Richard Cottingham
American serial killer (born 1946) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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.
Richard Cottingham | |
---|---|
Born | Richard Francis Cottingham (1946-11-25) November 25, 1946 (age 77) |
Occupation | Computer operator |
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 Others suspected |
Date apprehended | May 22, 1980 |
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]