richard cottingham lodi, nj address

It was pure evil. [2], In 2010, he pleaded guilty to the 1967 murder of Nancy Vogel. The New York Times, p. 26. There was also a lockbox filled with trophies from his murders, including Maryann Carrs apartment key and a necklace belonging to Jean Reyner. (1981, June 16). As you can see, he didn't always look like Santa Claus. 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. His murders were not the outcome of stalking or planning but of fleeting encounters. O'Dell's muffled cries of pain became so loud that the motel staff, already uneased by the previous two murders of Carr and Street, called police and then rushed to the room demanding that Cottingham open the door. 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. This story has been shared 151,197 times. Retrieved April 2nd, 2007, from Factiva database. In 1981, he was found guilty of her murder and sentenced to nearly 200 years in prison. I took over handling the calls, the arrangements. 29 Vreeland St, Lodi, NJ is a single family home that contains 2,716 sq ft and was built in 1974. Trophies like jewellery and other personal items belonging to his victims were taken by him. [4], On May 3, 1970, Cottingham was married at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Queens Village, Queens. Hed order pizza and play cards with the older man and other detectives. HKo0l06CYf,Y(v (I?0c9 You're a whore and you have to be punished." When you have a series of crimes today, everything goes through the computers, andwe have computer analysis and a wayof moving these through jurisdictionalboundaries. Cottingham's reign of terror on both sides of the Hudson River is the subject of Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer, whose tale begins on Dec. 2, 1979, with New York City police and fire. The latitude and longitude coordinates for the house are: To view directions on how to get there, you can use the Google Maps shortcut below: 29 Vreeland StreetLodiNew JerseyNJ 07644United States. 0000009543 00000 n iP^ -KvWZvxhc'm$93tSz =oBTmD]+)bTJ T|u>/. The chief agreed. Cottingham fled the scene with the victims heads and hands. [5] On May 15, 1980, Jean Reyner was strangled and her throat cut in New York's historic Seville Hotel. A judge sentenced him to 25 years to life after Cusicks brother and only child read emotional impact statements in court. [1] He was nicknamed the New York Ripper, the Torso Killer and the Times Square Killer, since his crimes often targeted prostitutes and included mutilation. The little perks for the older man the pizza, the poker, the distraction from prison life were always in the service of the younger mans long game. The five victims addressed . 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. Irene Blase, aged 18, vanished on April 7, 1969, in Hackensack and was found face down in four feet of water in the Saddle River, strangled with a wire, a cord, or perhaps the chain of a crucifix she was wearing. Richard Cottingham, Lorraine . 0000001082 00000 n I think sometimes he grapples with his own gruesomeness back then., On March 12, a Friday, Mr. Anzilotti summoned the inmate. I asked them where they were going. The mall, they replied. Prosecutors will seek dual life sentences to run alongside his current lifetime term when Cottingham is sentenced on July 9 for what Musella said were the willful, deliberate, and premediated murders of Mary Ann Prior and Lorraine Kelly. In October 1966, he became a computer operator for Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, where he worked until his 1980 arrest. She later testified that he said, "You have to take it. She was Nancy Pryor, and she was 19 when her sister, Mary Ann, was found dead. Shed been abducted by Cottingham from the Ledgewood Terrace apartments, in Little Ferry, where Cottingham had previously lived, said Vronsky. In 1948, Cottingham's family moved to Dumont, New Jersey, and in 1956 to River Vale, New Jersey, where he began his fascination with bondage pornography. A local investigator began to wonder: Could there be a link to a series of infamous Times Square murders? He had been dubbed the Times Square Torso Ripper setting off Vronskys lifelong fascination of serial killers. Notably, none of his crimes took place on the property. For more details, please read our Privacy & Cookie Policy. trailer 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.. But the killer was a clever bastard, too. 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. Hes embarrassed by this case, he said. Find NJ.com on Facebook. 0000001982 00000 n 0000002831 00000 n He asked to quietly close their daughters murder case without formally charging the killer. Cottingham has claimed in the past he. On more than one occasion, he would openly talk about his experiences with sex workers. <<69EF7C237A736942AE760EBDB9B8F80B>]>> Iran hangs protester in first execution over nationwide pr Canadian teacher with size-Z prosthetic breasts placed on paid leave, Buster Murdaugh got 'very drunk' with dad 2 months after mom, brother murdered: source, What's next for Buster Murdaugh after dad's murder conviction, life sentence, Prince Harry was scared to lose Meghan Markle after fight that led to therapy, Prince Harry says psychedelics are fundamental part of his life, Inside Scheana Shay, Raquel Leviss heated confrontation about Tom Sandoval affair, Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant allegedly flashes gun at a strip club, Tom Sizemore And The Dangerous Burden of Desperation, Kellyanne Conway and George Conway to divorce. It was quite a shock to learn it was him.. He did, however, leave behind their clothing, including a pair of Bonjour jeans, white leotards and a black fur coat, neatly folded in the bath tub. Richard Cottingham, convicted of murdering prostitute and kidnapping three. For a year, he refused to speak to Mr. Anzilotti. He said, Youre welcome.. 0000003707 00000 n Eventually, Mr. Cottingham began to loosen up, and he spoke about killing the prostitutes. Richard Cottingham, convicted of murdering prostitute and kidnapping three. Geberth noted that this was a time before the proliferation of surveillance cameras and the use of computer analysis to establish patterns and share information across jurisdictions. The Blase family agreed. 0000003451 00000 n One day, Cottingham told his co-worker that he had stolen a sex worker's money and clothes while she was sleeping. [4], The BCPO "exceptionally closed" the three cold case murders with agreement from the victims' families and evidence corroborating the confessions, but for several years kept this secret from the public to keep Cottingham talking about other cases. The sergeant was undeterred. But her light shines brightly against the backdrop of evil.. The other girls did, you have to take it, too. The murder remained unsolved until Cottingham confessed and entered a guilty plea in August 2010. 0000001968 00000 n After failing to return home from a trip to buy shoes at the Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream, New York,[9] 23-year old Diane Cusick was found raped, beaten, and strangled to death in the back seat of her car, parked near the mall. He admitted that those two killings weighed on him more than the others. In recent years, he had asked Mr. Cottingham about the case, and the inmate had simultaneously denied responsibility and let on that he knew more than he would share. This case was always haunting me.. Serial killer Richard Cottingham made his admission in the cold case murders of the high school girls, acknowledging that he kidnapped, raped and finally drowned the pair inside a motel room. Although Vogel was the earliest of Cottinghams murder victims, the killer has said she was not his first, according to Vronsky. Richard was arrested at a motel in Hasbrouck . This location belongs to the following categories: Follow us on Facebook or Twitter to see future locations. <<8BD7E4F5B15F3F4A8993EB3A0150F7AC>]>> He married in 1970 and had three children. Hed been a married father of three, but the Lodi resident - who would brutalize his victims bodies, cutting off limbs, heads and breasts - would later become known as the Torso Killer" for what he left behind. Between 1970 and 1974, Cottingham and his wife, Janet, lived at an apartment block called Ledgewood Terrace in Little Ferry, New Jersey. In a candid interview, the Bergen County chief who spent 20 years trying to wrangle new confessions out of serial killer Richard Cottingham revealed the 74-year-old prisoner has "regrets". Feech La Manna's house from The Sopranos. The chief pressed ahead with his list. A real sick bastard did this, retired NYPD detective Jim Riegel, who was working as a beat cop that day, recalls his sergeant telling him in the new Netflix series Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer, out Wednesday. 43 0 obj<>stream 0000010308 00000 n 0000002865 00000 n Thats not the natural order its supposed to go in.. That made 11 murders Cottingham that admitted since his arrest more than 30 years ago. Cottingham was indicted in Cusicks killing in June after DNA evidence linked him to the cold-case slaying believed to be the oldest match to ever lead to a prosecution, Nassau County prosecutors said. Thats why [authorities are] not going to make another statement. This guy was particularly ruthless. They captured Cottingham soon after. 0000003431 00000 n But Cottingham flew under the radar precisely because of how he chose his victims and who his victims were. Cottingham was convicted of five murders in a series of three trials between 1981 and 1984 (two in New Jersey and one in New York). Cottingham then confessed to more murders including Nancy Vogel, whom he killed in 1967, and five teenaged victims from New Jersey, none of whom were in the sex trade. All rights reserved (About Us). When arrested, he had handcuffs, a leather gag, two slave collars, a switchblade knife, replica pistols, and a stockpile of prescription pills. One day in 2014, the chief and a partner were driving the inmate back to prison when, from the back seat, Mr. Cottingham, who by then had spent almost half of his 68 years in prison, began describing a girl he once spotted near a store in Hackensack. In his possession, the 33-year-old had a stash of handcuffs, tape and sedatives. Although first responders encountered thick smoke in the room, one noticed the shape of bodies on the pair of twin beds and attempted to administer CPR. [5][17], The charges listed in Cottingham's New Jersey indictment included kidnapping, attempted murder, aggravated assault, aggravated assault with deadly weapon, aggravated sexual assault while armed (rape), aggravated sexual assault while armed (sodomy), aggravated sexual assault while armed (fellatio), possession of a weapon (switchblade knife), and possession of controlled substances (secobarbital, amobarbital and diazepam). On August 21, 1972, he is charged and convicted of shoplifting at a Stern's department store in Paramus, New Jersey, and was sentenced to pay a $50 fine or ten days in jail. Its mind-boggling and very scary, especially to know theres more of them out there.. And I said, Hop in., He drove to the mall. I thought he could be responsible for some, Mr. Anzilotti said. 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. . Did the old man kill those girls? It will take her a while to forget the habit of calling the detectives for updates a lifetime constant, through the deaths of her parents, her marriage and divorce, her second marriage and widowhood. During his trial, he testified that he had been fascinated by bondage since he was a young child. Dont think youre going to mess with me and Im going to help you, Mr. Anzilotti recalled Mr. Cottingham saying. [2] Four surviving abduction-rape victims testified against Cottingham; he was convicted in three of the cases and acquitted in one. He married in 1970 and became a father of. It was just shock all the way around.. 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. New Jersey . Months later, in May 1980, another prostitute from Times Square was found dead, this time in a New Jersey motel; that murder was linked to yet another at the same location. He was originally from the Bronx in New York City. 0000009264 00000 n Inside they found the bodies of 22-year-old sex worker Deedeh Goodarzi[9] and an unidentified woman estimated between 16 and 22. 0000004535 00000 n The teenagers were last seen on Aug. 9, 1974, in North Bergen. The police believed they had given up on the bus and were trying to hitchhike to a mall. K3nVxb;X)oxeHME~> Then hed clear the room until only he and Mr. Cottingham faced each another, and begin with his questions. The inmate made it clear that pressure would not work. As the New Jersey press reported on Cottinghams arrest, the NYPD started to take notice. I was able to get almostany woman to do whatever I wanted them to do . I was shocked that it was a serial killer, Moye said of his mothers confessed murderer. What they want is an outright statement and a sign-off of Yes thats me,' Vronsky continued. The house was built in 1974one year before Cottingham and his wife, Janet, moved in. Which, of course, I wasnt overly interested in, the former chief said. Cottingham, a Lodi man who moonlighted as one of New Jersey's most savage serial killers, had been convicted of murdering five women in New York and New Jersey. Cottingham, who is already serving a lifetime state prison sentence for killing several other women and girls, was brought to the office of Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella in Paramus to enter his pleas before Superior Court Judge Keith Bachmann in Hackensack. The family lived in Lodi, and Mr. Cottingham commuted to a job as a computer operator at Blue Cross Blue Shield in Manhattan. Detective Anzilotti was startled to discover the same man killed all three. He recalled the exact place in the woods where he left the bodies. Like a werewolf, Vronsky told The Post. Twenty years later, he was reinvestigating several cold cases involving girls and young women who had been abducted, sexually abused and killed. [6] At Blue Cross, Cottingham worked in an office with Rodney Alcala, the fugitive child molester and future serial killer who lived in New York under the alias "John Berger". Mr. Cottingham mentioned details of the killing that matched what Mr. Anzilotti knew from the case file. On Thursday, authorities told NJ Advance Media that Cottingham confessed to the murders of three Bergen County teenagers in the late 1960s - each a cold case for over 50 years. 0000002420 00000 n Authorities executed a warrant on his Lodi home, which had a private room containing evidence linking him to the Torso Killer. The items included necklaces, broaches, earrings, and other pieces of jewelry. Cottinghamss name came up several times, but it didnt fit for me, she said. This is a somber day as we revisit the horrific acts and terror this man brought upon Bergen County nearly 50 years ago, the prosecutor said Tuesday. Im leaving, he said. Accused serial killer nurse allegedly tried to murder premature infant twice. And thats what bothers me, because I probably didnt have to do anything to them., Mr. Anzilotti left the confession both exhausted and relieved. The investigators handed Ms. Mulder possessions of Jackies from half a century past. To Mr. Anzilotti, what had once seemed like a great disparity between the two series of murders one a group of suburban teenagers and the other mostly sex workers in the city now made sense. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. He was also extremely fidgety and unable to sit still. The predator, dubbed The Torso Killer, would strike again in May 1980. Ms. Moye, 55, stared down serial murderer and rapist Richard Cottingham in a Nassau County courtroom Monday as the 76-year-old notorious Torso Killer admitted to five more sadistic slayings decades earlier, bringing his known tally to 17 although experts believe that figure could be as high as 100 victims. Now 74, Cottingham, who claims responsibility for dozens of murders, has confessed to a. That girl was found drowned, similar to Blases killing, he said. 0000003183 00000 n He forced his victims to address him as "master". In other words, he may have been content and/or preoccupied. They were never able to fully recover from the monumental loss, she said. Defense attorney John Bruno recited the details, which the white-bearded, 74-year-old killer acknowledged. 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. He had three children, two boys and a girl, with his wife. Richard Cottingham, New Jersey prison photo. The New York Times, p. 26. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. In April of 1979, he started living in the basement of the property after his wife initiated divorce proceedings against him for "abandonment" and "mental cruelty.". Those old enough to remember can recall the fear that many felt after the bodies of two girls from North Bergen whod gone missing after a shopping trip to Paramus were found raped, beaten and drowned in Bergen County. Her youth and difference in appearance, with a boyish haircut, set her apart from the other victims. Retrieved April 2nd, 2007, from Factiva database. Cottingham primarily sought prostitutes who were petite blondes in their late teens to mid-twenties. The body of Laverne Moye, of St. Albans, Queens, was discovered in a Rockville Centre creek on July 20, 1972. The weather worsened. Vronsky, whose works also include an authoritative tome cataloging 17,000 years of pathological homicide, said Cottingham scouted his victims before transforming from a family man into a ferocious monster. Goodarzi had come to the United States years prior from Iran. Vogel was found dead in her own car in Ridgefield Park, nude and bound. Anzilottihas spent all but 4 years of his law enforcement career with the prosecutors office after coming over from the Woodcliff Lake Police Department. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. The house is close to Lodi High School, the Riverside Cemetery and Interstate 80. He began torturing her, nearly biting off one of her nipples. The back and forth went on for weeks. 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. Over the months that followed, Mr. Anzilotti cultivated an unusual relationship with Mr. Cottingham, sometimes testy, sometimes closer to a sort of warmth. 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. Note that there seems to have been a "lull" between 1970 and 1973. Moye, who traveled from Georgia to see Cottingham confess to killing his mother and four other women as part of a plea deal, said he leaned heavily on his Catholic faith as the unrepentant killer watched via video feed from South Woods State Prison in New Jersey, where hes serving multiple life sentences. 0000012661 00000 n He tortured women before he killed them and did terrible things to them, and yet we still dont know who he is because he preyed on sex workers, Berlinger said, adding that he hopes this series helps destigmatize sex work and potentially solve more cold cases. [22][23] He pleaded guilty in a December court appearance, and also officially admitted killing four other women in Long Island: Mary Beth Heinz,[24] Laverne Moye,[16] Sheila Heiman,[25] and Maria Emerita Rosado Nieves.[26]. Mr. Anzilotti, doing his best not to betray any emotion, slowly pulled out his Blackberry and took notes. 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 I was shocked that one human being was capable of all this carnage, Moye said of Cottingham. Blase was found strangled to death in 4 feet of water in Saddle River the next day. Richard Cottingham of Lodi (NJ) is sentenced to 173-179 years in prison. He would let his guard down, Mr. Anzilotti said. You can change your choice at any time by using the Privacy Center link in our footer. Long-Buried Secrets: The Serial Killer and the Detective, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/13/nyregion/new-jersey-serial-killer-cottingham-anzilotti.html. Cottingham was not charged with this murder until June 2022, when he was implicated by DNA.[10]. Following his arrest, police linked him to the murder of Valerie Streets. She had been tied up and strangled, authorities said. They were marginalized sex workers in a Times Square that was nearly lawless and when the police, at best, looked the other way.. 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. His "justification" for doing this was that he "didn't like anyone getting one over" on him. She had been a teenager when her sister was killed. 0000000016 00000 n The brief encounter later inspired Vronsky to write his serial killer histories and paved the way for his prison meetings with Cottingham four decades later. The Google Street View image above was taken in May of 2022. And even though Harp ran, Cottingham soon overtook her and dragged her into a grouping of bushes where teens would often go to smoke and make out, he said. She agreed to have sex with him for money. [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. Author Peter Vronsky, who has a forthcoming book on Cottingham, and was first to publicly announce that the imprisoned Cottingham was responsible for the three 50-year-old crimes, says authorities want to add more to the list. After nearly 15 years of interviews by Anzilotti and Detective Capt. The chief contacted the Blase family and told them what they had ached to know for decades: He knew who had killed Irene. Ive never seen rain like that, he said. I had long suspected that whoever killed Irene Blase also killed Denise Falasca, Mr. Anzilotti said. Then he shared his intentions to retire. Cottingham has confessed to murdering 12 women. Among the other faces in separate windows on the Zoom screen was a 66-year-old woman, identified simply as Nancy. Its been half my career, he said. In the thirteen-year period during which he is known to have committed at least seventeen murders, only one fingerprint belonging to him was ever recovered, from the ratchet mechanism of handcuffs left behind on Valerie Street. The 45th year passed in the same way. [18], During the early 1980s, Cottingham was convicted of five murders in two separate New Jersey trials in 1981[19] and 1982,[20] and in a single New York trial in 1984 for three murders. It was a game to me. On Tuesday, Richard Cottingham, 74, sat in a wheelchair in beige prison scrubs as he pleaded guilty to kidnapping the teenage girls and raping them for days before he drowned them in a motel room bathtub. 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. I just ruled him out. Correctional officers found contraband and evidence of bookmaking and transferred Mr. Cottingham to solitary confinement. Mr. Anzilotti and another investigator drove to the town of Reading, Vt., to deliver the news to Jackies older sister, Suzan Mulder, then 69. My parents couldnt handle it., She had called Bergen County every few months to ask about the case for 47 years, she said. According to his neighbors, he seemed like a regular family man. Soon, the chief closed that case two down. In 2022, Cottingham also confessed to the 1968 murder of Diane Cusick after DNA evidence linked him to the crime. I lost so much more than just my mother that day, Altman said. 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. The schoolgirl murder confessions increased that to to nine. . Morgan Wallen has best-selling album of 2021 despite his N Canadian teacher with size-Z prosthetic breasts placed on paid leave, Buster Murdaugh got 'very drunk' with dad 2 months after mom, brother murdered: source, What's next for Buster Murdaugh after dad's murder conviction, life sentence, I'm a professional cleaner ditch these 4 household products immediately, Prince Harry was scared to lose Meghan Markle after fight that led to therapy, Prince Harry says psychedelics are fundamental part of his life, Inside Scheana Shay, Raquel Leviss heated confrontation about Tom Sandoval affair, Kellyanne Conway and George Conway to divorce. [6] In 2022, Cottingham officially confessed to the 1970 murder of Lorraine McGraw, under a non-prosecution agreement. On Dec. 2, 1979, fire alarms rang out at the Travel Inn Motor Hotel on West 42nd Street. A number of killings of young women and girls in New Jersey and New York had gone unsolved for years before a night in May 1980 when a maid at . 0000000756 00000 n 0000001412 00000 n It is situated at 29 Vreeland Street in Lodi, New Jersey. In 2000, as a young detective in the Bergen County prosecutors office, Robert Anzilotti was tasked with looking into the murders, along with a few other similar cold cases from the 1960s and 1970s. 21 23 (1981, June 25). Years after her sisters death, she had found some comfort speaking to another from her tribe, Karen Miller, a sister of Denise Falasca. She was stunned. Hearing prosecutors detail grisly crime scenes like where Laverne was found was especially difficult to endure, her son said. They were facedown, side by side, as if placed there with care. 0000000756 00000 n Cottingham, who is also nicknamed "The Torso Killer," moved into this rented three-bedroom house in February of 1975.