He'd been a married father of three, but the Lodi resident - who would brutalize his victim's bodies, cutting off limbs, heads and breasts - would later become known as the "Torso Killer" for. For years, the three confessions remained a secret, until January 2020, when a true-crime writer who had been visiting Mr. Cottingham in prison, Peter Vronsky, announced that the inmate had revealed his crimes in interviews for a forthcoming book. Denise Falasca, aged 15, was abducted on July 14, 1969, in Emerson, while walking to a friend's home and found the next morning in Saddle Brook, by the side of a road next to a cemetery, strangled with the cord or the chain of her crucifix. Questioning Mr. Cottingham was complicated. [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]. 21 0 obj <> endobj New documentary The 12th Victim: Is Fugate a Natural Born Killer or Starkweather victim? Richard Cottingham, 74, pleaded guilty Tuesday to murdering Mary Ann Pryor, 17, and Lorraine Marie Kelly, 16, both of North Bergen. For a year, he refused to speak to Mr. Anzilotti. God rest their souls," Bergen County Prosecutor's Chief of Detective Robert Anzilotti said Tuesday after Richard Cottingham of Lodi admitted killing both in 1974. . Retrieved April 2nd, 2007, from Factiva database. That made 11 murders Cottingham that admitted since his arrest more than 30 years ago. Thats not the natural order its supposed to go in.. )' Then he shared his intentions to retire. He would let his guard down, Mr. Anzilotti said. Although first responders encountered thick smoke in the room, one noticed the shape of bodies on the pair of twin beds and attempted to administer CPR. My parents couldnt handle it., She had called Bergen County every few months to ask about the case for 47 years, she said. Thats why [authorities are] not going to make another statement. Cottingham has been given various nicknames over the years. Richard is related to Rosemarie Marie Cunningham and Larry J Cunningham as well as 3 additional people. After years in prison, Mr. Cottingham began to open up to the detective about past unsolved crimes. In this image taken from a New Jersey Courts virtual hearing, Richard Cottingham, center, known as the "Torso Killer," pleads guilty Tuesday, April 27, 2021, to two 1974 murders. [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. Click here to follow Daily Voice Hackensack and receive free news updates. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. In March, looking back on 25 years with the office, Mr. Anzilotti decided it was time to move on from the job. 0000003202 00000 n 29 Vreeland St, Lodi, NJ is a single family home that contains 2,716 sq ft and was built in 1974. 0000002420 00000 n His additional confession to a 1974 murder was discounted by Rockland County police. Author Peter Vronsky, who has a forthcoming book on Cottingham, and was first to publicly announce that the imprisoned Cottingham was responsible for the three 50-year-old crimes, says authorities want to add more to the list. But Cottingham flew under the radar precisely because of how he chose his victims and who his victims were. It is my fervent hope that this arrest and conviction bring some semblance of closure to the friends and family of Mary Ann and Lorraine and a measure of justice to members of our communities, who have long feared this unknown actor.. [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. They have also lived in Whiting, IN. Cottinghams luck began to unravel in early May 1980 when the maid at the Quality Inn found the naked corpse of a handcuffed woman under the bed. Correctional officers found contraband and evidence of bookmaking and transferred Mr. Cottingham to solitary confinement. Just shy of his 21st birthday, Richard Cottingham began a vicious killing spree that tore through north New Jersey and New York City. He said, Youre welcome.. One day, Cottingham told his co-worker that he had stolen a sex worker's money and clothes while she was sleeping. Since his conviction, Cottingham has pleaded guilty to 12 murders. He forced his victims to address him as "master". He did not want his family hassled by reporters or the police, and he vowed to Mr. Anzilotti that he would never again allow himself to be thrust into the spotlight. Denise Falasca, 15, of Closter, New Jersey. A judge sentenced him to 25 years to life after Cusicks brother and only child read emotional impact statements in court. They were never able to fully recover from the monumental loss, she said. [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). Mr. Anzilotti, by then a sergeant, arranged a surprise search of the inmates cell the day after the Super Bowl. Serial Killer House in Lodi, New Jersey, United States. Unfortunately, we were unable to find a photograph of Jean Reyner. And even though Harp ran, Cottingham soon overtook her and dragged her into a grouping of bushes where teens would often go to smoke and make out, he said. Her glasses, a ring, a necklace, Ms. Mulder said. 0000006151 00000 n They were facedown, side by side, as if placed there with care. And even worse, the rape laws were particularly onerous, and you had to provide a witness to bring an allegation of rape. Hed been a married father of three, but the Lodi resident - who would brutalize his victims bodies, cutting off limbs, heads and breasts - would later become known as the Torso Killer" for what he left behind. In the case of Diane Cusick, it was a drive-in that no longer exists there He remembers the victims characteristics, but he doesnt remember their names.. In the 1970s, he had preyed on prostitutes in Times Square 30 miles but a world away from Montvale not just killing them, but torturing and dismembering them. If hes going to confess to some others, if they can get him to talk, just for those families if he can confess to those, that right there would be I dont know the right word to say, Ms. Mulder said. Goodarzi was later identified as the woman who had been tortured, killed, beheaded and had her hands cut off by Cottingham. Twenty years later, he was reinvestigating several cold cases involving girls and young women who had been abducted, sexually abused and killed. 0000012661 00000 n I took over handling the calls, the arrangements. A local investigator began to wonder: Could there be a link to a series of infamous Times Square murders? K3nVxb;X)oxeHME~> He married in 1970 and had three children. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. Cottingham, who is also nicknamed "The Torso Killer," moved into this rented three-bedroom house in February of 1975. 0000001071 00000 n View Richard Cottingham's record in Manchester, NJ including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. Eventually, Mr. Cottingham began to loosen up, and he spoke about killing the prostitutes. He stood trial in New York and New Jersey in a coat and tie and denied everything, but he was convicted in all five killings. 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. The other girls did, you have to take it, too. Mr. Anzilotti insisted that this case be resolved in open court. Mr. Anzilotti would arrange to have the inmate transported to his office more than hours drive from the prison. Accused serial killer nurse allegedly tried to murder premature infant twice. Retrieved April 2nd, 2007, from Factiva database. 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 did not know the names of those he killed. A married father of three, he lived in the. It will take her a while to forget the habit of calling the detectives for updates a lifetime constant, through the deaths of her parents, her marriage and divorce, her second marriage and widowhood. Geberth noted that this was a time before the proliferation of surveillance cameras and the use of computer analysis to establish patterns and share information across jurisdictions. I was an immediate adult when it happened, she said later in an interview. Here are the nine victims Cottingham has confessed to or been convicted of killing: On Oct. 28, 1967, Vogel, 29, told friends she was going to play bingo at a local church. He drove his car ahead of Harp, pulled over and walked back toward her, Vronsky said. [2] Four surviving abduction-rape victims testified against Cottingham; he was convicted in three of the cases and acquitted in one. Hours later, her parents drove to the mall and found Dianes Plymouth Valiant in the parking lot, where her body was discovered in the backseat. In a candid interview, the Bergen County chief who spent 20 years trying to wrangle new confessions out of serial killer Richard Cottingham revealed the 74-year-old prisoner has "regrets". The Google Street View image on the right was taken 38 years later, in June of 2018. Did the old man kill those girls? Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). Goodarzi, of Trenton, was a sex worker who had been traveling to the then-seedy streets of midtown Manhattan, Vronsky said. 0000003107 00000 n When Mr. Cottingham entered prison in 1981, Robert Anzilotti was not yet a teenager. And last week, three more were added to his grisly toll. 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. But he told Mr. Cottingham. Justice was served and thats the end of it case closed. On July 17, 1968, Harp, of Midland Park, was walking home from band practice when a strange man, Cottingham, tried to coax her into his car, Vronsky said. 21 23 And for Cottingham, every night was a full moon.. 0000003451 00000 n Those cases were already closed. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. He kept his glasses case tucked in a vest pocket of his prison scrubs, beneath his white beard, and folded his hands over his broad belly. The body of Laverne Moye, of St. Albans, Queens, was discovered in a Rockville Centre creek on July 20, 1972. The details stopped him cold. He had been dubbed the Times Square Torso Ripper setting off Vronskys lifelong fascination of serial killers. There was also a lockbox filled with trophies from his murders, including Maryann Carrs apartment key and a necklace belonging to Jean Reyner. In 2010, Bergen County authorities announced hed pleaded guilty to a sixth murder, a 1967 strangling in Bergen County. More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23, Rodrigo Torrejon | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, discovery of a Ridgefield Park woman dead, nude and bound. Cottingham then confessed to more murders including Nancy Vogel, whom he killed in 1967, and five teenaged victims from New Jersey, none of whom were in the sex trade. These objects, along with his fingerprint on the handcuffs, were presented as evidence by prosecutors at his trial. It took some effort to convince him to go to court and let me make it public, Anzilotti said Tuesday. Authorities believed it to be, thus far, the oldest criminal case to be solved and prosecuted by direct DNA evidence. Following his arrest, police linked him to the murder of Valerie Streets. Cottingham offered to give O'Dell a massage and she rolled onto her stomach. Its mind-boggling and very scary, especially to know theres more of them out there.. No leads were forthcoming. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. [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. For over 40 years, its been folklore in this county.. South Hackensack, Richard Cottingham, Lorraine Kelly, Mary Ann Pryor, Bergen County Prosecutor's Chief of Detectives Robert Anzilotti, Ecuadorian National Pleads Guilty To Brutal Stabbing Death Of Popular Bergen County Chef, Franklin Lakes Driver Indicted In Teaneck T-Bone Crash That Kil, Paterson Non-Violence Activist Shot Dead In Police Standoff Was, Man Killed By Amtrak Train In Central Jersey Was Family Breadwi, WATCH: YouTube Video Shows Rapper Assaulting Bergen Shop Rite W, Motel Guest Covered In Lotion Rescued From Knife-Wielding Woman, DWI Suspected In Horrific Route 80 Crash In Bergen County. H|U0+(QvG`b08NbHlSoZ2CRSs=* \e~ It was pure evil. . Mr. Cottingham left behind no clues. Which is entirely possible, especially in those days.. 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 predator, dubbed The Torso Killer, would strike again in May 1980. Richard Cottingham, convicted of murdering prostitute and kidnapping three. She was stunned. Cottingham was apprehended in the hallway by arriving police officers. They sat at the kitchen table, very professional, very polite, very considerate, Ms. Mulder recalled. Although Vogel was the earliest of Cottinghams murder victims, the killer has said she was not his first, according to Vronsky. After his wife filed for divorce in April of 1979, it seems as though his killings became far more frequent. That night, city firefighters responded to a blaze at a motel in Times Square, the New York Daily News reported. 0000001425 00000 n Neither complainant appeared in further proceedings, however, and the case was dismissed. Hearing prosecutors detail grisly crime scenes like where Laverne was found was especially difficult to endure, her son said. It was an era when the sex worker was criminalized. Between 1970 and 1974, Cottingham and his wife, Janet, lived at an apartment block called Ledgewood Terrace in Little Ferry, New Jersey. The 45th year passed in the same way. He did, however, leave behind their clothing, including a pair of Bonjour jeans, white leotards and a black fur coat, neatly folded in the bath tub. Richard Cottingham, serial killer from New Jersey operating in New York between 1967 and 1980. He called his detectives and gave the word: Bring in Cottingham. The chief pressed ahead with his list. The chief questioned Mr. Cottingham. He soon realized the woman had no head, the Daily News reported. Both men were keenly aware that it was their years-old relationship that had brought about this moment. Serial killer Richard Cottingham made his admission in the cold case murders of the high school girls, acknowledging that he kidnapped, raped and finally drowned the pair inside a motel room. He needed a way to approach Mr. Cottingham and found an opening in 2003, when he got a tip: Mr. Cottingham was taking bets on sporting events from his cell. This number may increase in the future, as he has stated in the past that his victim count is much higher. I asked them where they were going. The mall, they replied. Her attacker was caught as he ran away. [13] In 2021, he pleaded guilty to the 1974 kidnapping, raping and drowning of Lorraine Marie Kelly and Mary Ann Pryor. In 2004, Vronsky published his first book on homicidal maniacs, Serial Killers: The Method and Madness of Monsters, an exhaustive look at executioners slayings dating back to ancient Rome. But he carried those cold cases with him literally, his thick files in cardboard boxes that he moved from office to office chipping away at the false leads, seeking similarities in the victims and in the crime scenes. (1981, June 25). This story has been shared 151,197 times. 0000009543 00000 n I was shocked that one human being was capable of all this carnage, Moye said of Cottingham. How it ended was me literally shaking his hand and saying, Thank you, Mr. Anzilotti said. I never thought I would get caught, he added. trailer [4], The BCPO "exceptionally closed" the three cold case murders with agreement from the victims' families and evidence corroborating the confessions, but for several years kept this secret from the public to keep Cottingham talking about other cases. He also claimed to have committed 80 perfect murders no one knows about. 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. She agreed to have sex with him for money. Long-Buried Secrets: The Serial Killer and the Detective, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/13/nyregion/new-jersey-serial-killer-cottingham-anzilotti.html. His "justification" for doing this was that he "didn't like anyone getting one over" on him. Cottingham, a Lodi man who moonlighted as one of New Jersey's most savage serial killers, had been convicted of murdering five women in New York and New Jersey. In 2022, Cottingham also confessed to the 1968 murder of Diane Cusick after DNA evidence linked him to the crime. 43 0 obj <>stream 0000002831 00000 n 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. The New York Times, p. 2. Cottingham was convicted of five murders and numerous counts of kidnapping and sexual assault and sentenced to 173 to 197 years, which he is serving in Trenton's New Jersey State Prison. Mr. Cottingham at his virtual hearing on April 27 in Bergen County Superior Court, where he pleaded guilty to killing Mary Ann Pryor and Lorraine Kelly 47 years later. We've received your submission. Im leaving, he said. She was Nancy Pryor, and she was 19 when her sister, Mary Ann, was found dead. Cottingham admitted during the plea hearing that he brought Mary Ann and Lorraine to a hotel, where he raped both and bound the girls to keep them from getting away. And I said, Hop in., He drove to the mall. [2], In 2010, he pleaded guilty to the 1967 murder of Nancy Vogel. On Thursday, authorities told NJ Advance Media that Cottingham confessed to the murders of three Bergen County teenagers in the late 1960s - each a cold case for over 50 years. He married in 1970 and became a father of. Look her up, she looks like her. Others he remembered from a haircut.. It was quite a shock to learn it was him.. Cottingham has confessed to murdering 12 women. 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. On December 2, 1979, firemen in New York responded to an alarm at the Travel Inn motel[11] near Times Square. She knew that Mr. Anzilotti had solved Denises killing, too. Getting to that point wasnt easy, Anzilotti said. He began torturing her, nearly biting off one of her nipples. Then, with just days remaining before the chief retired, the inmate relented. [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). With Ms. Pryor and a judge watching on Zoom that day, Mr. Cottingham pleaded guilty to the two murders. Rochelle Park & On April 7, 1969, Cottingham saw Blase, 18, shopping in Hackensack, Vronsky said. Richard Cottingham of Lodi (NJ) is sentenced to 173-179 years in prison. A notorious New Jersey serial killer pleaded guilty Tuesday to the cold case murders of two teenage girls in 1974. 21 0 obj <> endobj This time, at the Seville Hotel, where he strangled Jean Reyner, a 25-year-old mother working in the sex trade to finance a child custody battle. Mr. Anzilotti, doing his best not to betray any emotion, slowly pulled out his Blackberry and took notes. The public in Bergen County deserved to know the outcome of those girls, he said. The bodies of the women had no heads and no hands. The girls vanished Aug. 9, 1974, while hitchhiking to a mall in . Richard Cottingham who is already serving time in state prison for several . He had come further in closing cases than his younger self could have imagined. It doesnt bring my mother back, but at least I have answers now. He then left the scene with their severed heads and hands. Prosecutors will seek dual life sentences to run alongside his current lifetime term when Cottingham is sentenced on July 9 for what Musella said were the willful, deliberate, and premediated murders of Mary Ann Prior and Lorraine Kelly. 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. Again, he knew details from Ms. Falascas file. The confessed killer then fatally bludgeoned Sheila Heiman, a 33-year-old mother of three, in July 1973, at her North Woodmere, NY, home, where her husband found her upon returning from shopping, authorities said. . Moye, who traveled from Georgia to see Cottingham confess to killing his mother and four other women as part of a plea deal, said he leaned heavily on his Catholic faith as the unrepentant killer watched via video feed from South Woods State Prison in New Jersey, where hes serving multiple life sentences. However, his family moved to River Vale, New Jersey, when he was 12 years old. Cottingham, who grew up in River Vale, has been in prison since the 1980s, when he was convicted of the first five murders to which he was linked. The following is a list of his victims in chronological order. His murders were not the outcome of stalking or planning but of fleeting encounters. The little perks for the older man the pizza, the poker, the distraction from prison life were always in the service of the younger mans long game. To this day, their remains have never been recovered. (1981, June 25). This case was always haunting me.. Authorities executed a warrant on his Lodi home, which had a private room containing evidence linking him to the Torso Killer. Mr. Anzilotti and another investigator drove to the town of Reading, Vt., to deliver the news to Jackies older sister, Suzan Mulder, then 69. Math-wise its possible," said Vronsky. 0000009264 00000 n Richard Cottingham, a family man who denied everything in court, was convicted of killing five women in the early 1980s. Then hed clear the room until only he and Mr. Cottingham faced each another, and begin with his questions. Inmates were wagering everything from cash to cigarettes. Bergen County investigators realized there were numerous open sexual assault cases with similar hallmarks: Cottingham kidnapped them from Times Square, drugged and assaulted them. He abducted Vogel and took her to a field in Montvale, where he strangled her. His yearbook photo shows a cross-country runner with blond hair slicked back. HKo0l06CYf,Y(v (I?0c9 He was the Torso Killer. <<69EF7C237A736942AE760EBDB9B8F80B>]>> This location belongs to the following categories: Follow us on Facebook or Twitter to see future locations. It represented closure, Moye said of this weeks hearing. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, How a retired detective snared his seventh Torso Killer confession, Expert reveals biological reason why were obsessed with true crime shows. Richard Cottingham was convicted 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. %PDF-1.4 % Zestimate Home Value: $598,600. She had been abducted while walking home from practice with her schools fife-and-drum team in 1968. He continued to live here until the police eventually arrested him on May 22nd, 1980. He admitted that those two killings weighed on him more than the others. Which, of course, I wasnt overly interested in, the former chief said. I was shocked that it was a serial killer, Moye said of his mothers confessed murderer. (1981, June 16). 43 0 obj<>stream It was Aug. 14, 1974, in Montvale, N.J., a suburb just over the New York state line. 0000001082 00000 n 0000005280 00000 n A killing in Somerset County a week after Cottingham got his drivers license may have been one of his first victims, Vronsky said. Vronsky, whose works also include an authoritative tome cataloging 17,000 years of pathological homicide, said Cottingham scouted his victims before transforming from a family man into a ferocious monster. When a worker came to check on her, ODell cracked open the door and gave a hand signal asking for help. You can change your choice at any time by using the Privacy Center link in our footer. 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. He didnt have the decency or the dignity to ask for forgiveness or to even address the victims families. [12] Both bodies had their hands and heads removed, and had been doused with lighter fluid and set on fire. The girls, Mary Ann Pryor, 17, and Lorraine Kelly, 16, had last been seen days earlier at a nearby bus stop. [5] On May 15, 1980, Jean Reyner was strangled and her throat cut in New York's historic Seville Hotel. Their murders shook the region. However, he started killing again in 1974, when he murdered Lorraine Marie Kelly and Mary Ann Pryor. Again and again, for 15 years, Mr. Anzilotti met with the inmate, seeking the truth. trailer Cottinghamss name came up several times, but it didnt fit for me, she said. Richard Cottingham, the notorious North Jersey serial killer known for dismembering the young women who were so often his victims, publicly confessed Tuesday to drowning two North Bergen girls. A hotel worker arrived at Room 417 to find smoke and a horrible scene: the scorched remains of two women on a bed. Defense attorney John Bruno recited the details, which the white-bearded, 74-year-old killer acknowledged. He lived with his wife and kids in. 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 1980. Cottingham lived here with his wife, Janet, and their three children, Blair, Scott, and Jenny. If they came forward and said theyd been assaulted, they would be arrested for prostitution, so there was no reason to come forward, Berlinger said. All rights reserved (About Us). Five months later, the serial slayer struck again, strangling Maria Emerita Rosado Nieves, an 18-year-old Manhattan woman originally from Puerto Rico. He also claims that his true victim count is at least 85. By all accounts, he seemed to be leading an everyday life in Lodi, New Jersey, with his wife and three kids. He had his list of names, each one a dead girl and a crime long unsolved. 0000001001 00000 n Years ticked past, 1974 into 1975, into the 1980s, the 1990s. Much like John Moye, Altman, who now lives in Ocala, Fla., said she struggled to process Cottinghams savagery. During a search of the house, investigators discovered personal items belonging to some of his victims. These meetings went on for months, and then years, on top of Mr. Anzilottis regular caseload. A few days later, Mr. Anzilotti visited Mr. Cottingham in his new surroundings and told him, I put you here.. He enjoys our time together., The chief also had another theory. But it was a way to get him comfortable to talk to me about murders.. Harp was found strangled to death the next day. And at the time, it was beyond our capacity to look beyond New York City, he told The Post. After the hearing, the cameras off, Mr. Anzilotti approached Mr. Cottingham. She, too, had been strangled. [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. Ive never seen rain like that, he said. He pleaded innocent and for decades insisted he was being "framed", until admitting in 2009 that he had actually perpetrated those five murders. But eventually, their old give-and-take resumed. In his possession, the 33-year-old had a stash of handcuffs, tape and sedatives. The potential payoff in return felt almost too important to describe. But the arrest in 1980 changed everything, exposing Richard's double life and deadly exploits. Cottingham primarily sought prostitutes who were petite blondes in their late teens to mid-twenties. 0000006081 00000 n Cottingham was serving time for five murders, following convictions in New Jersey and New York, when Bergen prosecutors detectives in 2010 tied him to the killing of 29-year-old Ridgefield Park mom Nancy Schiava Vogel, bringing the total then to six.

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