He has officially been charged with 11 murders but says he's killed over 100 women, Netflix's new 'Crime Scene' docuseries examines the notorious case of Richard Cottingham who left a bloody trail of victims between 1967 and 1980. we respect your privacy and take protecting it seriously, Richard Francis Cottingham | Serial Killer, Incarcerated at the New Jersey State Prison. 'It was pretty much the hotel room from hell,' said detective Malcolm Reiman in the documentary. 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? After one of the trials, Richard smashed his glasses and attempted to take his own life but was unsuccessful. Emergency services. June 12, 2022 | tj maxx distribution center san antonio | Category: . I think it was just an evolution in his killing.. Cottingham is currently in state prison on a . Investigators were again able to quickly link this murder with many others due to the killer's M.O. WickedWe is reader supported, some products displayed may earn us a commission if you purchase through our links. One week before Jean Reyner's body was discovered at a Manhattan hotel, a maid at the Quality Inn in New Jersey found the naked corpse of Valerie Ann Street under the bed, with her hands tightly handcuffed behind her back. O'Dell's muffled cries of pain became so loud that the motel staff, already uneased by the previous two murders of Carr and Street, called police and then rushed to the room demanding that Cottingham open the door. richard cottingham trophy room. Confounded, investigators used mannequins from nearby department stores and dressed them in the victims' clothing, hoping someone might come forward with information. 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. 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. On May 22, 1980, Cottingham picked up Leslie Ann O'Dell in Midtown Manhattan and dragged her back to the same New Jersey motel where he mutilated his last victim just 18 days earlier. On December 2, 1979, the authorities were called to a hotel room in New York City after a fire was reported. The murder remained unsolved until Cottingham confessed and entered a guilty plea in August 2010. Thankfully, Cottinghams reign of terror would not last forever. 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. The couple had met a few hours earlier in Manhattan. He said the other girls took it and I had to take it, too. At three different trials in New Jersey and New York, Richard was convicted for murdering Deedeh Goodarzi, Jane Doe, Jean Reyner, Valerie Street, and Maryann Carr (who was killed in 1977). The serial killer remains imprisoned in New Jersey. But beneath the veneer of normalcy was a heinous double-existence as a serial killer. Lives that never came to fruition. Richard Cottingham by his own admission claims to have killed upwards of 100 women and remains a suspect in dozens of unsolved cases. He was also found guilty of kidnapping and assault, with his sentence going up to more than 200 years. Surviving that attempt and two others, he was held under $250,000 bond while detectives built their overwhelming case against him. Now 74, Cottingham, who claims responsibility for dozens of murders, has confessed to a handful. 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. Homicide detectives linked the murder with that of the murder of teenage hooker Helen Sikes. 'It always weighs heavily over me. On March 12, 1974, Cottingham was arrested in New York City for robbery and unlawful imprisonment on the complaint of another prostitute. 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. Richards wife filed for divorce in 1979, after years of affairs, but it was never finalized. They were raped and drowned in the bathtub of a New Jersey motel, In 2020, Cottingham admitted to murdering 13-year-old Jackie Harp (left) in 1968, and 15-year-old Denise Falasca (right) in 1969. Richard would start to come out of his shell socially when he entered high school, attending Pascack Valley High School. As they burst into room 417, they saw two badly burned bodies on the twin beds. Richard Cottingham (1977-1980) was a 31-year old computer operator and valued employee of Blue Cross-Blue Shield in downtown New York City. Though Cottingham resisted at first, he slowly began to reveal details of his past crimes. She was positively identified through a cesarean-section scar after a friend recognized her clothing. His murders were calculated and methodical, and he managed to evade . One of Richards earliest crimes was committed in 1968. He was also known to threaten them with a plastic gun and leave it within their reach so they could try to grab it only to find out it was false, severely bite and scrape their nipples, cut around the breasts, and use other forms of torture. Both girls were strangled to death. This time, he strangled and slit the throat of 25-year-old Jean Reyner, a single mother who had been working as a call girl to finance a custody battle. Did he intend on killing this poor girl? 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. Adorable Skeleton Air Freshener Vent Clips for Car Interior, Novelty Hoodie Blood Splatter / Hooded Sweatshirt with Drawstrings, Novelty Hoodie Floral Skulls / Hooded Sweatshirt with Drawstrings 3D Drawing Unisex. Later on, the police also found a room in the basement of Richard's home that served as his trophy room. Diane Cusick's daughter Darlene Altman is now 58 years old and was present in the courtroom as Cottingham admitted to killing her mother via video conference. According to The Associated Press, Cottingham confessed to. Hed eventually leave the company and start working for Blue Cross, where he performed the same tasks. He would be charged with the murders of most of his victims in New Jersey and in New York City. richard cottingham trophy room. When she left, they believed that Cottingham posed as a security guard and accused her of shoplifting to get her to stop, then abducted her. Janet had even filed for divorce in 1979, though she reneged the next year. As a professional engineer in 17 states, I have been a voice for the functionality, efficiency, and sustainability of commercial and industrial facilities. He said that uncountable times.. 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. It's God-like, almost. Recently, her daughter that she gave up for adoption while turning tricks has made headlines for forging an unlikely friendship with Richard Cottingham in prison, Richard Cottingham earned his moniker as 'the Torso Killer' after he raped and murdered two women in a Times Square motel before setting their decapitated torsos ablaze. 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. 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 December 1979, Richard had tortured, raped, and killed Deedeh Goodarzi and an unidentified teenager (Jane Doe) in a hotel in New York. A few months later he would be charged with robbery and sodomy. All was quiet and one can be certain that it was probably looking like an average, quiet night. Who is Richard Cottingham? In 1979, Richard would abduct a teenage sex worker named Helen Sikes from Times Square. Cottingham severed the victim's breasts and posed them on the headboard of the bed, and set fire to the mattress under her body before fleeing, similar to the Travel Inn torso killings. His fingerprint was found on the handcuffs on her arms when she was located in a motel. The basement became known as the "trophy room." The "Torso Killer" had been found. Weiss was given up for adoption when she was less than two weeks old. 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. 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. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. 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. 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. Richard was arrested, and at the time, he had handcuffs, knives, prescription pills, and other suspicious items on him. When found her head was hanging by a thread. 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 a sign of things to come, Cottingham had kidnapped Pryor and Kelly after they asked him for a ride. The man climbed on her back and instead of rubbing her, he brandished a knife which he quickly pressed firmly against her throat. Deedeh Goodarzi and another unknown female had joined Richard in a hotel room near his stomping grounds of Times Square. 3 years later, in 1972, Richard would be caught shoplifting from a local store. The teenagers were last seen on Aug. 9, 1974, in North Bergen. ODell, whod survived her encounter with the Torso Killer, described how he tortured his victims. Leslie told the authorities that Richard picked her up in New York City, New York, and brought her to the motel in New Jersey. A year later, conviction on second-degree murder charges in the death of Maryann Carr added another sentence of 20 years to life. But it had a much seedier reputation in the latter half of the 20th century. When police arrived they caught a man trying to flee the room. Jean Reyner was raped, stabbed, mutilated and tortured. She then screamed, and the muffled noises were heard by a maid, leading to the police being called. 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. . We Know What Kind of Creeps Are Out There ! The killer had registered at the hotel under a fake name with a fake address Carl Wilson of Merlin, N.J. and hotel employees had hardly interacted with him. 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. He decapitated the women and cut off their hands before setting them on fire. 595 Words3 Pages. Hopefully new developments are made and one day we will know the full scope of Cottinghams crimes, as well as hold him accountable for his actions. In May 1981, Cottingham was convicted on fifteen felony counts related to the murder of Valerie Street, drawing a sentence of 173 to 197 years in prison. He was sentenced to 173 to 197 years, which he is currently serving at Trenton State Prison in New Jersey. Was this man, the same man who committed the similar brutal crime? Netflix's documentary Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer examines the notorious case of Richard Cottingham - also known as 'The Torso Killer' -who claimed to have raped, slaughtered and mutilated more than 100 women between 1967 and 1980. Netflixs Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer is a three-part docuseries that explores the horrific crimes committed by serial killer Richard Cottingham. Soon after checking in, the 18-year-old girls screams began to echo throughout the halls of the hotel. Things started well, a nice massage to relax things. On December 2, 1979, fireman in New York responded to an alarm at a shitty little hotel near Times Square. To date, the Torso Killer claims to have killed upwards of 100 victims. 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. You're in complete control of somebody's destiny. As the smoke cleared, the firefighters realized theyd stumbled onto a gruesome crime scene. richard cottingham trophy room. She was a respected nurse. 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. Despondent in custody, Cottingham smashed a lens of his spectacles and attempted suicide by slashing his wrists with the glass. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Even before he confessed to additional killings after his conviction, Cottingham was given life in prison with a sentence of more than 300 years. Neither complainant appeared in further proceedings, however, and the case was dismissed. 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. Deedeh Goodarzi, Jane Doe, Jean Reyner, Valerie Street, and Maryann Carr (who was killed in 1977). The sexual predator prowled Times Square for his victims which was considered a deviant playground for pornography, prostitution and crooks, The documentary paints a terrifying portrait of a city overrun with crime, which allowed Cottingham to flourish and evade law enforcement. [12] Both bodies had their hands and heads removed, and had been doused with lighter fluid and set on fire. This would prove difficult for Richard, as it was reported that he was a loner with very few, if any, friends. 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. 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. Unfortunately that would not be the case. 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. It also came out at one of Cottinghams trials that hed killed a fifth victim 28-year-old X-ray technician Maryanne Carr, whose body was found at the Quality Inn in 1977. 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. The divorce affidavits further alleged that Cottingham was an habitual, patron of gay bars and homosexual spas in Manhattan. Richard Cottingham, now 78, is a former computer programmer linked to at least 12 murders from the 60s and 70s. Today, Times Square is a glittering tourist attraction. One of the unsolved cases was solved when he admitted guilt in the 1967 murder of Nancy Vogel, in 2010. FROM THE FOUNDER. 24/7 Availability. [16], In the early hours of May 22, 1980, Cottingham picked up 18-year-old Leslie Ann O'Dell, who was soliciting on the corner of Manhattan's Lexington Avenue and 25th Street. 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