). A few months later, on May 5, 1980, a housekeeper at a Quality Inn in New Jersey found the body of 19-year old Valerie Ann Street stuffed under the bed. Investigators were again able to quickly link this murder with many others due to the killer's M.O. One victim was recognized as Deedeh Goodarzi while the other slain woman remains unknown to this day, Deedeh Goodarzi was a 22-year-old high-end prostitute from Iran whose family immigrated to Long Island when she was a teenager. 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. 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. After the abduction of Leslie Ann ODell, authorities were able to quickly build a case against the deranged suspect. 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. I think it was just an evolution in his killing.. To date, the Torso Killer himself claims that he could have as many as 100 victims. One detective said it was 'the cleanest crime scene he's ever seen.' the sexual predator with the perfect hunting ground. Richard Cottingham's arrest in May 1980 closed the doors on one of the most violent crime sprees to have ever occurred. A respected family man from Lodi, New Jersey, he ran computers for a major health insurance firm. One slain woman was positively identified througha cesarean-section scar as 22-year-old, Iranian prostitute, Deedeh Goodarzi. [3], Richard Francis Cottingham was born on November 25, 1946, in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City, the first of four children. 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. When she was found, she'd suffered beatings to her head and body, but her ultimate cause of death was suffocation. As Cottingham was fleeing the scene of the torso murders, he briefly encountered the 23-year-old Peter Vronsky, who was attempting to check into the Travel Inn while in New York on a film production assignment. except 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. He was known for his signature "trophy taking," keeping items belonging to his victims as mementos. Richard cut the womans breasts off and ended her life via strangulation. Although Cottingham has formally admitted to eighteen killings and has claimed to have killed as many as 100, he is known to have only murdered seventeen girls between 1967 and 1980 and attempted to kill a further four. Richard then dumped the bodies in a wooded area in Bergen County, New Jersey. We Know What Kind of Creeps Are Out There ! We dont know if hes the one who rented the room, Deputy Chief Richard Nicastro said at the time. The Full Story Of The Hamilton-Burr Duel And The Tragic Death Of Alexander Hamilton, The Full Story Behind Columbine High School Shooters Eric Harris And Dylan Klebold, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. And, thanks to a dogged New Jersey detective, the Times Square Killer has confessed to a number of additional murders. one strange rock gasp quizlet New Lab; glider timetable dundonald park and ride; 12 gauge 100 round drum; We may, at no cost to you, receive a commission for purchases made through these links. [13] In 2021, he pleaded guilty to the 1974 kidnapping, raping and drowning of Lorraine Marie Kelly and Mary Ann Pryor. During the session the man would insist, "You have to take it. She had gone missing from Times Square in January 1979. By all accounts, he seemed to be leading an everyday life in Lodi, New Jersey, with his wife and three kids. Subscribe to our mailing list and get interesting stuff and updates to your email inbox. Hasbrouck Heights, NJ. The young lady explained how she had arrived in New York earlier that week and was quickly taken advantage of, becoming victim to the number of pimps in the area and trafficked into sex work. The following year, in 1973, Richard would escalate his crimes when an early victim reported an attack. He was sentenced to 173 to 197 years, which he is currently serving at Trenton State Prison in New Jersey. Cottingham murdered Jennifer Weiss' birth mom Deedeh Goodarzi in a Times Square motel room in 1979. Around dawn, they checked into the same Hasbrouck Heights Quality Inn where he had left Valerie Street's handcuffed body under a bed to be discovered by a housekeeper. He forced his victims to address him as "master". In December 2019, forensic historian and author Peter Vronsky, on the eve of publishing the revelation in his second edition of Serial Killers: The Method and Madness of Monsters, publicized the confessions with the BCPO's cooperation, in a community meeting in Midland Park. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Unfortunately that would not be the case. SERIAL killer Richard Cottingham has been behind bars for over 40 years, but he's still being linked to old crimes. New Jersey Department of CorrectionsRichard Cottingham has confessed to a number of other murders in recent years. 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. Cottingham was apprehended in the hallway by arriving police officers. 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. 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. The Story Of Richard Cottingham, The Times Square Torso Ripper. It was mainly psychological. During a court appearance Tuesday, 74-year-old Richard Cottingham, also known as the "Torso Killer," pleaded guilty and admitted he kidnapped and raped the girls, then drowned them in a motel room . In the early morning hours, a couple decided to check in to a Quality Inn Hotel. WickedWe is reader supported, some products displayed may earn us a commission if you purchase through our links. In August 2022, with a non-prosecution agreement, officials in Rockland County, New York, corroborated and accepted Cottingham's confession to the murder of 26-year-old Lorraine McGraw, who was beaten and killed March 1, 1970. A serial killer known as the "Torso Killer" already convicted of 11 homicides admitted on Monday that he also killed five women on Long Island in the late 60s and early 70s. Investigation of the suspect's background revealed two arrests for consorting with hookers in the early 1970's, with both cases dismissed. Former FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong delves into Richard Cottingham, the Torso Killer. Cottingham's confirmed killings resulted in nine convictions and a further eight confessions under non-prosecution agreements, leading to him serving multiple life sentences in New Jersey prisons. She was also the mother of a then-four-year-old girl. The legs were laying side by side as if still attached to a body. Born in the Bronx on Nov. 25, 1946, Richard Cottingham lived an outwardly normal life. A killing spree that lasted a few months eventually led to his arrest in May 1980, bringing to the fore previously unconnected murders as well. Once again, the victim did not appear in further proceedings and the case was dismissed.[6]. Netflixs Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer is a three-part docuseries that explores the horrific crimes committed by serial killer Richard Cottingham. A New Jersey serial killer known as the "Torso Killer" pleaded guilty Tuesday 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. NYPD realized they had a serial killer on their hands in December 1979, after they uncovered the charred, mutilated remains of two women at the Travel Inn Motor Hotel in Times Square. 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. Then in exchange for immunity from prosecution, he confessed to murdering three New Jersey schoolgirls. She had been brutally strangled and left nude in plain sight. She had been restrained and ultimately strangled, ending the 26-year-olds short life. So the detective started spending time with the Times Square Killer. Vronsky and Weiss had been meeting with Cottingham in prison since the spring of 2017, counseling him to make the confession. 'It's God-like, almost. Its God-like, almost. Richard Cottingham was found guilty of five murders and numerous counts of kidnapping and s*xual assault using evidence found in his 'trophy room' combined with a matching fingerprint left on the handcuffs used in the Valerie Street murder. But it had a much seedier reputation in the latter half of the 20th century. Richard Cottingham, now 78, is a former computer programmer linked to at least 12 murders from the 60s and 70s. This site contains affiliate links. But there were signs that Richard Cottingham was living a double life. In mind, many investigators as well as the hotel room in New Jersey, his. Kidnapped 17-year-old Mary Ann Pryor and 16-year-old Lorraine Marie Kelly in August Manhattan. Appear in further proceedings, however, and the two were married on May 3rd 1970. 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