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He enjoys our relationship. 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. Cusicks daughter, Darlene Altman, told Nassau County Judge Caryn Fink her late grandparents raised her after her mothers shocking slaying. His additional confession to a 1974 murder was discounted by Rockland County police. How it ended was me literally shaking his hand and saying, Thank you, Mr. Anzilotti said. 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. But in 2009, he surfaced to again make waves, when he gave a chilling interview to journalist Nadia Fezzani about his motivation and his body count. Then came Tuesdays pleas. It was an era when the sex worker was criminalized. The following is a list of his victims in chronological order. %%EOF There were at least five unsolved killings of girls, each an open wound for families seeking resolution. 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. Photos of the house and other related images. endstream endobj 22 0 obj<> endobj 23 0 obj<> endobj 24 0 obj<>/ColorSpace<>/Font<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageC]/ExtGState<>>> endobj 25 0 obj<> endobj 26 0 obj<> endobj 27 0 obj<> endobj 28 0 obj[/ICCBased 41 0 R] endobj 29 0 obj<> endobj 30 0 obj<> endobj 31 0 obj<> endobj 32 0 obj<> endobj 33 0 obj<>stream Once again, the victim did not appear in further proceedings and the case was dismissed.[6]. Cottingham murdered at least twelve women between 1967 and 1980. Among the other faces in separate windows on the Zoom screen was a 66-year-old woman, identified simply as Nancy. He was also extremely fidgety and unable to sit still. 0000001071 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. A married father of three, he lived in the. The predator, dubbed The Torso Killer, would strike again in May 1980. There was also a lockbox filled with trophies from his murders, including Maryann Carrs apartment key and a necklace belonging to Jean Reyner. But Cottingham had other victims, and he would later boast of killing 85 to 100 people. When Mr. Cottingham entered prison in 1981, Robert Anzilotti was not yet a teenager. It is situated at 29 Vreeland Street in Lodi, New Jersey. Richard Cottingham, 74, appeared virtually in court Tuesday to admit to the slayings of 17-year-old Mary Ann Pryor and 16-year-old Lorraine Marie Kelly. [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. Its mind-boggling and very scary, especially to know theres more of them out there.. 0000004577 00000 n trailer Her attacker was caught as he ran away. 0000002831 00000 n [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). Then hed clear the room until only he and Mr. Cottingham faced each another, and begin with his questions. 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Everything that I was taught about evil was evident in his presence, in his demeanor, in the gaze of his eyes, Moye told The Post. 0000003431 00000 n They captured Cottingham soon after. Over time, though, one investigator was slowly developing a theory. In October 1966, he became a computer operator for Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, where he worked until his 1980 arrest. 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. She then grew up without a father because her grandparents did not like him, she said. He described in detail how, instead, he took the girls to a motel, held them captive and eventually drowned them in the bathtub. James McMorrow, Cottingham confessed last year to three other cold-case slayings of teenage school girls in Bergen County: Jacalyn (Jackie) Harp, 13, of Midland Park, who was walking home from school band practice on July 17, 1968 when she was strangled with the leather strap of her flag sling; Irene Blase, 18, of Bogota, who went missing from Hackensack on April 7, 1969 and was found strangled in Saddle River; Denise Falasca, 15, of Closter, who went missing from Westwood on July 14, 1969. 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. No one could find any clues in the girls backgrounds: no drugs, no trouble with the law. She was believed to have accepted a ride from a stranger, and her body was found on the side of a road near a cemetery. Richard Cottingham, 76, pleaded guilty to the February 1968 murder of Diane Cusick, 23, and admitted to strangling four additional women in the 1970s in Nassau County. We've received your submission. Fifty years after his mother was strangled and thrown from a Long Island bridge, John Moye finally got a glimpse of the wickedness that altered his life forever. In this case, instead, he removed her breasts and placed them on the headboard for shock value, former Commanding Officer of Bronx Homicide and criminal profiler Vernon Geberth says in the series, noting it convinced him of one thing: Still, at the time, no one suspected the scope of this sexual sadists homicidal footprint, which stretched into the Garden State and had started more than a decade prior. To this day, I dont even think they would have ever said anything. 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). All rights reserved (About Us). Vronsky, who aided investigators in obtaining Junes indictment, is trying to coax as many confessions out of the aging, 300-pound serial killer as possible, but the clock is ticking since he suffers from diabetes and kidney disease, he said. [13] In 2021, he pleaded guilty to the 1974 kidnapping, raping and drowning of Lorraine Marie Kelly and Mary Ann Pryor. But there was an even bigger problem. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Click here to follow Daily Voice Hackensack and receive free news updates. One day, Cottingham told his co-worker that he had stolen a sex worker's money and clothes while she was sleeping. [6] In 2022, Cottingham officially confessed to the 1970 murder of Lorraine McGraw, under a non-prosecution agreement. Its taken more than 46 years, but a Bergen County police veteran who is only days from retirement got one of the countrys most notorious serial killers to confess. I have done many shows about serial killers, and I have always marveled at the fact that [Ted] Bundy, [John Wayne] Gacy, [Jeffrey] Dahmer and Berkowitz were all household names, perversely, Berlinger told The Post. It is situated at 29 Vreeland Street in Lodi, New Jersey. Retrieved April 2nd, 2007, from Factiva database. She had been tied up and strangled, authorities said. That girl was found drowned, similar to Blases killing, he said. After their drink, Cottingham offered to bring Blase back to the bus station where they had taken the bus. Which, of course, I wasnt overly interested in, the former chief said. It was quite a shock to learn it was him.. They found an 18-year-old victim who'd been bitten and stabbed bound with handcuffs. Berlinger said well never truly know how many women died at Cottinghams hands, but his story had long fascinated the director, who sees a social justice component aspect to telling his story. [4][5], After his graduation, Cottingham worked for Metropolitan Life, where his father was a vice-president, starting in the mail room at the firm's Manhattan headquarters and eventually became a mainframe computer operator upon taking computer courses. [12] Both bodies had their hands and heads removed, and had been doused with lighter fluid and set on fire. Richard Cottingham of Lodi (NJ) is sentenced to 173-179 years in prison. Ms. Falasca was a 15-year-old who left her familys house in July 1969 and never returned. He had not yet put in for retirement, or even told his boss he planned to do that the following week. A hotel worker arrived at Room 417 to find smoke and a horrible scene: the scorched remains of two women on a bed. Then, with just days remaining before the chief retired, the inmate relented. All these factors created this crucible in the center of Manhattan for Richard Cottingham to flourish.. The other girls did, you have to take it, too. Cottingham had just raped, tortured and beheaded two sex workers in a room at the motel before setting it on fire. The third result is Richard Eric Cunningham age 50s in Skillman, NJ. Neither complainant appeared in further proceedings, however, and the case was dismissed. <<69EF7C237A736942AE760EBDB9B8F80B>]>> Mr. Anzilotti, doing his best not to betray any emotion, slowly pulled out his Blackberry and took notes. He said he wouldn't have done it if I wasn't retiring.. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. A killing in Somerset County a week after Cottingham got his drivers license may have been one of his first victims, Vronsky said. Cottingham had kept these items as souvenirs so that he could remember his victims and relive his attacks. 0000002882 00000 n In his possession, the 33-year-old had a stash of handcuffs, tape and sedatives. The murders committed by the Torso Killer bore little resemblance to the ones Mr. Anzilotti was investigating, but their timing matched up with Mr. Cottinghams settling in New Jersey. 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. He had his list of names, each one a dead girl and a crime long unsolved. When you have a series of crimes today, everything goes through the computers, andwe have computer analysis and a wayof moving these through jurisdictionalboundaries. I thought he could be responsible for some, Mr. Anzilotti said. xb```"WVf~g`0pt 9"~S?``Z V|bG!+N}TzYl@2 `QD2 @DACEDJaOs6x?+[Ihlrt ? Therefore, you should be respectful and not step foot on the property without permission. This girl did everything right, Vronsky said. Crime: Cottingham, a Lodi resident, killed six women in New Jersey and New York between 1967 and 1980. The Google Street View image on the right was taken 38 years later, in June of 2018. Richard Cottingham, convicted of murdering prostitute and kidnapping three. That made 11 murders Cottingham that admitted since his arrest more than 30 years ago. Hes been chief of detectives nearly five years. The girls, Mary Ann Pryor, 17, and Lorraine Kelly, 16, had last been seen days earlier at a nearby bus stop. In May of 1980, police arrested Cottingham while he was torturing a sex worker at a motel room in New Jersey. He didnt have the decency or the dignity to ask for forgiveness or to even address the victims families. In April 2021, Cottingham confessed to the unsolved 1974 double-abduction, rape, and forcible drowning murders of Lorraine Marie Kelly, 16, and Mary Ann Pryor, 17, in Montvale, one of New Jersey's most notorious cold cases. The picture in the top left corner shows Cottingham during one of his trials. For over 40 years, its been folklore in this county.. 7{(~tm LB IBJ*ZB`0 I believe hes killed between 85 and 100, as he claims, Vronsky told The Post. Richard Cottingham was born in 1946 and was raised mostly in New Jersey, according to the The New York Times. Again and again, for 15 years, Mr. Anzilotti met with the inmate, seeking the truth. Anyone can read what you share. Richard Cottingham pleaded guilty to murder in the death of one Long Island woman and admitted under oath to killing four others. "From the sense of other things that Im uncovering, he was a very busy boy., I think the math worked out to one every six weeks, Vronsky also said. The killer would suddenly recall picking a girl up from a store somewhere, and the chief, in the front passenger seat as a detective drove, surreptitiously took notes. Richard Cottingham, serial killer from New Jersey operating in New York between 1967 and 1980. The Google Street View image above was taken in May of 2022. And considering the closure of yesterdays cases, I absolutely believe him.. She was Nancy Pryor, and she was 19 when her sister, Mary Ann, was found dead. Consequently, he was charged with attempted murder and kidnapping. They sat at the kitchen table, very professional, very polite, very considerate, Ms. Mulder recalled. The teenagers were last seen on Aug. 9, 1974, in North Bergen. . Richard Cottingham, a family man who denied everything in court, was convicted of killing five women in the early 1980s. Just shy of his 21st birthday, Richard Cottingham began a vicious killing spree that tore through north New Jersey and New York City. This is a private property. The family lived in Lodi, and Mr. Cottingham commuted to a job as a computer operator at Blue Cross Blue Shield in Manhattan. He also claimed to have committed 80 perfect murders no one knows about. I didnt know what to expect. After the hearing, the cameras off, Mr. Anzilotti approached Mr. Cottingham. Hearing prosecutors detail grisly crime scenes like where Laverne was found was especially difficult to endure, her son said. View Richard Cottingham's record in Manchester, NJ including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. 0000002435 00000 n Sitting in a conference room, Mr. Cottingham calmly reached back more than 40 years and described how hed murdered a woman whose name he couldnt remember, a 29-year-old mother found strangled in her car in Ridgefield Park, N.J., in 1967. What they want is an outright statement and a sign-off of Yes thats me,' Vronsky continued. It contains 0 bedroom and 0 bathroom. I was able to get almostany woman to do whatever I wanted them to do . Mr. Anzilotti insisted that this case be resolved in open court. Her youth and difference in appearance, with a boyish haircut, set her apart from the other victims. The items included necklaces, broaches, earrings, and other pieces of jewelry. Mr. Anzilotti and another investigator drove to the town of Reading, Vt., to deliver the news to Jackies older sister, Suzan Mulder, then 69. These include the Times Square Killer, the Torso Killer, and the Times Square Torso Ripper. The photographs are ordered from left to right and top to bottom. He enjoys our time together., The chief also had another theory. 0000007874 00000 n 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.. He was a coward.. He also claims that his true victim count is at least 85. Later on, Richard took a job with Blue Cross Blue Shield in New York as a computer operator. 0000007658 00000 n Stumped, the police used mannequins from nearby department stores and dressed them in the victims clothing, hoping to spark an identification from friends or family who recognized the outfits. In 2010, Bergen County authorities announced hed pleaded guilty to a sixth murder, a 1967 strangling in Bergen County. The body of Laverne Moye, of St. Albans, Queens, was discovered in a Rockville Centre creek on July 20, 1972. Both men were keenly aware that it was their years-old relationship that had brought about this moment. Cottingham has confessed to murdering 12 women. In other words, he may have been content and/or preoccupied. And even worse, the rape laws were particularly onerous, and you had to provide a witness to bring an allegation of rape. He forced his victims to address him as "master". I knew, he recalled, that was Irene Blase.. 0000006151 00000 n [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. However, please be aware that not allowing certain cookies may impact your experience of the site. The victim, Valerie Street, had just been busted in Miami for prostitution, and was last seen getting picked up by a man in New York City. 0000004535 00000 n Its an ongoing process, Vronsky said. Cottingham, a depraved killer already serving more than 200 years in prison, confessed to tossing the 22-year-old mother of two from a bridge ending her familys half-century quest for answers. There were similarities in the two cases: the girls ages, the apparently hasty disposal of their bodies, even their appearance, both with long, dark hair. The New York Times, p. 26. 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. His "justification" for doing this was that he "didn't like anyone getting one over" on him. trailer It doesnt bring my mother back, but at least I have answers now. 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. [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. Note that there seems to have been a "lull" between 1970 and 1973. To this day, their remains have never been recovered.