Today, Times Square is adorned with dazzling neon lights and giant digital billboards. It’s big, bright, and unforgettable. But in the 1970s, “the heart of the world” was a hunting ground for the American Jack the Ripper, Richard Cottingham.
Between 1967 and 1980, Cottingham brutally murdered and dismembered at least 6 women, and claimed to have killed at least 80 more.
Cottingham meticulously planned each of his killings and maintained a “murder kit” containing a range of props, including handcuffs and tape he used to restrain his victims with.
One of the most distinctive aspects of the case was Cottingham’s modus operandi. The killer would either pick up a prostitute or drug a woman in a bar, then bring her back to a hotel for a prolonged torture session.
Throughout his “career,” Cottingham constantly refined his MO and took measures to avoid apprehension. He used fire to destroy the crime scenes in the New York City cases, while in the New Jersey cases, he either dumped his victims or left their bodies in motels.
Cottingham’s “comfort” zone was a particular motel in New Jersey. Not only did he bring three of his victims there, but he also took his girlfriend to the same motel
One of the visible signature elements that allowed authorities to link the cases was that the victims had been found handcuffed or there were obvious handcuff marks on the victims’ wrists.
In addition to the handcuff marks, many of the torturous incision marks from the offender’s knife were similar in each of the sexual assaults.
Cottingham focused his attacks on specific body regions, particularly the breasts. In some cases, he would remove the breasts or bite into them.
When executing a search warrant at Cottingham’s residence, investigators discovered the Torso Killer maintained a private “Trophy Room“.
Cottingham’s wife, Janet, told the police she was not permitted to access it.
Inside the room, detectives discovered a treasure trove of evidence, including jewelry and clothing taken as trophies from his victims, as well as seemingly innocuous items like nail polish and nail polish remover.
Among the many items recovered from this room was an extensive collection of bondage and discipline (B&D) materials and other pornography, which indicated the killer’s intense interest in sadomasochistic activities.
Although Richard Cottingham was convicted of nine murders and confessed to eight more under non-prosecution agreements, in 2009, the Times Square Killer told a journalist that he had committed at least 80 to 100 “perfect murders” throughout the US.
