Richard Cottingham | |
|---|---|
 Cottingham's May 1980 mugshot | |
| Born | Richard Francis Cottingham November 25, 1946 |
| Other names | Torso Killer Times Square Ripper |
| Occupation | Computer operator |
| Criminal status | Incarcerated at South Woods State Prison, Bridgeton, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Spouse |
Janet Cottingham
(m. 1970; div. 1981) |
| Children | 3 |
| Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment |
| Details | |
| Victims | 18–19+ |
Span of crimes | 1967–1980 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | New York New Jersey |
Date apprehended | May 22, 1980 |
Richard Francis Cottingham (born November 25, 1946) is an American serial killer who was convicted in New York of six murders committed between 1972 and 1980 and convicted in New Jersey of twelve murders committed between 1967 and 1978.[1] He was nicknamed by media as the Torso Killer and the Times Square Ripper, since some of the murders he was convicted of included mutilation.
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. In 2009, decades after his first five murder convictions, Cottingham told a journalist he had committed at least 80 "perfect murders" of women in various regions of the United States.[2]
- ^ Bonfiglio, Briana (December 5, 2022). "'Torso Killer' Admits to Decades-old Murders of 5 Women in Nassau, Pleads Guilty in Green Acres Mall Killing". Long Island Press. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
- ^ Fezzani, Nadia (2015). Through the Eyes of Serial Killers: Interviews with Seven Murderers. Toronto, ON: Dundurn Press.