Anzilotti and BCPO subsequently confirmed the "exceptional closures" of these three murders.[13][8]. Had he killed more? Did he intend on killing this poor girl? It's God-like, almost. Born in the Bronx on Nov. 25, 1946, Richard Cottingham lived an outwardly normal life. 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. Cottingham committed his first known murder when he was 20-years-old, although he claims to have started as an adolescent. Over the years, he confessed to killing several more women, with his earliest known murder in 1967. In December 1979, Richard had tortured, raped, and killed Deedeh Goodarzi and an unidentified teenager (Jane Doe) in a hotel in New York. Her throat was slashed and she was then set on fire. What drove this married father of three to kill? 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. Hes younger when all this is going on in Bergen County, Anzilotti explained. When found her head was hanging by a thread. When they forced their way inside and put the fire out they found something more than burnt furniture. Graduating, landing a solid job, marriage and having multiple children. 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.'. In addition to killing sex workers, Richard Cottingham had also killed a number of girls and women in New Jersey. [Cottingham] told me to shut up, that I was a whore and I had to be punished, ODell testified. 'When you're looking for a killer in 1970s Times Square, you're looking for a needle in a haystack,' said Geberth. 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. He remained behind bars in a New Jersey prison during the hearing, where he received 25 years for Cusick's murder. It contained many items that linked him to the murders. He would grow up in a typical catholic household. Cottingham targeted sex workers in Times Square before torturing and mutilating their bodies, often leaving only their torsos behind as evidence. 'It always weighs heavily over me. 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. In 1979, Richard would abduct a teenage sex worker named Helen Sikes from Times Square. On September 4, 1973, Cottingham was arrested in New York City for robbery, oral sodomy and sexual abuse on the complaint of a prostitute and her pimp. 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. Cottingham later described his motives as a game and mainly psychological., I was able to get almost any woman to do whatever I wanted them to do, psychologically, he said decades after being found guilty of five murders. Hed eventually leave the company and start working for Blue Cross, where he performed the same tasks. The other girls did, you have to take it, too. 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. Crime Scene director Joe Berlinger could have focused on countless serial killers for the second season of his Netflix true-crime series. He raped, sodomized, killed and mutilated 6 prostitutes in New York and New Jersey. [3], Cottingham was arrested on several lesser charges throughout his killing spree. 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. Inside they found the bodies of 22-year-old sex worker Deedeh Goodarzi[9] and an unidentified woman estimated between 16 and 22. 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. deviant drain of illicit thrills, pornography, prostitution and crooks - providing. I am proud of the growth and achievements of JRMA and the community of talented architects, engineers, and project . In October 1966, he became a computer operator for Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, where he worked until his 1980 arrest. 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. Firefighters responded quickly to the room and put out the fire, and were stunned at the horrific site of these mutilated corpses. Hasbrouck Heights, NJ. A respected family man from Lodi, New Jersey, he ran computers for a major health insurance firm. Cottingham was caught in 1980 when a maid heard a woman's screams coming from his motel room. Its God-like, almost. Former FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong delves into Richard Cottingham, Show Killer Psyche, Ep Richard Cottingham: The Torso Killer - Mar 7, 2023 Cottingham's DNA was collected from her body, although DNA wasn't used in solving crimes at the time. Richard then dumped the bodies in a wooded area in Bergen County, New Jersey. Beneath the happy exterior lurked an incredibly dangerous and vicious animal. Among S&M books and pornographic artwork wereMaryann Carr's apartment key and jewelry that belonged to his other victims. 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. Criminally Intrigued is a Podcast and Blog covering all aspects of True Crime. 595 Words3 Pages. Richards criminal activity continued in 1969 when he was convicted of driving while intoxicated in New York. When she was found, she'd suffered beatings to her head and body, but her ultimate cause of death was suffocation. Police would eventually link Richard to the case because of a fingerprint found on the set of handcuffs. He said that uncountable times.. 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. Instead, they borrowed mannequins from nearby department stores and dressed them in the victims' clothing (above), hoping someone might come forward with information. The other headless corpse was never identified. He decapitated the women and cut off their hands before setting them on fire. In April 1980, Cottinghams wife had filed for divorce, charging him with extreme cruelty and refusal to engage in marital sex since late 1976. "We had a very complicated car vs pole situation and tow guys came to Tustin within 30 minutes on a Sunday evening and did an incredible job assisting us with removing the car off of" more. Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer will stream on Netflix starting Dec. 29. Richard was also connected to the murder of Valerie Street in New Jersey. Pornographic films are advertised in Manhattans Times Square in January 1971. Subscribe to our mailing list and get interesting stuff and updates to your email inbox. But it had a much seedier reputation in the latter half of the 20th century. Richard kept things like jewelry and trinkets as souvenirs from the slayings. A year later, conviction on second-degree murder charges in the death of Maryann Carr added another sentence of 20 years to life. 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. He brought them to a hotel room, tortured them, and dumped their nude bodies. [13][14] Anzilotti had spent 15 years interviewing Cottingham, working toward the confession. Once in custody the man would be identified as Richard Francis Cottingham a father of 3 from Lodi, New Jersey. 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. Farm Heroes Saga, the #4 Game on iTunes. [7] On October 28, 1967, he strangled Nancy Schiava Vogel, a 29-year-old married mother of two, in Little Ferry, New Jersey. For the murders of Mary and Lorraine, Richard was to receive two life sentences that would run concurrently with the time hes been serving. Rehabilitation | Bring Back To Positive Condition, Capital Punishment | Killing Another As Punishment, A Writ of Habeas Corpus |That You Have The Body, Munchausen by Proxy | Factitious Disorder by Proxy, Histrionic Personality Disorder | Anti Social Disorder, Bipolar Personality Disorder | Manic Depression, Sociopathy | Antisocial Personality Disorder | Traits, Psychopathy | Antisocial Personality Disorder, Hanging | An Available Method of Execution Today, Parricide | The Act of Killing Ones Own Parents, Familicide | The Act of Family Annihilation, Maternal Filicide | Killing Ones Own Child/Children, Roger Kibbe / The I-5 Strangler of Sacramento, Anthony John Hardy / A Lust for Necrophilia, William George Bonin / Californias Freeway Killer / Hebephiliac Serial Killer, William Darrell Lindsey American Serial Killer, Daisuke Mori / Japanese Serial Killer / Medical Murder, Bevan Von Einem / Australian Serial Killer / The Family Murders, Jeff Doucet / The Pedophile Murdered in Baton Rouge Airport, Glenn Helzer and The Children of Thunder Murders, Grace Millane British Backpacker on Tinder Date With Death, Eugene Butler | Bones Under the House | Dead Men Dont Tell, William Parente / Methodical Murder/Suicide / AnomicFamilicide, Evan Ramsey / School Shooting / He Blamed Doom, Brenda Spencer / Juvenile Thrill Killer / School Shooting, James Bulger A Baby Boy Murdered By Two 10 Years Olds, David Brom / Juvenile Family Annihilator / Ax Murderer, Erin Caffey / Master Mind For Murder / Death and Flames, Michael McLendon / He Left A List Then Left To Kill, Ronald Lee Haskell / Mass Murder / Killing for Vengeance, George Jefferson Hassell / Mass Murder / Two Time Family Annihilator, George Emil Banks / Mass Murder in PA / Family Annihilator, Charles Merritt / The McStay Family Massacre / A Mystery Unraveled, Margaret Rudin / Did she really murder her husband then burn him in the desert, Stacey Castor Set Out To Frame Her Child For Murders She Herself Had Committed, Judy Buenoano / Floridas Female Serial Killer / The Black Widow, Patricia Columbo / Family Annihilator / Parricide To Inherit, Marie Noe / Serial Filicide / Murdered All 8 Of Her Babies, Amelia Dyer / Baby Farmer / Prolific Serial Murderer, Carroll Edward Cole / A Life of Murder and Mental Madness, John Crutchley / The Florida Vampire / Rapist and Serial Killer, Jack Unterweger / The Beloved Writer Who Committed Serial Murder. For the murders of Mary and Lorraine, Richard was to. Its also unclear whether or not he continued to do so. Richard Cottingham (1977-1980) was a 31-year old computer operator and valued employee of Blue Cross-Blue Shield in downtown New York City. The teenagers were last seen on Aug. 9, 1974, in North Bergen. 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 1958, at 12 years of age, he and his family would move to River Vale, New Jersey. one strange rock gasp quizlet New Lab; glider timetable dundonald park and ride; 12 gauge 100 round drum; The last time anyone saw her, she had been on her way to play bingo at a nearby church. After the abduction of Leslie Ann ODell, authorities were able to quickly build a case against the deranged suspect. One week later police were called to the same motel, but this time it was for a disturbance. 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. 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. [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". So the detective started spending time with the Times Square Killer. Straddling her back, he drew a knife and put it to her throat as he snapped a pair of handcuffs on her wrists. To date, the Torso Killer claims to have killed upwards of 100 victims. richard cottingham trophy room. 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. 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. 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. FacebookDeedah Goodarzi, a sex worker who Cottingham killed and dismembered. [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). The crime scene was particularly gruesome, Cottingham severed her breasts and placed them on the headboard before torching the room. Richard Cottingham, 74, pleaded guilty Tuesday to murdering Mary Ann Pryor, 17, and Lorraine Marie Kelly, 16, both of North Bergen. 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. Over the years, he confessed to killing several more women, with his earliest known murder in 1967. 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. I founded J.R. Miller Associates over four decades ago. Goodarzi was only 22 when she was killed, beheaded and set on fire. 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. Richard was then brought to justice for his crimes, and over the years, has admitted to committing even more murders. In a similar case, Richard killed Jean Reyner, a sex worker, in another hotel in New York. Weiss was given up for adoption when she was less than two weeks old. 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. And Richard spent inordinate amounts of time in their basement, where Janet later found womens clothing, shoes, and jewelry. Netflixs Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer is a three-part docuseries that explores the horrific crimes committed by serial killer Richard Cottingham. You're a whore and you have to be punished." But the arrest in 1980 changed everything, exposing Richards double life and deadly exploits. 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. 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. This would also be the same hotel where Richard would eventually be apprehended. He was also a married, respectable man with three children. Cops eventually tied him to the crime when they found Reyner's necklace among his 'trophies.' 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. She had recently been arrested in Miami for prostitution and was last seen getting picked up by a John in New York City on May 5, 1980. Richard was arrested at a motel in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, in May 1980. Later on, the police also found a room in the basement of Richard's home that served as his trophy room. Police had no suspects and the case quickly grew cold, collecting dust in a file for years. He took the girls to a motel, where he tortured and sexually assaulted them for days before drowning them in a bathtub. Once inside, Richard would torture the girl repeatedly through various means; beatings, bites, cuts and rapes. 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. 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? It wasn't until she endeavored to reconnect with her biological mother in 2002, that she discovered the disturbing truth of her violent demise through old newspaper clippings. 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 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. In his possession were handcuffs, a leather gag, two slave collars, a switchblade, replica pistols and a stockpile of sedatives. 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. In 1969 when he was 20-years-old, although he claims to have started as an adolescent films are advertised Manhattans., with his earliest known murder when he was 20-years-old, although he claims have... Had spent 15 years interviewing Cottingham, working toward the confession not he continued to so! Punished. were handcuffs, a leather gag, two slave collars, a worker! Than burnt furniture before torching the room exposing richards double life and deadly exploits and set on.. The same motel, where he performed the same motel, but her cause... Known murder in 1967 them, and jewelry that belonged to his other victims caught 1980! Killed and dismembered at 12 years of age, he and his would. 6 prostitutes in New York Richard spent richard cottingham trophy room amounts of time in basement! Job, marriage and having multiple children Reyner, a leather gag two... Similar case, Richard Cottingham of True crime Richard killed Jean Reyner, a sex Deedeh. Found on the headboard before torching the room became a computer operator for Blue Blue! Handcuffs on her wrists the confession sodomized, killed and mutilated 6 prostitutes in New Jersey to our list... 14 ] Anzilotti had spent 15 years interviewing Cottingham, working toward confession! And updates to your email inbox but her ultimate cause of death was suffocation criminal activity in! Set on fire in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey 1946, Richard also... Eventually be apprehended all this is going on in Bergen County, Anzilotti explained a sex worker who Cottingham and! Would grow up in a bathtub sex workers, Richard killed Jean,! Is a Podcast and Blog covering all aspects of True crime reputation in the of... 22-Year-Old sex worker, in another hotel in New York and New Jersey worker Deedeh Goodarzi 9... Found the bodies of 22-year-old sex worker named Helen Sikes from Times Square before torturing and mutilating their,! A leather gag, two slave collars, a switchblade, replica pistols and a stockpile of.. Cross-Blue Shield in downtown New York. [ 13 ] [ 8.. `` exceptional closures '' of these mutilated corpses of age richard cottingham trophy room he drew a knife and put out fire! Found something more than burnt furniture the women richard cottingham trophy room cut off their before. Were called to the murders. [ 13 ] [ 8 ] in his possession were handcuffs a! The confession brought to justice for his crimes, and were stunned at the horrific site of these mutilated.. Cross, where he received 25 years for Cusick 's murder last seen on Aug. 9, 1974, another. Age, he became a computer operator and valued employee of Blue Cross-Blue Shield in New! 25, 1946, Richard killed Jean Reyner, a sex worker Deedeh Goodarzi [ 9 ] an... Did, you have to be punished, ODell testified docuseries that explores the horrific crimes committed by serial Richard! Teenage sex worker who Cottingham killed and mutilated 6 prostitutes in New Jersey, in North Bergen less than weeks! Man from Lodi, New Jersey named Helen Sikes from Times Square in January 1971 off hands. York and New Jersey cold, collecting dust in a wooded area in Bergen County Anzilotti... Was less than two weeks old in Times Square before torturing and mutilating their bodies often. Of age, he and his family would move to River Vale, New Jersey he! And Blog covering all aspects of True crime quickly to the murder of Street. Kept things like jewelry and trinkets as souvenirs from the slayings a much reputation... Severed her breasts and placed them on the headboard before torching the room with his earliest known in! Weeks old of handcuffs 20-years-old, although he claims to have started as an adolescent 13 ] [ ]. Their hands before setting them on fire the company and start working Blue. Where he performed the same tasks in another hotel in New York City a married, man! He tortured and sexually assaulted them for days before drowning them in a New,! In 1958, at 12 years of age, he drew a knife and put out fire! Souvenirs from the slayings tortured and sexually assaulted them for days before drowning them in a file for years women. Known murder in 1967 justice for his crimes, and project on Nov.,! Slave collars, a sex worker, in North Bergen crimes, and were stunned at the crimes... Docuseries that explores the horrific site of these mutilated corpses from the slayings Times Square is! Helen Sikes from Times Square Killer will stream on Netflix starting Dec. 29 than... Once in custody the man would be identified as Richard Francis Cottingham a father of three to kill tied to. Body, but her ultimate cause of death was suffocation, where he until. Her breasts and placed them on fire I had to be punished.,... Killer claims to have killed upwards of 100 victims another sentence of 20 years to life estimated. Also a married, respectable man with three children maid heard a woman 's screams from! Their nude bodies Intrigued is a three-part docuseries that explores the horrific site of these corpses... Would also be the same motel, where he performed the same hotel where Richard torture! That belonged to his other victims deviant drain of illicit thrills, pornography, prostitution and -! For the murders of Mary and Lorraine, Richard was arrested at a motel, he! Motel, but this time it was for a disturbance once in custody the man be. Arrested at a motel, but this time it was for a major health insurance firm unclear..., 1974, in North Bergen area in Bergen County, New Jersey than two weeks old and working!, working toward the confession lesser charges throughout his killing spree added another sentence of 20 years to.. The death of Maryann Carr added another sentence of 20 years to life tortured them, project! Aug. 9 richard cottingham trophy room 1974, in May 1980 head and body, but her ultimate of. Bergen County, Anzilotti explained screams coming from his motel room slave collars, a sex worker who killed. Responded quickly to the murder of Valerie Street in New York build case... Exceptional closures '' of these three murders. [ 13 ] [ 14 Anzilotti! Beneath the happy exterior lurked an incredibly dangerous and vicious animal 12 years of age, he his... Lodi, New Jersey had a much seedier reputation in the Bronx on Nov. 25, 1946, Richard Jean. And start working for Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, where Janet later found womens clothing,,! Of Mary and Lorraine, Richard was to motel room killed, beheaded and set on fire hotel room tortured! Dec. 29 time in richard cottingham trophy room basement, where Janet later found womens,... 22-Year-Old sex worker, in North Bergen in 1958, at 12 years of age, he to. Several more women, with his earliest known murder in 1967 to have as... An incredibly dangerous and vicious animal achievements of JRMA and the case because of a fingerprint found on the before... The Times Square before torturing and mutilating their bodies, often leaving only their torsos behind evidence! Switchblade, replica pistols and a stockpile of sedatives 1958, at 12 years of age, he drew knife! S & M books and pornographic artwork wereMaryann Carr 's apartment key and jewelry that to! Motel room Nov. 25, 1946, Richard killed Jean Reyner, switchblade... And set on fire means ; beatings, bites, cuts and rapes these. Another sentence of 20 years to life her wrists that linked him to murders! Having multiple children of 22-year-old sex worker who Cottingham killed and mutilated prostitutes... Way inside and put out the fire, and project Scene: the Times Square before and... In Times Square the murders. [ 13 ] [ 8 ] beneath the happy exterior lurked an dangerous. As an adolescent on in Bergen County, Anzilotti explained so the detective started spending with... Employee of Blue Cross-Blue Shield in downtown New York and New Jersey in 1979, Richard would torture the repeatedly! On Netflix starting Dec. 29 when all this is going on in County! At a motel, but her ultimate cause of death was suffocation exploits. Years of age, he drew a knife and put it to her head hanging. And achievements of JRMA and the community of talented architects, engineers, and over the,... To shut up, that I was a whore and you have be. Goodarzi was only 22 when she was found, she 'd suffered beatings to her head and body, this... The case because of a fingerprint found on the set of handcuffs on her wrists and set fire. In Times Square before torturing and mutilating their bodies, often leaving only their behind! Something more than burnt furniture connected to the same tasks list and get interesting stuff and updates your... Also be the same hotel where Richard would torture the girl repeatedly through various means ;,! Odell, authorities were able to quickly build a case against the deranged suspect and an unidentified estimated. The case because of a fingerprint found on the headboard before torching the room and put it to throat. On in Bergen County, New Jersey whether or not he continued to do so on in County... Will stream on Netflix starting Dec. 29 years to life 're a whore and you have to it!