Richard Francis Cottingham was born on November 25, 1946, in the Bronx, New York City, as the eldest of four children. His family relocated to Dumont, New Jersey in 1948 and later to River Vale in 1956, where Cottingham spent most of his youth. His upbringing appeared typical on the surface, he had a close bond with his mother, played sports, and graduated from Pascack Valley High School in 1964 as a member of the cross-country team. However, underneath this "normal boy" image, Cottingham developed a dark fascination with bondage and sadomasochism at a young age. He later confessed that this obsession rooted deeply in his fantasies as early as childhood.

After high school, Cottingham followed in his father’s professional footsteps and started working at Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. He later became a computer operator at Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, where he stayed until his arrest in 1980. Interestingly, he shared office space with another notorious serial killer, Rodney Alcala, although there’s no evidence that the two men interacted.

Cottingham got married in 1970 and had three children. Outwardly, he lived a stable suburban life in Lodi, New Jersey. But cracks began to show as his wife filed for divorce in 1978 citing mental cruelty and abandonment, proceedings she paused only after his arrest. Unknown to those around him, Cottingham maintained a secret locked room in his home and a hidden dark world full of bondage tools, stolen keepsakes from victims, and prescription drugs. Between arrests for petty crimes like DUI and shoplifting, he was living a double life, one of husband and father by day, and sadistic predator by night.

Richard Cottingham’s killing spree spanned over a decade, with confirmed murders starting in 1967 and continuing until his arrest in 1980. He targeted mostly sex workers and young women, often luring them under the guise of friendliness, then drugging, binding, torturing, and ultimately killing them in motel rooms, parking lots, or remote areas. His brutality escalated over time, he mutilated some victims post-mortem, taking gruesome trophies and even setting bodies on fire to destroy evidence. His signature involved biting his victims, which later helped connect him to various crimes.

One of his earliest confirmed victims was Nancy Vogel, killed in 1967 and left in her car in Ridgefield Park. Over the years, his victims included 13-year-old Jacalyn Harp, 18-year-old Irene Blase, and 15-year-old Denise Falasca, among others. He confessed to killing Lorraine Kelly and Mary Ann Pryor in 1974 after kidnapping and torturing them before drowning them in a motel bathtub. These confessions only came decades later, after years of denial and manipulation.

Cottingham’s violent acts came to a head on May 22, 1980, when he abducted Leslie Ann O'Dell, an 18-year-old sex worker. After luring her to a motel, he began to torture her, biting off part of her nipple and making disturbing threats. Her cries alerted motel staff, and police arrived to arrest Cottingham on the spot. His arrest revealed a trove of disturbing items, collars, gags, knives, pills, and keepsakes from victims, finally linking him to a wave of unsolved crimes.

In 1981 and 1982, Cottingham stood trial in New Jersey and was convicted for the murders of Maryann Carr and Valerie Street, as well as the abduction and assault of O'Dell and two other women. In 1984, he was convicted in New York for the murders of Deedeh Goodarzi, Manhattan Jane Doe, and Mary Ann Reyner, all victims were tortured, mutilated, and burned.

What made Cottingham’s case uniquely chilling was his later confessions. After decades of denial, he finally began cooperating with authorities in the 2000s. Detective Robert Anzilotti slowly built trust with him, and by 2010 Cottingham confessed to several more murders, many of which were cold cases dating back to the 1960s. These included victims like Diane Cusick, whose murder was solved using DNA evidence in 2022, and Lorraine McGraw, a sex worker found strangled in 1970.

Cottingham has now confessed to killing at least 18 women, though he has bragged about committing up to 100 murders, many of which may never be identified or solved. His victims span New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and possibly Florida and Maryland. Some of his crimes were so brutal, like decapitating victims and burning bodies, that he earned the nickname The Torso Killer. As of 2025, he remains imprisoned in New Jersey, continuing to confess to murders under non-prosecution agreements.