Richard Cottingham
The Torso Killer
Active for 14 years
(1967-1980) in United States
6
CONFIRMED
VICTIMS
100
POSSIBLE
VICTIMS
Jump to:
- Summary
- Serial Killer Profile
- Serial Killer Type
- General Information
- Characteristics
- Childhood
- Cognitive Ability
- Incarceration
- Death
- 10 Timeline Events
- Serial Killers Active During Spree
- Boolean Statistical Questions
- 11 Books Written About Richard Cottingham
- 6 External References
- Internal References
Richard Cottingham an American serial killer from New Jersey who operated in New York City between 1967 and 1980. Cottingham often targeted prostitutes and utilized mutilation as well as dismemberment in his killings. He was known as the Torso Killer, convicted of six murders. He made claims of victim count as up to a hundred, however, there was no evidence to support this and is considered unsubstantiated. Cottingham's other nicknames the Butcher of Times Square, the New York Ripper, and the Times Square Torso Ripper.
Richard Cottingham Serial Killer Profile
Serial Killer Richard Cottingham (aka) The Torso Killer, was active for 14 years between 1967-1980, known to have ( 6 confirmed / 100 possible ) victims. This Serial Killer was active in the following countries: United States
Richard Cottingham was born on November 25th 1946 in The Bronx, New York City, NY.
Cottingham a male citizen of the United States of America. He had 3 children.
In 1967 (Age 20/21) Richard Cottingham started his killing spree, during his crimes as a serial killer he was known to murder his victims.
He was arrested on May 22nd 1980 (Age 33) Cottingham was convicted on charges of murder and other possible charges during his lifetime.
Profile Completeness: 41%
serial killers by profile completenessRichard Cottingham has been listed on Killer.Cloud since November of 2016 and was last updated 6 years ago.
Richard Cottingham a known:
Richard Cottingham
Serial Killer Profile:
Updated: 2018-10-09 Collected by Killer.Cloud
| General Information | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Richard Cottingham |
| Nickname: | The Torso Killer |
| Victims: | 6 - 100 |
| Years Active: | 1967 - 1980 |
| Ages Active: | 20/21 - 33/34 |
| Active Countries: | United States |
| Convicted Of: | murder |
| Life Span: | 1946 - |
| Characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Gender: | Male |
| Citizenship: | United States of America |
| Sexual Preference: | N/A |
| Astrological Sign: | ♐ Sagittarius Nov 22 - Dec 22 |
| Birth Month: | November |
| Marital Status: | N/A |
| Children: | 3 children |
| Living With: | N/A |
| Occupation: | criminal, serial killer |
| Childhood Information | |
|---|---|
| D.O.B.: | Nov 25, 1946 |
| Family Name: | Cottingham |
| Given Name: | Richard |
| Birth Location: | The Bronx, New York City, NY |
| Birth Order: | N/A |
| Siblings: | N/A |
| Raised By: | N/A |
| Birth Category: | N/A |
| Mother: | N/A |
| Father: | N/A |
| Cognitive Ability | |
|---|---|
| IQ: | N/A |
| Highest School: | N/A |
| Highest Degree: | |
| Incarceration | |
|---|---|
| Arrested: | May 22, 1980 (Age 33) |
| Convicted: | N/A |
| Sentence: | N/A |
| Prison Location: | N/A |
| Executed: | N/A |
| Previous Crimes: | N/A |
| Previous Jail: | N/A |
| Previous Prison: | N/A |
| Death Information | |
|---|---|
| Death Date: | N/A |
| Cause of Death: | N/A |
| Death Location: | N/A |
| Killed In Prison: | N/A |
| Suicide: | N/A |
10 Timeline Events of Serial Killer
Richard Cottingham
The 10 dates listed below represent a timeline of the life and crimes of serial killer Richard Cottingham. A complete collection of serial killer events can be found on our Serial Killer Timeline.
| Date | Event Description |
|---|---|
| Nov 25 1946 | Richard Cottingham was born in The Bronx, New York City, NY. #19461125 |
| Nov 25 1966 (Age 20) | 20th Birthday |
| 1967 (Age 20/21) | Richard Cottingham started his serial killing spree. #1967 |
| Nov 25 1976 (Age 30) | 30th Birthday |
| 1980 (Age 33/34) | Richard Cottingham ended his serial killing spree. #1980 |
| May 22 1980 (Age 33) | Richard Cottingham arrested. #19800522 |
| Nov 25 1986 (Age 40) | 40th Birthday |
| Nov 25 1996 (Age 50) | 50th Birthday |
| Nov 25 2006 (Age 60) | 60th Birthday |
| Nov 25 2016 (Age 70) | 70th Birthday |
Back to top Serial Killers Active During
The following serial killers were active during the same time span as Richard Cottingham (1967-1980).
Serial Killers By Active Year
| 0 / 40 ANSWEREDSerial Killer Boolean Questions: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Killer Question | Killer Answer | Total Answered | ||
Books that Mention Richard Cottingham
Peter Vronsky
Serial Killers
Peter Vronsky
Serial Killers
Robert D. Keppel
Signature Killers
Jack Rosewood
The Big Book of Serial Killers
Jack Rosewood
Richard Cottingham
Nadia Fezzani
Through the Eyes of Serial Killers
Peter Vronsky
The New York Ripper
Professor Vidanage P...
An In-depth Analysis of the True Living Vampi...
11 Books that mention Serial Killer
Richard Cottingham
| ISBN10 | Book Title | Author | Killers Mentioned | Killers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1101204621 | Serial Killers | Peter Vronsky | 19 Total Including Edgecombe County Serial Killer | 19 |
| 0425196402 | Serial Killers | Peter Vronsky | 24 Total Including Yang Xinhai | 24 |
| 0671001302 | Signature Killers | Robert D. Keppel | 6 Total Including Arthur Shawcross | 6 |
| 1548119644 | The Big Book of Serial Ki... | Jack Rosewood | 60 Total Including Duke Pierson | 60 |
| 1539101819 | Richard Cottingham | Jack Rosewood | Richard Cottingham | 1 |
| 1459724690 | Through the Eyes of Seria... | Nadia Fezzani | 7 Total Including Randall Brent Woodfield | 7 |
| 198427726x | The New York Ripper | Peter Vronsky | Richard Cottingham | 1 |
| 0818403454 | The Prostitute Murders | Rod Leith | Richard Cottingham | 1 |
| 1927526884 | An In-depth Analysis of t... | Professor Vidanage P... | 5 Total Including Richard Trenton Chase | 5 |
| 076192437x | Encyclopedia of Murder an... | Eric W. Hickey | 10 Total Including Andrei Chikatilo | 10 |
| 1107495245 | Teaching Medical Professi... | 3 Total Including Richard L. Cruess | Richard Cottingham | 1 |
Richard Francis Cottingham (born November 25, 1946) is an American serial killer from New Jersey who operated in New York City between 1967 and 1980. Cottingham was given several nicknames including the Butcher of Times Square, the Torso Killer, the New York Ripper, and the Times Square Torso Ripper, due to how he dismembered his victims and only left their torsos behind. He targeted prostitutes in Times Square.
External References
- Richard Cottingham on en.wikipedia.org, Retrieved on Sep 14, 2018.
- Juan Ignacio Blanco, Richard Francis COTTINGHAM on murderpedia.org, Retrieved on Sep 14, 2018.
- Kristin Elink-Schuurman-Laura, Cottingham, Richard Francis on skdb.fgcu.edu, Retrieved on Sep 14, 2018.
- Jacklyn Cowin, Jenna Leonette, Richard Francis Cottingham on maamodt.asp.radford.edu, Retrieved on Sep 14, 2018.
- Q2364408 on www.wikidata.org, Retrieved on Oct 9, 2018.
- Gina Tron, Jennifer Weiss Befriends Richard Cottingham, The Torso Killer on www.oxygen.com, Retrieved on Mar 5, 2020.
Internal References
Richard Cottingham is included in the following pages on Killer.Cloud the Serial Killer Database
- #17 of 43[ Page 2 ] of Sagittarius Serial Killers sorted by Confirmed Victims
- #28 of 51[ Page 2 ] of Serial Killers with birthdays in November
- #109 of 651[ Page 8 ] of the A-Z List of Serial Killers
- #115 of 651[ Page 8 ] of serial killers sorted by Years Active
- #140 of 327[ Page 10 ] of Serial Killers active in the United States
- #304 of 651[ Page 21 ] of serial killers sorted by Confirmed Victims
- #499 of 651[ Page 34 ] of serial killers sorted by Profile Completeness
- Statistics:
- Serial Killers Statistics, charts Richard Cottingham is included in: Active Serial Killers by Country, Serial Killers By Gender, Age of Serial Killer by Date, Killers By Astrological Sign, Killers By Birth Month, Active Serial Killers by Year and Statistical Boolean Questions.
- Years Active: