The other, a 16-year-old, remains a Jane Doe to this day. 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. 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. In a sign of things to come, Cottingham had kidnapped Pryor and Kelly after they asked him for a ride. She was in hysterics, crapping on about what this guy had put her through. He mainly stayed at home where he started to develop an obsession with bondage pornography. Investigators were again able to quickly link this murder with many others due to the killer's M.O. 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. But the arrest in 1980 changed everything, exposing Richards double life and deadly exploits. Richard Cottingham by his own admission claims to have killed upwards of 100 women and remains a suspect in dozens of unsolved cases. Jacalyn "Jackie" Harp, aged 13, was randomly ambushed as she walked home in the evening of July 17, 1968, from school band practice in Midland Park and strangled with the leather strap of her bag. 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. 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. 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. Police would eventually link Richard to the case because of a fingerprint found on the set of handcuffs. Richard Cottingham was born on November 25th, 1946 in the Bronx, New York. [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. On May 15th another prostitute was found murdered in a motel room. Thankfully, Cottingham's reign of terror would not last forever. Richards wife filed for divorce in 1979, after years of affairs, but it was never finalized. ', Over four trials in the early 1980s, three in Jersey and one in New York, Richard Cottingham was convicted of five murders. We may, at no cost to you, receive a commission for purchases made through these links. It wasn't until the advancements in DNA and forensic processing made it possible for investigators to run samples of inmates that they realized how many cases were connected to the killer. 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. Cottingham would confess to many murders after being put behind bars. I think it was just an evolution in his killing.. 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, now 78, is a former computer programmer linked to at least 12 murders from the 60s and 70s. The series begins with a grisly discovery at the Travel Inn Motor Hotel in Times Square on December 2, 1979. Two focused entirely on him: Rod Leith's The Prostitute Murders: The People vs. Richard Cottingham (Lyle Stuart Inc., 1983) and Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer (Netflix, 2021). 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. As they burst into room 417, they saw two badly burned bodies on the twin beds. A father of three, Richard Cottingham seemed an unlikely killer. 'It was a game to me. Richard kept things like jewelry and trinkets as souvenirs from the slayings. Multiple trials were held and hed eventually be found guilty in all of them. Its unclear what he was stealing, if he was short on money or so there was no trail of him purchasing a specific item. Subscribe to our mailing list and get interesting stuff and updates to your email inbox. [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. This site contains affiliate links. In December 2019, forensic historian and author Peter Vronsky, on the eve of publishing the revelation in his second edition of Serial Killers: The Method and Madness of Monsters, publicized the confessions with the BCPO's cooperation, in a community meeting in Midland Park. 24/7 Availability. Once he had his fill, Richard decided to light the bodies on fire and flee the scene. This murder was later linked to the 1977 murder of Maryann Carr, who was left in the same motel's parking lot. It contained many items that linked him to the murders. [13] In 2021, he pleaded guilty to the 1974 kidnapping, raping and drowning of Lorraine Marie Kelly and Mary Ann Pryor. June 12, 2022 | tj maxx distribution center san antonio | Category: . He had an apartment in New York City that he told Janet he needed for late nights at work. Among S&M books and pornographic artwork wereMaryann Carr's apartment key and jewelry that belonged to his other victims. Richard Cottingham . The crime scene was particularly gruesome, Cottingham severed her breasts and placed them on the headboard before torching the room. 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. Still, the extent of Richard Cottinghams crimes shocked New York and New Jersey. She had been given one hell of a beating and her killer had eaten away at her nipples, almost severing one. Janet had even filed for divorce in 1979, though she reneged the next year. He would be charged with robbery, sodomy, and sexual assault but all charges would ultimately be dismissed. 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. In addition to killing sex workers, Richard Cottingham had also killed a number of girls and women in New Jersey. The first killing was that of Valerie Ann Street. Cottingham murdered Jennifer Weiss' birth mom Deedeh Goodarzi in a Times Square motel room in 1979. Cottingham committed his first known murder when he was 20-years-old, although he claims to have started as an adolescent. 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. One of these cases was of Diane Cusick, a 23-year-old dance teacher. It is believed that she was his first victim, In 2021Cottingham confessed and pleaded guilty to the double kidnapping and murders of Lorraine Marie Kelly, 16 and Mary Ann Pryor, 17 in 1974. But Cottinghams depravity was much deeper than police realized at the time of his arrest. Hes younger when all this is going on in Bergen County, Anzilotti explained. 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. A search of Cottingham's home turned up a bizarre "trophy room," containing personal effects from several of the murdered prostitutes. FROM THE FOUNDER. Homicide detectives linked the murder with that of the murder of teenage hooker Helen Sikes. As Cottingham was fleeing the scene of the torso murders, he briefly encountered the 23-year-old Peter Vronsky, who was attempting to check into the Travel Inn while in New York on a film production assignment. They executed a search warrant on Cottingham's family home where they found a secret, locked 'trophy room' that stashed souvenirs of his evil deeds. And Richard spent inordinate amounts of time in their basement, where Janet later found womens clothing, shoes, and jewelry. It was the same motel that a maid had discovered the mutilated body of Valerie Street just two weeks earlier, and the body of Maryann Car in 1977. Someone had called about a girl screaming, as if she was being tortured. Growing up, he had trouble making friends, and after graduating high school, he worked for his fathers insurance company. Crystal Ponti. Soon after checking in, the 18-year-old girls screams began to echo throughout the halls of the hotel. 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. So the detective started spending time with the Times Square Killer. Leslie added, He told me to shut up, that I was a whore, and I had to be punished. During a court appearance Tuesday, 74-year-old Richard Cottingham, also known as the "Torso Killer," pleaded guilty and admitted he kidnapped and raped the girls, then drowned them in a motel room . In 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. Farm Heroes Saga, the #4 Game on iTunes. She would later be found in Queens horribly mutilated. 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. [3], Richard Francis Cottingham was born on November 25, 1946, in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City, the first of four children. Over the years, he confessed to killing several more women, with his earliest known murder in 1967. We Know What Kind of Creeps Are Out There ! He would graduate in 1964 and shortly afterwards, take a job with his father at the Met Life Insurance Company, working on the companys computers. He bragged to police officers and fellow inmates that he had murdered more than 100 women in various parts of the United States throughout his active years. Soon after their arrival then man tried to escape but was apprehended shortly thereafter. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Richard Cottingham, 74, pleaded guilty Tuesday to murdering Mary Ann Pryor, 17, and Lorraine Marie Kelly, 16, both of North Bergen. Within his home, detectives were able to find his trophy room which contained multiple personal items and keepsakes which belonged to his victims. Richard would start to come out of his shell socially when he entered high school, attending Pascack Valley High School. For the murders of Mary and Lorraine, Richard was to receive two life sentences that would run concurrently with the time hes been serving. 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. Things started well, a nice massage to relax things. The other girls did, you have to take it too. Three of those murders Cottingham later confessed to included Jacalyn Harp. 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