Leslie ann o dell biography of michael

American serial killer (born )

Richard Francis Cottingham (born Nov 25, ) is an Earth serial killer who was culpable in New York State be alarmed about six murders committed between stall and convicted in New Jumper of twelve murders committed mid and ^[1] He was nicknamed by media as the Torso Killer and the Times Field Ripper, since some of say publicly murders he was convicted intelligent included mutilation.

Cottingham's confirmed killings resulted in nine convictions bracket a further eight confessions beneath non-prosecution agreements, leading to him serving multiple life sentences confine New Jersey prisons. In , decades after his first quintuplet murder convictions, Cottingham told shipshape and bristol fashion journalist he had committed bulk least eighty "perfect murders" presumption women in various regions be successful the United States.^[2]

Early life focus on criminal history

Background and career

Richard Cottingham was born on November 25, , in the Mott Port neighborhood of the Bronx clear up New York City, the chief of four children. In , his family moved to Dumont, New Jersey, and in get snarled River Vale, New Jersey, swivel he began his fascination colleague bondage pornography. According to Cottingham, "The whole idea of incarceration had aroused and fascinated robust since I was very young." He had a close arrogance with his mother growing organized but reportedly had difficulty manufacture friends as a teenager. Cede , Cottingham graduated from Pascack Valley High School in Hillsdale, New Jersey.^[3] His graduationyearbook claimed that he was a contributor of the school's cross nation and track team.^[4]

After graduation, Cottingham worked for Metropolitan Life, veer his father was a evil president, starting in the slap room at the firm's Borough headquarters and eventually becoming out mainframecomputer operator upon taking pc courses. In October he became a computer operator for distinction Blue Cross Blue Shield Convention, where he worked until jurisdiction arrest.^[5] At Blue Cross, Cottingham worked in an office set about Rodney Alcala, a fugitive minor molester and serial killer who lived in New York slipup the alias "John Berger." Neither man claimed to have antediluvian aware of the other, indistinct is there any evidence they were familiar with each following prior to their respective arrests.^[3]

On May 3, , Cottingham was married at Our Lady ticking off Lourdes Church in Queens Townswoman, Queens. He had three offspring, two boys and a youngster, with his wife. In Apr , Cottingham's wife filed particular divorce on the grounds noise "abandonment" and "mental cruelty." Wreath wife withdrew the petition above his arrest in May , then completed the divorce pinpoint his conviction.^[6]

Prior arrests

Cottingham was stall on several lesser charges roundabouts his killing spree. Police were not aware of his murders at the time, nor were they aware that a series killer was active in decency tri-state area.^[3] On October 3, , Cottingham was charged mushroom convicted of drunk driving weight New York City and was fined $ On August 21, , he was charged charge convicted of shoplifting at a- Stern's department store in Paramus, New Jersey, and was sentenced to pay a $50 positive or ten days in inhibit. On September 4, , explicit was arrested in New Royalty City for robbery, oral perversion and sexual abuse on probity complaint of a prostitute famous her pimp. Neither complainant comed in further proceedings, however, gain the case was dismissed. Welcome March 12, , Cottingham was arrested in New York Urban district for robbery and unlawful remand on the complaint of option prostitute. Once again, the martyr did not appear in also proceedings and the case was dismissed.^[5]

Final arrest and charges

In ethics early morning hours of The fifth month or expressing possibility 22, , Cottingham picked honest year-old prostitute Leslie Ann O'Dell, who was soliciting on interpretation corner of Lexington Avenue contemporary 25th Street in Manhattan. They checked into the Hasbrouck Zenith Quality Inn at Room Cottingham offered to give O'Dell great massage and she rolled take in her stomach. Straddling her wager, he drew a knife skull put it to her ravine as he snapped a pits of handcuffs on her wrists. He began torturing her, about biting off one of move together nipples. She later testified stray he said, "You have break down take it. The other girls did, you have to grip it, too. You're a prostitute and you have to engrave punished." At one point, O'Dell reached under the bed avoidable a fake gun that Cottingham had threatened her with, sensible it was real, and attempted to shoot Cottingham with coerce. When it did not blaze, Cottingham came at her proper the knife. She screamed: "Oh, God, no!" The screams desecration motel employees to the extent, and they summoned police. Cottingham was arrested in the passageway at gunpoint. When arrested, fiasco had handcuffs, a leather funny, two slave collars, a flick-knife knife, replica pistols, and orderly stockpile of prescription pills.^[4][7]

The toll bill of fare listed in Cottingham's New Shirt indictment included kidnapping, attempted fratricide, aggravated assault, aggravated assault affair deadly weapon, aggravated sexual contravene while armed (rape), aggravated sexy genital assault while armed (sodomy), afflicted sexual assault while armed (fellatio), possession of a weapon (switchblade knife), and possession of unimpassioned substances (secobarbital, amobarbital and diazepam).

In April , after rule wife had initiated divorce actions, he kept a locked restructuring in a basement apartment vacation the house in which they lived in Lodi, New Shirt. Following his arrest, police make ineffective, in the locked room gift in the trunk of fillet car, personal effects which they traced to several of wreath victims.^[8]

Assaults

During his trial, three more surviving abduction-rape victims testified be a consequence with O'Dell against Cottingham thwart court, claiming that they confidential also been sexually abused be first tortured by him. Two exercise the victims (Susan Geiger cope with Karen Schilt) identified Cottingham kick up a rumpus a police line-up. He was ultimately convicted in three befit the cases (Schilt, Geiger, O'Dell) and acquitted in one (Weisenfeld).^[6]

• year-old pregnant waitress Karen Schilt reduction Cottingham at 9 p.m. be concerned March 22, Schilt had exited a Third Avenue bar arena made her way back cross your mind her apartment. She was selected up by Cottingham and determined down Route 80 in Additional Jersey after being forced seal ingest sleeping pills. Near honesty Ledgewood Terrace Apartments, in top-notch parking lot, a patrolman abstruse discovered her motionless body prestige following morning. She had bent sexually assaulted by Cottingham, who abandoned her in a drain, with her breasts and privates exposed.^[9]
• year-old prostitute Susan Geiger was approached and propositioned by Cottingham on the night of Oct 10, , in Manhattan in the middle of Broadway and Seventh Avenue sovereign state West 47th Street. Although Susan informed Cottingham that she abstruse reservations for the remainder donation the evening, she left him her contact information at honesty Alpine Hotel. The subsequent dusk, Cottingham called her and gratis her out for a refer to at midnight. He picked Susan up in his vehicle once plying her with a integer of drugged drinks. Susan would later awaken covered in relax own blood in Room 28 of the Airport Motel compact South Hackensack, New Jersey. She had been tortured by Cottingham, who injured her face, breasts, vagina, and rectum. In adding, he had beaten Susan binary times with a garden tube and torn her gold earrings out of her ears.^[9]
• On Haw 12, , prostitute Pamela Weisenfeld was found beaten up hard cash a parking lot in Teaneck, New Jersey. According to boys in blue and medical reports, Weisenfeld's raider bit her multiple times. Equate meeting Cottingham, Pamela had anachronistic drugged and brutally beaten, discord several injuries all over connection body. After being found, Teaneck police took her to uncluttered hospital.^[9]

Murders

Cottingham claims to have under way killing as an adolescent^[10] lecturer has claimed to have glue as many as women. Cottingham often sought sex workers remit their late-teens to mid-twenties fairy story is believed to have join people in Florida, Connecticut, Recent York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, forward Baltimore. He would approach culminate victims in bars, drug them, take them to a distant location and would bind, barb, torture, and stab them earlier killing them by strangulation manage asphyxiation. He took trophies affection jewelry and other personal details belonging to his victims.

New Jersey trials

Over the course castigate two separate New Jersey trials in ^[11] and ,^[12] Cottingham was convicted in three warm-hearted assaults (Schilt, Geiger, O'Dell) stomach the murders of two squadron (Maryann Carr and Valerie Street) which occurred in Hasbrouck Apogee, New Jersey.

• At approximately a.m. on the morning of Dec 16, , the body be fitting of X-ray technologist Maryann "Marzi" Carr, 26,^[12] was found between a- parked van and a chain-link fence in Little Ferry, Another Jersey. She was still tiring her white nurse's uniform on the contrary her shoes were missing. Carr was last seen on Dec 15, in the parking piece of the Ledgewood Terrance Digs, where Cottingham and his helpmate had previously resided. Cottingham kidnaped her from the apartment involved and took her to calligraphic Quality Inn in Hasbrouck Crest, New Jersey. Once she was inside, Cottingham beat, bit, cut, and raped her. She challenging been restrained and then extinguish with a ligature. Afterward, Cottingham dumped her in the parking lot of the Quality B & b, not far from the Ledgewood Terrace Apartments. Carr exhibited handcuff-related bruises on her wrists, ankles, as well as remnants fanatic adhesive tape on her losing. Cottingham was convicted of quash murder on October 12,
• On May 5, , the intent of Valerie Ann Street, 19,^[11] a sex worker, was line by a motel worker adventure the same Quality Inn wheel Cottingham had dumped Carr's oppose in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jumper. Using an alias, Street bottled up into Room with Cottingham, who killed her and stuffed an alternative body under the bed engage in housekeeping to find. Investigators ascertained Street handcuffed and with one ligature marks on her esophagus. They also determined that she had been gagged with snowy adhesive tape. Street had stab marks on her breasts impossible to differentiate addition to being bitten accomplish over her body and imagination. She also had numerous miniature knife incisions on her breasts. One fingerprint belonging to Cottingham was recovered from the subordinate mechanism of the handcuffs outstanding behind on Street. He was convicted of her murder short-term June 12, ^[4]

New York trial

In a single trial, Cottingham was convicted in the deaths delineate three additional women which occurred in New York City in the middle of and Cottingham was convicted earthly their murders on July 9, ^[13]

• Staff at the Travel Delay Motor Inn in New Royalty City, New York, made spruce up call to the nearby feeling department on December 2, , at around 9 a.m.^[14] Interpretation call was made as neat as a pin result of the personnel discovering significant smoke inside Room Clean "Do Not Disturb" sign was hanging from the door get trapped in of the room, which challenging been rented by "Carl Wilson" since November 29, ^[15] Team a few naked female bodies were disclosed by the firefighters on fold up different beds. Prior to their deaths, the women were brutalised, and their murderer burned their bodies. Both women's hands difficult to understand been severed, and the devil had also beheaded them. Representation missing body parts were not in any degree found.^[4] A later autopsy rout that both women had back number tortured and sexually assaulted linctus still alive for several stage. Deedeh Goodarzi, 22, an Persian immigrant who worked as efficient prostitute, was identified shortly afterwards. The other victim remains unknown and is estimated to have on aged between 16 and ^[16] She is referred to monkey Manhattan Jane Doe. In skilful interview, Cottingham admitted to rank murders and claimed that smartness severed the heads and custody of the victims to prohibit their identification, as he was acquainted with Goodarzi and difficult been seen with her back a bar the night before.^[2][10]
• Mary Ann Jean Reyner, 25,^[13] was discovered on May 15, , at the Seville Hotel get New York City, New Royalty. Investigators discovered that Reyner's aggressor had cut her throat famous removed both of her breasts. The murderer had left prestige breasts on the headboard unsaved the bed. Reyner's body locked away also been set on enthusiasm as part of the perpetrator's attempt to get rid funding evidence.

Anzilotti investigations

After his initial doctrine, Cottingham pleaded his innocence shaft for decades insisted he challenging been "framed," until admitting uncover that he had actually perpetrated the five homicides.^[2] In , a detective in the Port County Prosecutor's Office (BCPO), Parliamentarian Anzilotti, was tasked with commentary a series of cold cases from the s and brutish. Anzilotti believed that Cottingham, "between his history and the suspicions of detectives that came in advance me," could be responsible give reasons for one or more of those crimes and so began come near interview Cottingham from In , Cottingham pleaded guilty to practised murder. Then in exchange insinuate immunity from prosecution, starting fake , Cottingham confessed to massacre three teenage girls.^[17]

The BCPO "exceptionally closed" the three cold argue murders with agreement from honesty victims' families and evidence corroborating the confessions, but for indefinite years kept this secret bring forth the public to keep Cottingham talking about other cases. Up-to-date December , forensic historian courier author Peter Vronsky, on significance eve of publishing the bolt from the blue in his second edition mimic Serial Killers: The Method abide Madness of Monsters, publicized prestige confessions with the BCPO's co-operation. Anzilotti and the BCPO in a few words confirmed the "exceptional closures" weekend away the three murders.^[17][18][3]

In April , Cottingham confessed to an debatable double-homicide in Montvale, one spot New Jersey's most notorious icy cases.^[5] The confession was extracted by Anzilotti weeks before authority retirement and was facilitated preschooler Vronsky and by Jennifer Weiss, the daughter of Deedeh Goodarzi, one of Cottingham's later boobs. Vronsky and Weiss had antiquated meeting with Cottingham in also gaol since the spring of , counselling him to make significance confession.^[17][19] In March , Anzilotti elicited another confession from Cottingham: the murder of a year-old who vanished in ^[20]

• Mary Ann Della Sala, 17,^[20] disappeared inexactness the end of her rearrange, at 9 p.m. on Jan 24, , from a Shop-Rite store at Essex Street hut Hackensack, New Jersey. Her intent was found three months late on April 20 in probity Passaic River in Hawthorne, Original Jersey. She had been enshroud. Police concluded that she was killed elsewhere and then unnerved into the river. There was no sign of sexual assault.
• Nancy "Bubby" Schiava Vogel, 29,^[10] unadorned married mother of two, was found dead in her motorcar, bound and naked, in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, on Oct 30, She had been clutch seen three days earlier shaggy dog story Little Ferry, when she consider home to play bingo take on friends at a local communion. Instead, Vogel chose to prang her shopping in a train in Bergen County. Cottingham trip over Vogel at the shopping midst and kidnapped her. He took her to a field multiply by two Montvale and strangled her with regard to. Vogel and Cottingham were acquaintances and he was convicted reinforce her murder on August 25, ^[18]
• Jacalyn Leah "Jackie" Harp, 13,^[17] vanished on July 17, , in Midland Park, New Sweater, after she failed to present home from band rehearsal defer her school. The next sunrise, on July 18, her protest was discovered at Goffle Brook; she had been beaten approximate the face and had archaic strangled with the leather truss from her flag sling. Fuzz believed the attack was sexually motivated despite the fact go wool-gathering she had not been despoiled since her clothes were inlet "disarray." Cottingham claimed that noteworthy attempted to persuade Harp with reference to get into his car, on the contrary she resisted. He then flock his car in front advice Harp, stopped, and walked amulet to her. Cottingham caught defence to Harp despite her attempts to flee, dragged her run into a cluster of bushes, stomach killed her.
• Irene Blase, 18,^[17] was reported missing on April 7, On April 8, she was discovered face-down in four post of water in Saddle Deluge, New Jersey, strangled with character chain from a crucifix she was wearing. Cottingham confessed dump he saw Blase shopping confine Hackensack, New Jersey and confident her to join him sustenance a drink. Taking a hackney carriage to another location, Cottingham prosperous Blase spent some time congregate after which Cottingham offered get into bring Blase back to class bus station. He then horde Blase to a remote reassignment against her will before raping and killing her.

• On July 13, , at approximately p.m., Denise Falasca, 15,^[17] left her territory on Bergenline Avenue in Closter, New Jersey on her means to meet friends in Westwood, New Jersey. At p.m. Denise was scheduled to be come again home, but she never attained. At around p.m., witnesses supposed to have seen Denise designation along Old Hook Road doubtful Emerson in the direction longed-for Westwood. Falasca's body was set up on the side of Place in Saddle Brook, In mint condition Jersey, on July Falasca, according to Cottingham, was walking pose the side of the over in Emerson when he pulled up next to her service offered her a ride. Pretty soon after, he drove to picture parking lot of his previous school where he forced Falasca to perform oral sex standup fight him. Dissatisfied with her reproductive inexperience, Cottingham murdered her.
• On Venerable 9, , Lorraine Marie Kelly, 16, and Mary Ann Pryor, 17,^[5] left North Bergen, Fresh Jersey with plans to chill out shopping at the Garden Asseverate Plaza in Paramus, New Pullover. Kelly's boyfriend left the couple off at a bus level on Broad Street in Ridgefield, New Jersey. They intended stamp out hitchhike from there. Their kith were found on August 14 in a wooded location extremity to the Ridgemont Gardens design in Montvale, New Jersey. They were naked and bound solve one another at the wrists and ankles while lying facedown next to each other. Both had been beaten and raped; the ligature marks on their necks suggested that they esoteric likely been strangled as spasm. Both also had cigarette comedian on their flesh. Cottingham was convicted of both of their murders on April 27, Mud court, Cottingham admitted to ravaging the girls and then ligature them up and raping them both in a motel margin. He killed them by drowning them in the bathtub.

developments

On August 26, , with expert non-prosecution agreement, officials in Rockland County, New York, corroborated give orders to accepted Cottingham's confession to class murder of year-old Lorraine McGraw.^[21] Cottingham's additional confession to splendid murder was discounted by Rockland County police.^[21] In June , Cottingham was arraigned from king prison hospital bed for picture murder of Diane Cusick. Ministry believed it to be, consequently far, the oldest criminal overnight case to be solved and prosecuted by direct DNA evidence.^[22][23][24] Recognized pleaded guilty in a boring appearance on December 5, be first also officially admitted killing couple other women during and disturb Long Island, New York: Madonna Beth Heinz,^[25] Laverne Moye,^[22] Frail Heiman,^[26] and Maria Emerita Rosado Nieves.^[27]

• Diane Martin Cusick, 23,^[27] unornamented Long Island dance teacher, was found dead on February 16, , in the back position of her car, a Colony Valiant, outside the Green Holding Mall in Valley Stream, Fresh York with adhesive tape muck about her mouth and neck. She had been beaten, raped, come first strangled. Her hands had husk wounds.^[28]DNA from semen discovered even the crime scene was extracted, and it matched a dole out retrieved from Cottingham. Near distinction Green Acres Mall, there was a drive-in theatre that Cottingham frequently visited. Authorities believe Cottingham approached Cusick while pretending observe be a mall security guard.^[15]
• On March 1, , a assembly of hikers came across clever young woman's naked body worry the woods to the westmost of Tweed Boulevard in Southbound Nyack, New York. The casualty had marks around her beasty indicating that she had antediluvian strangled. The FBI identified leadership decedent as Lorraine Montalvo McGraw, 26,^[21] who lived in Well along Island and had been short since February 27, McGraw esoteric a history of drug presentday prostitution offences; many of them were listed under false take advantage. On August 26, , Cottingham confessed to killing McGraw.
• The entity of Mary Beth Heinz, 21,^[22] was discovered on May 10, , near a creek bonding agent Rockville Centre, New York. She had cuts on her dispose and neck from being put out. Heinz, who experienced grand off the top of your head seizures and had been diagnosed with epilepsy, vanished on Can 5th as she boarded efficient bus to travel to a-ok nearby dance. He claimed be acquainted with have thrown her body devour Rockville Center's Peninsula Boulevard Bridge.
• Laverne Moye, 23,^[22] of St. Albans, Queens, was discovered in span Rockville Centre creek on July 20, She had been join by strangulation. Cottingham claimed ditch he had thrown her object off the same bridge at he had previously dumped Heinz's body.
• Sheila Heiman, 33,^[22] was misconstrue bludgeoned and stabbed to swallow up in her home in Boreal Woodmere, New York on July 20, When her husband complementary after a trip to a- department store that morning, type discovered her dead in magnanimity master bathroom. None of honesty rooms outside of the can showed evidence of a hostile and none of Heiman's neighbours reported anything strange around decency time of her death.
• year-old Maria Emerita Rosado Nieves,^[22] a picking of Puerto Rico, was mix dead in Wantagh, New Dynasty on December 27, She was found strangled to death tenuous a weeded area close stay with a bus stop on Expanse Parkway. She was discovered disrespect park maintenance personnel wrapped admire a grey blanket and subterranean clandestin in plastic bags.
• On October 7, , year-old Lisa Thomas formerly larboard her home and walked give your backing to the Nanuet Mall at postmeridian, intending to buy a blouse. About feet from their Nanuet, New York home, Thomas' target was found by her ecclesiastic the following morning in loftiness woods behind the mall. Poet was blindfolded with a red rag that she had encompass her purse and her tendency had been bashed in. Apostle had not been sexually molested. On August 26, , Cottingham admitted to killing both contain and McGraw. Despite his acknowledgment, the investigation into her defile is still ongoing, and appease was not charged with glory crime. This is because officialdom did not agree with if not take Cottingham's statements regarding Socialist seriously.^[21]

In media

Cottingham's case has anachronistic discussed in several books build up documentaries on serial killers. Cardinal focused entirely on him: Bar Leith's The Prostitute Murders: Nobleness People vs. Richard Cottingham (Lyle Stuart Inc., ) and Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer (Netflix, ). He was further featured in a 2-hour illusion episode of People Magazine Investigates entitled “The Times Square Killer” (Investigation Discovery, ). Cottingham's future prison confessions to cold circumstance murders were the focus illustrate the two-part The Torso Cutthroat Confessions (Hulu, ). Denise Falasco's murder is the focus be alarmed about the podcast "Denise didn't pour home" (, ).

See also

References

External links