Richard Cottingham
Encyclopedia
Richard Francis Cottingham is a serial killer
from New Jersey
operating in New York
between 1967 and 1980. He was nicknamed 'the torso killer', due to his habit of dismembering his victims, usually leaving nothing but a torso
behind. In one case, he dismembered two prostitutes in a motel room, taking the hands and heads with him before setting the room on fire. He was eventually convicted of murder in 1981 after being caught fleeing an attempted murder. Several books have been written about him including The Torso Killer and "The Prostitute Murders" (ISBN 1-55817-518-0) both written by Rod Leith, a newspaper writer and local historian who had covered Cottingham's case from the beginning. Officially Cottingham killed six people but he claims between 85 and 100 murders.
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
from New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
operating in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
between 1967 and 1980. He was nicknamed 'the torso killer', due to his habit of dismembering his victims, usually leaving nothing but a torso
Torso
Trunk or torso is an anatomical term for the central part of the many animal bodies from which extend the neck and limbs. The trunk includes the thorax and abdomen.-Major organs:...
behind. In one case, he dismembered two prostitutes in a motel room, taking the hands and heads with him before setting the room on fire. He was eventually convicted of murder in 1981 after being caught fleeing an attempted murder. Several books have been written about him including The Torso Killer and "The Prostitute Murders" (ISBN 1-55817-518-0) both written by Rod Leith, a newspaper writer and local historian who had covered Cottingham's case from the beginning. Officially Cottingham killed six people but he claims between 85 and 100 murders.