She had been restrained and ultimately strangled, ending the 26-year-olds short life. 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.' 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. [7] In a 2009 interview, Cottingham admitted to the murders and claimed that he severed the heads and hands of the victims to prevent their identification, as he was acquainted with Goodarzi and had been seen with her in a bar the night before.[2]. He said the other girls took it, and I had to take it, too. 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. There easily could have been more crimes but its unknown. One slain woman was positively identified througha cesarean-section scar as 22-year-old, Iranian prostitute, Deedeh Goodarzi. This case was soon linked to his previous murder victim, Helen Sikes, letting police know they were dealing with a serial killer. Born in the Bronx on Nov. 25, 1946, Richard Cottingham lived an outwardly normal life. Cottingham pleaded guilty to 2nd-degree murder in the case of Diane Cusick. They increasingly became louder and louder as time went on. The prisoner, 33-year-old Richard Francis Cottingham, made an unlikely suspect at first glance. She had been given one hell of a beating and her killer had eaten away at her nipples, almost severing one. It contained many items that linked him to the murders. The man listened and suggested he could drive her to a different bus terminal in New Jersey to get her back home, away from her abusive pimp. Without heads and hands, authorities were unable to identify the victims. A father of three, Richard Cottingham seemed an unlikely killer. It is unclear how exactly he killed the two women, but he would go on to severe their heads and their hands. He was sentenced to 173 to 197 years, which he is currently serving in Trenton's New Jersey State Prison. 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. Their skulls and hands were never found. The Torso Killer seemed to be escalating fast. 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. He would continue this line of work until his arrest. He was sentenced to 173 to 197 years, which he is currently serving at Trenton State Prison in New Jersey. Premiering on Dec. 29, the three-part season explores the case of Richard Cottingham, a New Jersey man who was dubbed "The Torso Killer" and found guilty of killing 11 women between 1967 and. Tow Guys Towing. 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. 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. Three of those murders Cottingham later confessed to included Jacalyn Harp. In October 1966, he became a computer operator for Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, where he worked until his 1980 arrest. Cottingham is currently in state prison on a . In April 1980, Cottinghams wife had filed for divorce, charging him with extreme cruelty and refusal to engage in marital sex since late 1976. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. The serial killer remains imprisoned in New Jersey. 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. 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. New York City was gripped with fear after the Travel Inn Motor Hotel murders went unsolved. Known for being particularly cruel, Cottingham earned the nickname "The Torso Killer" because he would sometimes mutilate the body of his victims, leaving . But the arrest in 1980 changed everything, exposing Richards double life and deadly exploits. She had been beaten, raped, sodomized and forced at knife point to give the man a blow job. He was known for his signature "trophy taking," keeping items belonging to his victims as mementos. Richard was arrested at a motel in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, in May 1980. In the early morning hours, a couple decided to check in to a Quality Inn Hotel. In a strange turn of events,Deedah Goodarzi's biological daughter, Jennifer Weiss has forged an unlikely friendship with the man who strangled and beheaded her mother in 1979. 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One detective said it was 'the cleanest crime scene he's ever seen.' His wife withdrew the petition upon his arrest in May 1980, then completed the divorce after his 1981 conviction. The Story Of Richard Cottingham, The Times Square Torso Ripper. 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. Jean Reyner was raped, stabbed, mutilated and tortured. All That's Interesting is a Brooklyn-based digital publisher that seeks out stories that illuminate the past, present, and future. "Richard Cottingham is a serial rapist and killer that used the streets of New York and New Jersey as his hunting ground in the 1970s. 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. She agreed to have sex with him for money. Inside they found the bodies of 22-year-old sex worker Deedeh Goodarzi[9] and an unidentified woman estimated between 16 and 22. 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. He mainly stayed at home where he started to develop an obsession with bondage pornography. She would later be found in Queens horribly mutilated. June 12, 2022 | tj maxx distribution center san antonio | Category: . He was also a married, respectable man with three children. Confounded, investigators used mannequins from nearby department stores and dressed them in the victims' clothing, hoping someone might come forward with information. And, thanks to a dogged New Jersey detective, the Times Square Killer has confessed to a number of additional murders. Both 1974 cases would be dismissed. The crime scene was particularly gruesome. Nobody at the time suspected that Cottingham's killing spree had began over a decade earlier with the murder ofNancy Vogel in 1967 and five New Jersey high school girls in 1968 and '69. Like the other victims, she to had been bound with handcuffs and tortured, her body would be found covered in bite marks. 'It was pretty much the hotel room from hell,' said detective Malcolm Reiman in the documentary. I think it was just an evolution in his killing.. Maryann Carr was also brutally beaten, but police could not positively link the crimes. richard cottingham trophy room. Cottingham murdered Jennifer Weiss' birth mom Deedeh Goodarzi in a Times Square motel room in 1979. Hed eventually leave the company and start working for Blue Cross, where he performed the same tasks. [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). One of Richards earliest crimes was committed in 1968. 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. [15], In 2022, Cottingham was arraigned from his prison hospital bed for the 1968 murder of Diane Cusick in Long Island, New York. You're a whore and you have to be punished." Richard would start to come out of his shell socially when he entered high school, attending Pascack Valley High School. . Investigators were again able to quickly link this murder with many others due to the killer's M.O. FacebookDeedah Goodarzi, a sex worker who Cottingham killed and dismembered. 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. 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. Responds in about 10 minutes. Richard Cottingham Research Paper. Police were not aware of his murders at the time, nor were they aware that an active serial killer was at large in the New York-New Jersey area. richard cottingham trophy room. Dominick Volpe, a former colleague at BlueCross BlueShield, testifies to Cottingham's perverse sexual tendencies. [6] The confession was extracted by Detective Anzilotti weeks before his retirement and was facilitated by historian Vronsky and by Jennifer Weiss, the daughter of Deedeh Goodarzi, one of Cottingham's later victims. 595 Words3 Pages. Once in custody the man would be identified as Richard Francis Cottingham a father of 3 from Lodi, New Jersey. Within his home, detectives were able to find his trophy room which contained multiple personal items and keepsakes which belonged to his victims. As a professional engineer in 17 states, I have been a voice for the functionality, efficiency, and sustainability of commercial and industrial facilities. Her killer, Richard Cottingham, was a computer operator, married with three children of his own, living a seemingly normal life. Farm Heroes Saga, the #4 Game on iTunes. Cottingham targeted sex workers in Times Square before torturing and mutilating their bodies, often leaving only their torsos behind as evidence. 'All of the women that Richard killed left this world in a horrific way,' she said in the doc. Its also unclear whether or not he continued to do so. In his possession police found a murder kit which consisted of handcuffs, leather gags, slave collars, knives, pistols, and pills. In 2009, decades after his first five murder convictions, Cottingham told a journalist that he had committed at least 80 to 100 "perfect murders" of women in various regions of the United States. 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. Former FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong delves into Richard Cottingham, the Torso Killer. [13][14] Anzilotti had spent 15 years interviewing Cottingham, working toward the confession. In December 1979, Richard had tortured, raped, and killed Deedeh Goodarzi and an unidentified teenager (Jane Doe) in a hotel in New York. WickedWe is reader supported, some products displayed may earn us a commission if you purchase through our links. He had an apartment in New York City that he told Janet he needed for late nights at work. The killer had severed her breasts and placed them on the headboard, 'for shock value,' recalled Vernon Geberth, former Commanding Officer of Bronx Homicide. Though Anzilotti has retired, the detective believes that Richard Cottingham could be responsible for dozens of other unsolved cases. Once he had his fill, Richard decided to light the bodies on fire and flee the scene. Richards lust seemed to never fully be satisfied and in December of 1977, Maryann Carr would be claimed as his next victim. Lives that never came to fruition. 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. Thankfully, Cottingham's reign of terror would not last forever. It was mainly psychological. 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? On May 5, 1980, a motel housekeeper found the body of 19-year-old Valerie Ann Street in the Hasbrouck Heights Quality Inn. Crystal Ponti. richard cottingham trophy room. Was this man, the same man who committed the similar brutal crime? Richard cut the woman's breasts off and ended her life via strangulation. From afar, Richard appeared to be doing everything that was expected of him and lived a happy life. Police arrested 33-year-old Richard Cottingham at the scene. Cottingham was caught in 1980 when a maid heard a woman's screams coming from his motel room. To date, the Torso Killer claims to have killed upwards of 100 victims. He had three children, two boys and a girl, with his wife. 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. Their skulls were never found. The last time anyone saw her, she had been on her way to play bingo at a nearby church. She had been beaten and strangled then stuffed under the bed of the room. Cottingham would confess to many murders after being put behind bars. Jean Reyner was stabbed to death in a motel near Time Square. Richard was arrested, and at the time, he had handcuffs, knives, prescription pills, and other suspicious items on him. Its unclear what he was stealing, if he was short on money or so there was no trail of him purchasing a specific item. On December 2, 1979, the authorities were called to a hotel room in New York City after a fire was reported. You're in complete control of somebody's destiny. That included the 1977 slaying of a married 27-year-old nurse whose body was found dumped by a chain-link fence in the parking lot of the same Quality Inn where hed committed other atrocities three years later. Richard would dump her along a chain link fence near the apartment complex he once called home, the ligature still tied around her neck. Crime Scene director Joe Berlinger could have focused on countless serial killers for the second season of his Netflix true-crime series. Today, Times Square is a glittering tourist attraction. She had gone missing from Times Square in January 1979. On May 5, 1980, police found another prostitute, Valerie Streets, dead in a motel room. Her throat had been cut so severely that he nearly severed her head. Youre in complete control of somebodys destiny.. One of these cases was of Diane Cusick, a 23-year-old dance teacher. The notorious serial killer targeted women, mostly sex workers and those working in the adult entertainment industry. Richard Francis Cottingham was linked with the brutal . 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. Leslie Ann ODell recalled what had happened and how things escalated so quickly. May 22, 1980. December of 1979, would be Richards most vicious attack to date. 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. 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