| On December 21, 2021 10:06 AM. He openly admitted Tuesday to drowning two North Bergen girls in a hotel bathtub in 1974 and leaving their remains in the Montvale woods. And I dont know if hes telling the truth or not. Im gonna continue to fuck with you unless you start talking. Cottingham agreed to talk with the understanding that Anzilotti would never mess with him again. A+E Networks EMEA is an amalgamation of A+E Networks UK, Germany, Italy, Poland, Nordics, Benelux, Spain and Africa. No one came to talk to me until Rob showed up years later. She had been beaten, raped, sodomized and forced at knife point to give the man a blow job. Hugh was born on 12 October 1968 in Shane Gillis family consists of two siblings and his parents Philip and Joan Gillis. He comes from the golden age of serial murderers. And, of course, hes spoken to Vronsky for his upcoming book. (1981, June 16). The recent hearing and investigation of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol are expected to hear public testimony on Tuesday after Macon Coun Ronald Kirby and Nancy Dunning were shot and killed by the same murderer. Information and news about serial killers. FUN FACT: New Jersey serial killer, Richard Francis Cottingham, is He wanted any and all confessions kept out of the press. Finally, in 2010, Cottingham cracked, confessing to the 1967 murder of Nancy Schiava Vogel, a 29-year-old married mother of two who was found, strangled and nude, in her car in Ridgefield Park. Great focus on the history (& plight) of sex workers and societys attitudes towards them. 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. We will always work tirelessly until we can provide both justice and closure for her and her family., What everyone can agree on, however, is that if these confessions are going to happen, they need to happen fast. Cottingham had alluded to the crime over his years with Anzilotti but was reluctant to officially confess, as he said it was a particularly noteworthy local incident. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. 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 on March 1, 1970. 29 Vreeland St. Lori, N.J. Richard lived here with his wife and 3 children in the mid 70's until after his incarceration. Depravity comes to mind as a word but he would say they have a mutual respect. But he feels relief knowing he has come clean for the families and for himself.". 0000001250 00000 n I was excited. I was scared of him. Throughout his murdering spree, Cottingham was detained on various minor counts; the authorities were unaware of his killings at the time. He answered that query more on that later but their relationship didnt stop there. ), If you ask Cottingham about his relationship with Anzilotti, hell give it to you straight: He respects the former cop, but hes in charge of what he chooses to reveal. By Heres How, Roy Wood Jr. He was also a married, respectable man with three children. Tuh (@KaytsAdventures) December 30, 2021, U mean to tell me Richard Cottingham killed over 80 people and his wife had no clue. On December 5, 2022 Cottingham admitted he also killed five women on Long Island in the late 1960s and early 1970s. to keep expanding and making Murderpedia a better site, but we really In April 1980, Cottinghams wife had filed for divorce, charging him with extreme cruelty and refusal to engage in marital sex since late 1976. 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. We want to hear it. The New York State Police, for their part, cant say much at the moment, as these possible confessions are an open and active case. Personalities shine at A+E Networks EMEA. North-jersey.com A father of three, Richard Cottingham seemed an unlikely killer. With our diverse line-up of original, high-quality programming, our distribution partners across EMEA recognise the benefits of offering A+E Networks EMEA's distinctive, high quality brands on their platforms and services. If they can get more confessions out of him, Ive always supported Peter and Jennifer in that regard. As recently as April 2021, he admitted to drowning two New Jersey girls after seizing them while they were shopping at a mall in 1974, according to NorthJersey.com. Hes able to recall details only police would know, after all. The dismembered heads and hands were never discovered when Cottingham departed the site. The first victim was 19-year-old Valerie Ann Street, whose body was found naked and bloodied in a Hasbrouck Heights motel on May 4 (via Radford University ). And hes a major control freak.. Cottingham was arrested for several minor charges throughout his killing spree; the police were not aware of his murders at the time. He claimed victims in New York, as did "Son of Sam" David Berkowitz. 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. One week later police were called to the same motel, but this time it was for a disturbance. He asked the judge to play it cool, so as not to spook Cottingham out of future confessions. Its just a game of, Lets see if you can get this out of me., False confessions are a known phenomenon among serial killers, but those who have come into contact with Cottingham think his are credible. Though we should mention Richard was arrested for robbery, sexual assault, and unlawful imprisonment in the early 1970s, only for the cases to soon be dismissed. Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. 0000001071 00000 n Maryann Carr, 26, nurse, and Richard's first victim. The judge made [Richard] turn around, look at the victims family, and apologize. However, the police are yet to confirm the identity of the person they arrested. Richard Cottingham, convicted of murdering prostitute and kidnapping three. 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. Anzilotti had spent years bending to Cottinghams press-shy will, only to have the dam burst. Richard Cottingham (American Serial Killer) ~ Bio with [ Photos | Videos ] l found him sincere (for a cop) so I agreed to see him again. He admitted to kidnapping, rapping, and drowning two adolescent females in 1974 in 2021. 0000007658 00000 n April 1979 32 Wife Janet filed for divorce 12/02/1979 33 Second victim Deedeh Goodarzi's (WF, 23) body and third victim "Jane Doe's" . I think at some level we became friends yet always aware of the line between us.. Richard turned white, started sweating. Hicks, a public information officer for the State Police, does, however, tell Rolling Stone: The New York State Police have continued to investigate every lead developed in the March of 1980 murder of an unknown female. Im not going to pretend Im scared., Former Bergen County Chief of Police Robert Anzilotti a fast-talking silver-haired archetype of the word cop who has been on Cottinghams case for about 17 years first met Weiss and Vronsky in 2017. A search of Cottinghams home turned up a bizarre trophy room, containing personal effects from several of the murdered prostitutes. But I also felt an obligation to Rob for all the years he put into convincing me to do the right thing.. startxref [Its a] love/hate relationship., Weiss is aware how weird it is that she regularly talks to a serial killer one who killed her mother, no less. FUN FACT: New Jersey serial killer Richard Francis Cottingham is often referred to as "Santa Claus" in prison. Anzilotti says they gave it their best try its been decades and they were dealing with a faded memory. Authorities believed it to be, thus far, the oldest criminal case to be solved and prosecuted by direct DNA evidence. Growing up 20 miles from Trenton in suburban Spotswood, New Jersey, Weiss had a. Janet's husband Richard is an Americian serial killer from New Jersey. [5] On May 15, 1980, Jean Reyner was strangled and her throat cut in New York's historic Seville Hotel. On August 21, 1972, he was charged and convicted of shoplifting at a Stern's department store in Paramus, New Jersey, and was sentenced to pay a $50 fine or ten days in jail. I think that [Vronsky and Weiss] have definitely encouraged him to continue to confess to the cases. Richard Cottingham (c.1794 - d.) - Genealogy Vronsky says Anzilotti was initially intrigued by the idea, but then backtracked. The other headless corpse was never identified. And shes also aware that her cavalier attitude about it (she named an early website about her efforts Serial Killers Need Hugs, Too) might be somewhat off-putting. [He confessed to killing Nancy Vogel] in April of 1967, Anzilotti says. Janet Cottingham is mostly known for being the wife of Richard Cottingham. So, if youre curious to find out more about Richards family, heres what we know! Hes shackled in the courtroom. In this image taken from a New Jersey Courts virtual hearing, Richard Cottingham, center, known as the Torso Killer, pleads guilty Tuesday, April 27, 2021, to two 1974 murders. Until recently, his only known victims were Street; radiologist MaryAnn Carr of Little Ferry, who he left behind in the parking lot of that same hotel in 1977; Deedeh Goodarzi and her unidentified friend; and 25-year-old Jean Mary Ann Reyner. WjgF\A9Ro9r/;l5Gh3h}NG2L -S$B{s"=z{ 0EaSe,&@yJQ>`n; ;dj7n (~>*}fEx*\W]xvpt]/k"0JTj4%`G?t$8I@FmYkr(_5_+ jfbXP{]~&I6"%}\STHD Ld2=ENhk$)HESdX,g o+IkRC~eC1 dm"GZBDM7~K&'/9"[{$AXH'my | On December 30, 2021 11:48 AM. 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. In the years since his initial convictions, Cottingham has confessed to many more murders. Janet Cottingham has remained low-key and out of the spotlight after testifying against her then-partner, Richard Cottingham. Before his arrest, Richard had a relatively normal childhood and was married with children, living in New Jersey. She later testified that he said, "You have to take it. I find him to be without a soul. They had been doused with lighter fluid and set alight. On the other hand, Janet Cottingham's ex-partner, Richard Francis Cottingham, an American serial murderer from New Jersey, committed murders in New York and New Jersey. [6] In 2022, Cottingham officially confessed to the 1970 murder of Lorraine McGraw, under a non-prosecution agreement. Together, they built a site called NewJerseyGirlMurders.com, where they map out cold cases across the state, which they then bring to Cottingham in hopes of jogging his memory. Keep up to date with our latest articles, creepy news, info and products and receive promo material for great deals on all your wicked products. Her breasts had been hacked off and her body was set on fire. We Know What Kind of Creeps Are Out There ! Serial killer Richard Francis Cottingham - Crimes Lab #NewYork #TrueCrime @netflix pic.twitter.com/CGTPeMLJTQ. Cottingham offered to give O'Dell a massage and she rolled onto her stomach. Richard Francis Cottingham is an American serial killer and rapist born on November 25, 1946, in New York City, United States. Then in exchange for immunity from prosecution, he confessed to murdering three New Jersey schoolgirls. Janet Cottingham is mostly known for being the wife of Richard Cottingham. Richard's wife filed for divorce in 1979, after years of affairs, but it was never finalized. This murder was linked to an earlier murder in the same motel. Here are some of the details to follow. I personally dont get it, he tells Rolling Stone of Weiss efforts with Cottingham. Enter Vronsky and Weiss. He had three kids and worked as a computer operator at the Empire State Blue CrossBlue Shield insurance company on Third Avenue in midtown Manhattan the 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. shift. But beneath the veneer of normalcy was a heinous double-existence as a serial killer. In an old photo, dark-haired Jennifer grins between her fairer parents, bangs teased high, teal dress puffy. For more information, please see our So thats 13 years that he was out there preying on women.. 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. However, he spent a lot of his time looking for sex workers in Times Square. Cottingham, now 75, has spent the last four decades in relative obscurity, watching hours of police procedurals and detective shows behind bars as he slid into his seventies and his health hit a steady decline. He is an unusual serial killer, Vronsky says. getting cuffed after verdict in this 1982 file photo. 0000006846 00000 n He severely bit, scraped, and cut their bodies, at times removing flesh, and other forms of torture. It was his interactions with New Jerseys infamous murderer Richard Leonard Kuklinski (a.k.a. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of theTerms and Conditions. Eventually, I gave him a case to see how he would handle it and keep his word to me.. Vronsky thinks of he and Weiss as the good cop and the bad cop, respectively. Vronsky and Weiss had been meeting with Cottingham in prison since the spring of 2017, counseling him to make the confession. After his arrest his wife filed for divorce in June. Its evident in the way he signs his emails Richie after more than one missive, and in how he pits everyone against each other in his interview answers. I felt indestructible, she says. Our culture embraces individuals, in all their daring, passionate, ambitious glory. Although he preyed on sex workers, like Goodarzi, it wasnt a pattern; he also killed mothers, career women, and, horrifyingly, a 13-year-old girl. Inside they found the bodies of 22-year-old sex worker Deedeh Goodarzi[9] and an unidentified woman estimated to be aged between 16 and 22. I was scared he was going to come and kill me. After Weiss survived breast cancer in 2017 and her mother died in 2010 and her father in 2015 she decided to face her fears. In his possession police found a murder kit which consisted of handcuffs, leather gags, slave collars, knives, pistols, and pills. When he talked to Cottingham the other week, he gave him the old rundown: You could die tomorrow. Richard Francis Cottingham | WickedWe - The Dark Side of Humanity The age difference between Hugh Jackman and his wife Deborra is 13 years. 0000001968 00000 n and our (Weiss told, the location, but asked us not to print it lest amateur sleuths tamper with the scene. I couldnt even go toward Trenton. We want to be famous for creating and sharing stories that matter unique, trusted, entertaining, everywhere. Where Is Janet Cottingham Now -Is She Still Alive? Richard Cottingham Wife Richard Francis Cottingham "The Torso Killer" Information researched and summarized by Jacklyn Cowin, Jenna Leonette, and The Phan . 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", "How a retired detective snared his seventh 'Torso Killer' confession", "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=1152342951, American people convicted of sexual assault, American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment, People convicted of murder by New York (state), Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by New Jersey, Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by New York (state), Violence against women in the United States, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. Neither complainant appeared in further proceedings, however, and the case was dismissed. She is a business owner and a double Scorpio who loves all things astrology and reality television. Bundy and Cottingham: Natural Born Serial Killers - Exemplore I was upset for a decade, Weiss says. Cottingham often sought female sex workers in their late-teens to mid-twenties. The anguish is palpable. And then, from 1966, he was employed at Blue Cross Blue Shield Association in New York. Cottingham stood trial and denied the killings, but was ultimately found guilty in August 1984 of all five slayings and was sent to a state prison in New Jersey, sentenced to more than 200 years in prison, per The New York Times. He was dubbed The Torso Killer and Times Square Torso . He asked that he be allowed to make the confessions on camera with Weiss in the room. I wanted to find her. No, he says. Cottingham was apprehended in the hallway by arriving police officers. Richard Cottingham | Criminal Minds Wiki | Fandom If it was up to me, I would rather close the chapter. Via an agreement with the families, Anzilotti was able to close those cases without going to court or the press until 2020. He has deep regrets. They bodies also had their hands removed. Cottingham, now 75 years old, continues to serve time in New Jersey State Prison in Trenton. And the cop did his best. Vronsky wants him and Weiss in the room on neutral ground, outside the confines of the prison, as are Cottinghams conditions. Richard, between 1967 and 1980, had murdered at least 17 young women and girls in New York and New Jersey. We have a file here full of things wed like to discuss with you, Weiss recalls. After dismembering and decapitating two victims at a Hells Kitchen motel on W. 42nd Street and Tenth Avenue near Times Square on December 2, 1979. Thank you very much in advance. Whether our stories challenge and inspire intellectually or simply entertain, we know that we are making a positive contribution to our audiences across the many diverse regions and countries in the UK, Europe, The Middle East and Africa. In the Spring of 1973, at age 26, he graduated from the University of Washington. Weiss has managed to piece together a truncated history of Goodzaris life from growing up in Kuwait to relocating to New York at age 14 with her father to entering the sex trade. All Rights Reserved. The comedian often celebrates Christmas and New Year's Eve with his household members. 0000003183 00000 n Maryann Carr was also brutally beaten, but police could not positively link the crimes. After much deliberation, a new deal was soon reached, Vronsky claims, that after Cottingham pleaded guilty to the two New Jersey murders, he would then confess to a series of crimes he committed in New York provided he be hosted outside the prison on the neutral ground of the Bergen County Prosecutors Office and Weiss and Vronsky be in attendance. In May of 1978, her mother, Deedeh Goodarzi, put her up for adoption at an agency in the shadow of the New Jersey State Prison and its barbed-wire crowned fences. Cottingham is formally charged with the murders of 11 people, but he claims to have killed between 85 and 100 more. Here is everything about Janet Cottingham. When Cottingham talks about Anzilotti keeping his word, he means keeping the case out of the media. Where Is Janet Cottingham? Richard Cottingham Wife and Daughter - Is He For proof of that, just look at his crimes. Scan this QR code to download the app now. I went down to the prison in Trenton, stepped to him, and said, The reason youre in here is because of me. Weiss first met Cottingham through a sheet of glass for a window visit and was shocked to discover that she wasnt scared of the man before her, who resembled Santa gone to seed. His earliest recorded confession was in the late Sixties, but Vronsky says Cottingham claims to have been murdering women since he was in his teens in New Jersey, when he was a high school athlete with slicked-back blond hair and a hard smile. [2] Four surviving abduction-rape victims testified against Cottingham; he was convicted in three of the cases and acquitted in one. . Vronsky says that come 2020, Cottingham told him that he was willing to confess to a series of around 16 murders across New York and New Jersey as a kind of favor to the writer, who was working on his book, and Weiss, who had dreams of being a public figure and performer. When the sun went down, and the moon came up, the animal form that is in all of us came out and controlled my actions. A particularly sadistic killer, Cottingham raped and tortured his victims before murdering them. Help us build our profile of Richard Cottingham! . And its with just as much passion that we strive to gain new audiences with our creativity and by using innovative technology, by partnering with leading and emerging local platforms. I dont think there is anything good coming out of it., For his part, Cottingham describes Weiss in terms that sound almost like love or some form of infatuation. He has a lot of respect for me. Cookie Notice Theres a lot of finger-pointing going on, but it all boils down to where Cottingham will make the confessions and to whom. He lived with his wife and kids in. Cottingham is a prisoner in Trenton, New Jersey's New Jersey State Prison. defense attorney, A few years later, she said it was a fire. This site contains affiliate links. Janet's husband Richard is an Americian serial killer from New Jersey. When they forced their way inside and put the fire out they found something more than burnt furniture. He asked for impossible things. He had three children, two boys and a girl, with his wife. He also all-but confessed to Weiss and Vronsky, the latter says, in 2018. Still, she was the one to break the news to Deedehs extended family about her death, according to Deedehs cousin, Mehrdad Goudarzi. 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. Where Is Richard Cottingham's Family Now? - The Cinemaholic Things got even more complicated after the next trio of confessions: the strangling deaths of 18-year-old Irene Blase in 1969, 15-year-old Denise Falasca that same year, and 13-year-old Jackie Harp in 1968. 21 0 obj <> endobj He answered that query more on that later but their relationship didnt stop there. I didnt want to ever have to try to find her skull, Weiss says of her mother, whose identity she says she uncovered in 2003, when she was in her early twenties. [4], On May 3, 1970, Cottingham was married at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Queens Village, Queens. Weiss contacted the Fort Lee Police Department in 2017 to report that Cottingham had told her where Goodarzis head was located: under a prominent New York landmark. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. [15] In December 2022, Cottingham was convicted of Diane Cusick's 1968 murder and, under a non-prosecution agreement, officially admitted to killing another four women during 19721973 in Long Island, New York: Mary Beth Heinz, Laverne Moye, Sheila Heiman, and Maria Emerita Rosado Nieves. Murderpedia has thousands of hours of work behind it. 0000001412 00000 n Trophies like jewellery and other personal items belonging to his victims were taken by him. Who Was 'Torso Killer' Richard Cottingham And Where Is He Now? At 23, Weiss reached out to that adoption agency in Trenton to get access to her files and her original birth certificate. Hes an old man in a wheelchair with dentures who killed up to a hundred women, she says, stressing that they are not friends. Our stories are global and local, linear and digital, and always compelling. The three-episode series focuses on Richard Cottingham, known as the Torso Killer," who was initially believed to have preyed on sex workers in New York City's Times Square. RICHARD KAY reveals how Angela Kelly 'lost power and influence' When arrested, he had handcuffs, a leather gag, two slave collars, a switchblade knife, replica pistols, and a stockpile of prescription pills. When Vronsky exited the elevator, leaving the man behind, he walked into a hotel peppered with ash and a smell he describes as burning chicken feathers. Part of the rapport I have with Cottingham is often just, you know, reminiscing about old New York where was the best pastrami in 1977, Vronsky says. He is famous for being a Criminal. 0000008501 00000 n from South Woods State Prison for his first published interview in more than 10 years, credits both, seeming to play his confidantes against each other even behind bars. The New York State Police, for their part, cant say much at the moment, as these possible confessions are an open and active case. When she was 12, she started wondering in earnest who her real parents were often when she was angry with her mother and looking to pick a fight. Who Was The 'Torso Killer' Richard Cottingham And Where Is He Now? How did he think this would all gonna end?, Anzilotti, for his part, is wry. iP^ -KvWZvxhc'm$93tSz =oBTmD]+)bTJ T|u>/. Richard Cottingham - Wikipedia 'Torso Killer' Richard Cottingham indicted in 1968 slaying - New York Post His family relocated to River Vale, New Jersey, in . The only thing he has control over is what comes out of his mouth. Investigation of the suspects background revealed two arrests for consorting with hookers in the early 1970s, with both cases dismissed. Richard Francis COTTINGHAM - Murderpedia Credit aside, its not been an easy path when it comes to getting confessions out of Cottingham. The couples divorce was seemingly finalized in 1981, and all of them have preferred to maintain a low profile since then. The missing body part were never found, but once x-rayed one victim was identified as Deedeh Goodarzi, 22, an immigrant from Kuwait who was working as a prostitute. Since the two criminals were at the same facility, Kuklinski fed Anzilotti intel about Cottinghams illegal gambling ring, and the cop staged a bust. Surviving that attempt and two others, he was held under $250,000 bond while detectives built their overwhelming case against him. Over the last decade or so, however, the killer who has been convicted of eight murders has been slowly confessing to a series of cold cases. Things kind of went south in court, Anzilotti recalls. On May 3, 1970, Richard married his wife Janet at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in NJ. Cottingham reportedly has "deep regrets" about his actions. Someone had called about a girl screaming, as if she was being tortured. Janet Cottingham provided most of the insights into her husband, Richard Cottingham's decision, and was one of the key players in Richard's sentencing. She agreed to have sex with him for money. //-->