travel inn new york murders

Richard Cottingham Became Known as the "Torso Killer" for Good Reason — Where Is He Now?

Updated March 8 2023, 4:00 p.m. ET

Ah, New York City. The Big Apple. The City That Never Sleeps. While Manhattan's Times Square might be an area you wish to avoid at all costs these days (ugh, tourists), people were desperate to avoid the famous Midtown area for entirely different reasons in the 1970s and '80s. Not only was it run down, but it was also seedy, sleazy, and downright dangerous.

In December 1979, 42nd Street saw a shocking crime. When a fire burned in the Travel Inn Motor Hotel's room 417, firefighters were called to the scene. The scorching room, however, turned out to be the least of their worries. The first responders discovered two female bodies in the room — and by "bodies," we mean handless, headless torsos.

Richard Cottingham was the NYC serial killer who became infamously known as the "Torso Killer" or the "Times Square Killer." Where is he now?

Where is Richard Cottingham now?

A&E's two-night event The Torso Killer Confessions , which premieres on March 9, 2023, sheds light on Detective Robert Anzilotti's "decades-long journey" to "bring justice to cold case victims linked to serial killer Richard Cottingham," per the show's description.

As late as December 2022, Cottingham was confessing to killings that took place as far back as 1972.

Thankfully, the serial killer is still doing time in Trenton's New Jersey State Prison, where he's been for the last several decades. According to The New York Times , Richard was sentenced to more than 200 years in prison after being found guilty of five murders in 1984.

How did Richard Cottingham get caught?

Richard Cottingham murdered upwards of a dozen New York and New Jersey women from 1967 to 1980, and he claims to have about 100 victims.

The despicable sadist was finally caught on May 22, 1980, after a maid at a Quality Inn in Hasbrouck Heights, N.J., heard screaming from his room. (The motel was the same location where Richard had murdered his last victim, so the staff was on high alert.)

The screams were coming from 19-year-old Leslie Ann O’Dell, a girl on the run from her pimp who was in the midst of being gruesomely assaulted for hours on end. After said maid went to check on the wailing guest, Leslie desperately hand-signaled for help and the maid called the cops. Though Richard attempted to flee the scene, police eventually cuffed the monster.

"Cottingham told me this weighs heavily on him because he doesn't know why he did the things he did," said Richard Cottingham's attorney , John Bruno. "He has deep regrets. He still doesn't understand why he did these things. But he feels relief knowing he has come clean for the families and for himself." Oh, how ugly and hollow that sounds.

The Torso Killer Confessions airs on A&E on March 9 and March 10, 2023, at 9 p.m. EST.

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Who Was The 'Torso Killer' Richard Cottingham And Where Is He Now?

He confessed to more murders as recently as April.

• A new Netflix docuseries, Crime Scene: The Times Square Serial Killer , dropped this week.
• The series focuses on Richard Cottingham, a.k.a the "Torso Killer."
• Cottingham was initially known to target sex workers in New York City's Times Square, though he later confessed to many more murders.

Calling all true crime fanatics: Netflix’s latest docuseries, Crime Scene: The Times Square Serial Killer, just dropped and it's a deep-dive into a series of horrific crimes perpetrated in New York and New Jersey in the 1970s.

The three-episode series focuses on Richard Cottingham, known as the “Torso Killer," who was initially believed to have preyed on sex workers in New York City's Times Square. (Spoiler alert: He later confessed to many more crimes.)

But who is Richard Cottingham, exactly? And most important: Where is he now?

Here's everything you need to know:

Who is Richard Cottingham?

Richard Cottingham was born in 1946 and was raised mostly in New Jersey, according to the The New York Times . He married in 1970 and had three children. He lived with his wife and kids in Lodi, NJ—about 30 minutes outside of Manhattan, where Cottingham commuted to work as a computer operator at Blue Cross Blue Shield.

He also rented an apartment in the city, according to the Times , and told his wife he worked nights. But the reality was that Cottingham was prowling Times Square, following sex workers, and tracking their movements.

What were Richard Cottingham's crimes?

In the late '70s and early '80s, Cottingham left a trail of brutal murder scenes in New York City and the nearby New Jersey suburbs that stumped police and left the region on edge.

In December 1979, police discovered a horrific scene at a Travel Inn Motor Hotel in New York City, believed to be Cottingham’s first killing of this type. A hotel worker found the burned bodies of two women in a hotel room. Their heads and hands had been cut off.

A few months later, another sex worker from Times Square was found dead in a New Jersey motel. This crime was then linked to a second murder at that location, according to the Times .

Later that month, a fifth woman was found dead and mutilated at a Fifth Avenue hotel in Manhattan, the Times reports.

Cottingham stood trial and denied the killings, but was ultimately found guilty in August 1984 of all five slayings and was sent to a state prison in New Jersey, sentenced to more than 200 years in prison, per The New York Times .

Where is Richard Cottingham now?

In the years since his initial convictions, Cottingham has confessed to many more murders.

As recently as April 2021, he admitted to drowning two New Jersey girls after seizing them while they were shopping at a mall in 1974, according to NorthJersey.com .

Cottingham reportedly has "deep regrets" about his actions.

His attorney John Bruno, of Rutherford, New Jersey, said: "Cottingham told me this weighs heavily on him because he doesn't know why he did the things he did. He has deep regrets. He still doesn't understand why he did these things. But he feels relief knowing he has come clean for the families and for himself."

Cottingham, now 75 years old, continues to serve time in New Jersey State Prison in Trenton.

Jacqueline Tempera is an award-winning writer and reporter living in New Jersey with her many pets. She is a business owner and a double Scorpio who loves all things astrology and reality television. She is passionate about body diversity and representation, mental health, and the fight to end sexual assault and harassment. To learn more about Jackie, follow her on Instagram @jacktemp or visit her website at jackietempera.com . 

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'I had over 80 perfect murders they never even knew about' : New doc details the heinous crimes of NYC's 'torso killer' who is currently serving a 200-year prison sentence for cutting off the limbs of victims - and claims the body count is still rising

• A new Netflix docuseries details the notorious case of 'The Times Square Torso Killer' who hunted and preyed on NYC prostitutes between 1967 and 1980
• Richard Cottingham earned the moniker the 'Torso Killer' for cutting off the limbs of victims and decapitating their heads 
• He is currently serving a 200-year prison sentence and says he's raped and killed over 100 women - but has been convicted and charged of 11 murders
• Richard Cottingham was a married father of three from Lodi, New Jersey, who worked as a computer operator for BlueCross BlueShield during his killing spree  
• Cottingham claimed that he committed murder every other week for 13 years: 'It was a constant type of thing,' he said. 'I flew under the radar, nobody knew' 

By Tate Delloye For Dailymail.com

Published: 09:02 EDT, 31 December 2021 | Updated: 09:02 EDT, 31 December 2021

View comments

A new Netflix documentary investigates Richard Cottingham, also known as the 'Times Square Killer' who said he raped and killed over 105 women and is currently serving a life sentence in New Jersey 

Netflix 's documentary Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer examines the notorious case of Richard Cottingham - also known as 'The Torso Killer' - who claimed to have raped, slaughtered and mutilated more than 100 women between 1967 and 1980.

The series begins with a grisly discovery at the Travel Inn Motor Hotel in Times Square on December 2, 1979. Police responded to a fire in Room 417, where two women had been discovered on a pair of twin beds. But when first responders attempted CPR, they realized the bodies had no heads and no hands.

With only torsos, police were unable to identify the victims. One detective said it was 'the cleanest crime scene he's ever seen.' Spatter, gore, fingerprints, puddles of blood, there was no evidence  except for their clothing, a pair of Bonjour jeans, a white leotard, patent leather boots and a black fur coat, which the killer had curiously folded neatly in the bathtub.    

Confounded, investigators used mannequins from nearby department stores and dressed them in the victims' clothing, hoping someone might come forward with information.

One slain woman was positively identified through a cesarean-section scar as 22-year-old, Iranian prostitute, Deedeh Goodarzi. The other female victim has never been identified and to this day remains a Jane Doe. Their skulls were never found.

Later, Cottingham claimed that Times Square cops stopped him as he carried the severed heads in a large potato sack to his car before letting him go. He returned back to the hotel to soak the crime scene in lighter fluid and set the room ablaze.

NYPD realized they had a serial  killer on their hands in December 1979, after they uncovered the charred, mutilated remains of two women at the Travel Inn Motor Hotel in Times Square. Without heads and hands, authorities were unable to identify the victims. Instead, they borrowed mannequins from nearby department stores and dressed them in the victims' clothing (above), hoping someone might come forward with information. One victim was recognized as Deedeh Goodarzi while the other slain woman remains unknown to this day

Deedeh Goodarzi was a 22-year-old high-end prostitute from Iran whose family immigrated to Long Island when she was a teenager. She was positively identified through a cesarean-section scar after a friend recognized her clothing. Recently, her daughter that she gave up for adoption while turning tricks has made headlines for forging an unlikely friendship with Richard Cottingham in prison

Richard Cottingham earned his moniker as 'the Torso Killer' after he raped and murdered two women in a Times Square motel  before setting their decapitated torsos ablaze. Their skulls and hands were never found. He has officially been charged with 11 murders but says he's killed over 100 women

Netflix's new 'Crime Scene' docuseries examines the notorious case of Richard Cottingham who left a bloody trail of victims between 1967 and 1980. Cottingham targeted sex workers in Times Square before torturing and mutilating their bodies, often leaving only their torsos behind as evidence

Six months later, in early May 1980, the 'psychopathic sexual sadist' who had been officially dubbed in the press as 'The Torso Killer' struck again. This time, he strangled and slit the throat of 25-year-old Jean Reyner, a single mother who had been working as a call girl to finance a custody battle.  

The crime scene was particularly gruesome. 'It was pretty much the hotel room from hell,' said detective Malcolm Reiman in the documentary. The killer had severed her breasts and placed them on the headboard, 'for shock value,' recalled Vernon Geberth, former Commanding Officer of Bronx Homicide. 

Like before, the murderous butcher had set the room on fire, which immediately tipped off authorities that they had a serial killer on their hands. 'When you're looking for a killer in 1970s Times Square, you're looking for a needle in a haystack,' said Geberth. 

Their monster would end up being 33-year-old Richard Cottingham, a married milquetoast father of three from Lodi, New Jersey, who worked as a computer operator for BlueCross BlueShield in Manhattan. He later admitted that his psychopathic hobby for hunting sex workers in Times Square 'as a game.' 

By all accounts, he was 'an average guy who drove an average car and lived in an average house' explained reporter Rod Leith in the series. 

Nobody at the time suspected that Cottingham's killing spree had began over a decade earlier with the murder of Nancy Vogel in 1967 and five New Jersey high school girls in 1968 and '69.

New York City was gripped with fear after the Travel Inn Motor Hotel murders went unsolved. Cottingham was eventually arrested in May 1980 after committing a string of grisly murders across Manhattan and New Jersey, with the same hallmark traits

Cottingham evaded law enforcement by deliberately preying on marginalized sex workers during a time when crime-ridden New York City was dubbed 'Fear City.' The sexual predator prowled Times Square for his victims which was considered a deviant playground for pornography, prostitution and crooks

The documentary paints a terrifying portrait of a city overrun with crime, which allowed Cottingham to flourish and evade law enforcement. A famous pamphlet made by NYPD during the 1970s advised tourists to 'stay off the streets after 6pm,' 'do not walk,' and 'never ride the subway for any reason whatsoever'

Cops apprehended Richard Cottingham on May 22, 1980 in a New Jersey Quality Inn after staff alerted police of screams coming from a room. It was the same motel that a maid had discovered the mutilated body of Valerie Street just two weeks earlier, and the body of Maryann Car in 1977. Cottingham had been in the process of torturing his latest victim, 19-year-old Leslie Ann O'Dell, who survived the attack and testified against him during his trial

One week before Jean Reyner's body was discovered at a Manhattan hotel, a maid at the Quality Inn in New Jersey found the naked corpse of Valerie Ann Street under the bed, with her hands tightly handcuffed behind her back. She had recently been arrested in Miami for prostitution and was last seen getting picked up by a John in New York City on May 5, 1980.

Valerie Street's body was covered in bite marks and brutally beaten in a chillingly similar manner to the murder of 26-year-old Maryann Carr, that had occurred in the same motel three years earlier. 

Despite obvious similarities, 'no one in New Jersey connected them to the Times Square killer,' explained former NYPD detective Malcolm Reiman in the doc. Criminal profiling was still in its infancy and it was before CCTV footage was commonplace and the use of computers helped detectives share information across states. 

Cottingham slipped the noose of law enforcement by deliberately preying on marginalized sex workers during a time when crime-ridden New York City descended into lawlessness.  

It was the era when the Big Apple was nicknamed 'Fear City' and Times Square was a deviant drain of illicit thrills, pornography, prostitution and crooks - providing the sexual predator with the perfect hunting ground.  

The body of 25-year-old Jean Reyner, a single mother who was turning tricks to finance a child custody battle, was found violently murdered on May 15, 1980 in a midtown hotel. The crime scene was particularly gruesome, Cottingham severed her breasts and placed them on the headboard before torching the room. Cops eventually tied him to the crime when they found Reyner's necklace among his 'trophies.' It was the same necklace that had been pictured on Reyner in a previous arrest photo for prostitution 

In 2010, while serving multiple life sentences, Cottingham pleaded guilty in the 1967 murder of Nancy Vogel, 29. It is believed that she was his first victim 

In 2021 Cottingham confessed and pleaded guilty to the double kidnapping and murders of Lorraine Marie Kelly, 16 and Mary Ann Pryor, 17 in 1974. They were raped and drowned in the bathtub of a New Jersey motel

In 2020, Cottingham admitted to murdering 13-year-old Jackie Harp (left) in 1968, and 15-year-old Denise Falasca (right) in 1969. Both girls were strangled to death

Cops had a lucky break in the case almost six months after the two headless torsos were first found in Times Square. On May 22, 1980, Cottingham picked up Leslie Ann O'Dell in Midtown Manhattan and dragged her back to the same New Jersey motel where he mutilated his last victim just 18 days earlier.  

At knife point, he proceeded to torture, beat and sexually assault the 19-year-old runaway for hours, (nearly biting off one of her nipples) until a maid heard her muffled screams. When hotel staff investigated further, Leslie Ann O'Dell cracked open the door and quietly signaled for help. 

The police apprehended Richard Cottingham while trying to flee. In his possession were handcuffs, a leather gag, two slave collars, a switchblade, replica pistols and a stockpile of sedatives.  

After his arrest, NYPD drew comparisons to the numerous unsolved sexual assault cases with similar hallmarks to the New Jersey crimes. They executed a search warrant on Cottingham's family home where they found a secret, locked 'trophy room' that stashed souvenirs of his evil deeds. Among S&M books and pornographic artwork were Maryann Carr's apartment key and jewelry that belonged to his other victims.  

Richard Cottingham was convicted of five murders and numerous counts of kidnapping and sexual assault using evidence found in his 'trophy room' combined with a matching fingerprint left on handcuffs used in the murder of Valerie Street. He was sentenced to 173 to 197 years, which he is currently serving in Trenton's New Jersey State Prison.

'It was a game to me. It was mainly psychological. I was able to get almost any woman to do whatever I wanted them to do, psychologically,' said the sinister 75-year-old in a recent jailhouse interview with journalist Nadia Fezzani. ' It's God-like, almost. You're in complete control of somebody's destiny.'

Over four trials in the early 1980s, three in Jersey and one in New York, Richard Cottingham was convicted of five murders. That included the 1977 slaying of a married 27-year-old nurse whose body was found dumped by a chain-link fence in the parking lot of the same Quality Inn where he’d committed other atrocities three years later. She had been cut about the chest and legs, beaten with a blunt instrument, and covered in bites and bruises

A picture taken of the New Jersey Courts virtual hearing in April 2021, when Richard Cottingham pleaded guilty to two 1974 murders, finally closing the cold case deaths of teenage friends who had left home for a trip to the mall and never returned

In 2010, Cottingham pleaded guilty to  the 1967 murder of Nancy Vogel. He also confessed under immunity to the 1968 and 1969 homicides of New Jersey teenagers Jackie Harp, Irene Blase, and Denise Falasca. 

Most recently, in April 2021, Cottingham confessed and pleaded guilty to the double kidnapping and murders of Lorraine Marie Kelly, 16 and Mary Ann Pryor, 17 in 1974. He admitted that he brought the two girls to a motel room where he tied them up, raped them, then drowned them in bathtub. 

He has officially been charged with 11 murders but according to Cottingham himself, has committed as many as 105 total slayings over the course of his homicidal career -  80 of which he described as 'perfect murders.'  

Directed by serial killer-aficionado Joe Berlinger, the Netflix series features interviews with former detectives, police officers, sex workers. Dominick Volpe, a former colleague at BlueCross BlueShield, testifies to Cottingham's perverse sexual tendencies. 

The doc also spotlights a conversation with Jennifer Weiss, Deedah Goodarzi's biological daughter, who made headlines last year when she struck up an unlikely friendship with her mother's killer while he served his prison sentence. 

In a strange turn of events, Deedah Goodarzi's biological daughter, Jennifer Weiss has forged an unlikely friendship with the man who strangled and beheaded her mother in 1979. Goodarzi gave up her daughter for adoption when she was less than two weeks old, it wasn't until Weiss tried to reconnect with her biological mother in 2002 that she discovered the disturbing truth of her violent demise

'All of the women that Richard killed left this world in a horrific way,' said Jennifer Weiss in the doc. 'So I maintain a relationship with Richard now because I want the names of the unidentified victims he took. Lives that never came to fruition. I think we need to remember them because they deserve justice'

Weiss was given up for adoption when she was less than two weeks old. It wasn't until she endeavored to reconnect with her biological mother in 2002, that she discovered the disturbing truth of her violent demise through old newspaper clippings. Looking for more answers, she reached out to Richard Cottingham in prison and has visited him over 30 times.  

'All of the women that Richard killed left this world in a horrific way,' she said in the doc. 'It always weighs heavily over me.

'So I maintain a relationship with Richard now because I want the names of the unidentified victims he took. Lives that never came to fruition. I think we need to remember them because they deserve justice.'       

Share or comment on this article: Netflix details Times Square torso killer Richard Cottingham who severed limbs and heads of victims

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Inside chilling story of The Times Square ‘Torso’ Killer feared to have slaughtered 100 women and mutilated their bodies

• Frances Mulraney
• Published : 1:01, 29 Dec 2021
• Updated : 2:22, 29 Dec 2021
• Published : Invalid Date,

THE Times Square Killer reached infamy with a string of gruesome murders over at least 18 years as he targeted mostly sex workers and mutilated many of their bodies.

Richard Cottingham, also known as the Torso Killer, was arrested in May 1980 after the muffled screams of his last victim alerted hotel staff to her torture.

The staff was reportedly already on edge after Cottingham had murdered a woman in the same hotel just weeks before.

Cottingham, now aged 75, was originally found guilty of the murder of five women but later confessed to other deaths, naming his victims and how they died.

The serial killer, who remains in prison in New Jersey, admitted to more murders as recently as April 2021.

While he has officially been tied to eleven deaths, Cottingham has claimed that he killed between 85 and 100, but remains stubborn in revealing more details and the identities of the victims.

His story will now be relived on December 29 in a new Netflix documentary "Crime Scene: the Times Square Killer."

The killer is believed to have targeted sex workers for his terrifying torture as he wanted to "punish" them.

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He remained under the radar working at a health insurance company based in Manhattan while living in New Jersey with his wife, Janet, and their three children, Blair, Scott, and Jenny.

Working the 3pm to 11pm shift, Cottingham went scouting at work for victims through Times Square, which in the late 1970s was far from the vibrant tourist attraction it is known as today.

With crime on every corner, it was a paradise location for Cottingham to pick up sex workers for his deviant abuse without ever being found.

Among Cottingham's most infamous crimes were the horrific killing of two women and the burning of what remained of their bodies in Travel Inn Motor Hotel just off Times Square.

Deedeh Goodarzi, 22, and the body of an unidentified 16-year-old girl were found inside on December 2, 1979.

Cottingham had tortured the two women, decapitated them, and removed their hands, taking the limbs with him as he escaped.

As fire alarms rang, a hotel worker made the gruesome find of their charred torsos.

Goodarzi's daughter has since befriended her mother's killer in the hopes of finding where he left her head.

FIRST KILL AGED 21

Cottingham's first known murder was in 1967 when he was only 21 years old, yet he did not admit to the killing until 2010.

He strangled Nancy Schiava Vogel, a 29-year-old mother of two, in her car in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey.

The young mother had met Cottingham after playing bingo with friends and reportedly recognized him as a fellow Little Ferry resident.

Her body was found three days later nude and bound.

Through 1968 and 1969, he killed three teen girls, also only admitting to the crimes decades later.

The youngest was 13-year-old Jackie Harp, as well as strangled 18-year-old Irene Blase and 15-year-old Denise Falasca.

CRIME SPREE

In the early 1970s after these murders, Cottingham began to be picked up for a series of lesser offenses.

He was convicted and fined for shoplifting in August 1972 and a year later arrested and charged with robbery, sodomy, and sexual assault.

The second case was dismissed, as were charges of unlawful imprisonment and robbery in February 1974.

Just six months later, Cottingham abducted Mary Ann Pryor, 17, and Lorraine Kelly, 16.

He reportedly dumped their bodies in a parking lot after taking them to a motel and drowning them in a bathtub.

“Like two little dolls at Christmastime," one detective described the scene.

These murders are reportedly the only time that Cottingham ever showed any sign of remorse.

"I was with them for a couple of days… and got to know them," he said as to why he remembered their names.

"To this day, I don't even think they would have ever said anything. And that's what bothers me because I probably didn't have to do anything to them," he added, according to the New York Times .

He only confessed to these murders last April.

KILLS RAMP UP

Cottingham's murderous spree ramped up in the late 70s as his personal life deteriorated after the birth of his third child.

His wife filed for divorce in 1980 citing "extreme cruelty" and accusing Cottingham of going to gay bars.

It came after years of him refusing to have sex with her and starting an affair with a woman named Barbara Lucas.

Cottingham's killings and assaults had reached a frenzied pace by the time of his divorce.

In December 1977, he had killed Maryann Car, 26, by tying her up and strangling her.

A year later, he attacked and raped Karen Schilt and Susan Geiger just a month apart.

Both were left for dead when he dumped them in New Jersey.

Geiger was pregnant at the time of the attack.

KILLING FRENZY AFTER DIVORCE

After the 1979 Time Square murders, Cottingham spiraled even further and attacked four women in 1980 - the year his wife filed for divorce - killing two of them.

Valerie Ann Street, 19, was found naked and bloodied on May 5 in a Quality Inn in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey.

Maryann Carr's body had been found years earlier near the hotel but cops could not link the crimes.

A week later on May 12, the body of 25-year-old Jean Reyner was also found strangled with her throat cut in the historic Seville Hotel.

Cottingham was eventually caught ten days later on May 22, 1980.

Up until this point, he had evaded any suspicion by successfully leaving no evidence at any other crime scene to point authorities in his direction before he was caught in the act.

CAUGHT IN THE ACT

Cottingham had picked up 18-year-old Leslie Ann O’Dell as she solicited in Manhattan and she agreed to have sex with him for $100.

They checked into the Quality Inn in Hasbrouck Height, where he had left the mutilated body of Valerie Ann Street just over two weeks before.

Cottingham then handcuffed O'Dell after putting a knife to her throat began to torture her, nearly biting off one of her nipples.

Her cries of pain eventually reached staff and guests who were on high alert after the previous murder.

Cottingham was caught by police in the hallway with handcuffs, a leather gag, two slave collars, a switchblade, replica pistols, and a stockpile of prescription pills.

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He was sentenced to more than 200 years in prison in three separate trials.

Authorities have worked over the decades to try and identify another murder he may have committed.

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Crime Scene: The horrifying true story of The Times Square Killer

Warning: Contains content readers may find upsetting.

Please note: The following article contains graphic details of sexual assault and murder that some readers might find upsetting.

Netflix true-crime anthology series Crime Scene is back with a disturbing new case based around the Times Square Killer.

Following on from its original series, The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel , Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer tracks how the seedy world of 1970s Times Square in New York proved the perfect breeding ground for a sadistic killer to go unnoticed.

Richard Cottingham, who was eventually caught in 1980, has been convicted of 11 murders, but claims responsibility for up to 80 more.

Crime Scene lays out the groundwork of how he managed to evade capture for so long, with horrifying accounts from sex workers who were trafficked in the area at the time, historians and former police officers.

His murder and rape spree first caught the attention of the NYPD on December 2, 1979, when the bodies of two sex workers, 22-year-old Deedeh Goodarzi, 22, and a never-identified teenage girl, were found in a hotel room just off Times Square. They had been tortured, assaulted and stabbed. Their heads and hands had been cut off before their bodies were set on fire. The missing body parts have never been recovered.

At the time, Times Square, particularly 42nd Street, was a known hot-spot for the sex industry, including cinemas showing X-rated films, peep-show booths and live sex shows. Sex work was still illegal, however. Women were trafficked into the cities, brothels were largely run by mobs, and if those involved were to go to the police, they would be arrested on the spot for prostitution. As a result, violence against them, including assault and rape, would go unreported.

The murder was nicknamed the "Torso Killings" but evidence was scarce because of the crowded area of Times Square meant Cottingham was able to slip through the crowds undetected.

The body of Valerie Ann Street, 19, was found on May 5, 1980 at a Quality Inn in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey. She'd had her hands cuffed behind her back and had been tortured. She was found covered in bite marks.

On May 15, Jean Reyner was murdered at New York's Seville Hotel. Again, the room had been set on fire, with Reyner's body indicating she had been tortured and assaulted, with her breasts removed and placed on the bed sideboard.

On May 22, staff at the same Quality Inn from two weeks prior called the police after hearing muffled cries coming from a room. They discovered Leslie Ann O'Dell, 18, being tortured by Cottingham. He had picked her up in New York and driven her to the hotel. By the time she was found she had been held at knifepoint, handcuffed, badly bitten and beaten. He attempted to flee, but was caught.

Initially, Cottingham pleaded not guilty, and even insisted on going to trial. Cottingham grew up and lived in New Jersey, which is an easy commute into the city, where he worked with computers in an office just out of Times Square. He initially claimed he was at work at the time of the killings, but was caught out when his co-worker, Dominick Volpe, revealed they had discovered a way to "cheat the clock" so they could bill for being on shift when they actually weren't.

Three survivors of his assaults also successfully identified Cottingham as their attacker, each having similar stories of being drugged at a bar before being driven to New Jersey, sexually assaulted and bitten. One survivor was attacked on May 13, two days before Jean Reyner was murdered.

In 1981 he was found guilty and given 173 to 197 years in prison.

30 years later, Cottingham would confess all to a journalist, Nadia Fezzani, who made a name for herself interviewing serial killers. He bragged that it "was a game to him and mainly psychological", explaining his tortures gave him a "god-like" feeling.

He would later plead guilty to a number of murders, dating back to 1967 with the death of Nancy Schiava Vogel, a 29-year-old mum-of-two. He later pled guilty to the killing of three more women in the late 1960s – Jacalyn Harp, Irene Blase, and Denise Falasca.

To date, he's officially been convicted of 11 murders. However, he claims that he had killed women at least once a fortnight for years, with "at least 80 perfect murders".

He is currently alive, and residing in New Jersey State Prison.

Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer is available now on Netflix.

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Times Square Killer: The true story of New York murderer Richard Cottingham behind Netflix series Crime Scene

Netflix focuses the spotlight on the forces at work in new york which allowed a serial killer to go undetected.

Danger and depravity in New York are the focus of a new Netflix series about the so-called “Times Square Torso Ripper”.

The second series of Joe Berlinger’s Crime Scene documentary show, following on from The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel , turns the spotlight on serial killer Richard Cottingham.

Between 1967 and 1980, he killed at least 11 people but has claimed to have committed up to 100 murders in total.

Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer looks at the danger and depravity of New York’s Times Square in the 1970s where Cottingham exercised much of his 13-year reign of terror.

Director Joe Berlinger told Variety : “There was a lot of social forces at play that led to the creation of this zone in Manhattan, which was nearly lawless, anything went and there was a lot of predatory behaviour that police didn’t care about at the time.”

The three-part series, released on 29 December, examines the social and economic forces at work in the area at the time which allowed Cottingham to go undetected.

How did the Times Square Torso Ripper get his name?

Cottingham, a computer worker, preyed on sex workers operating in and around Times Square in New York.

In December 1979, firefighters were called to a hotel near Times Square where there was a blaze in a room. They discovered the bodies of Deedeh Goodarzi and a still unidentified second woman.

Both had their hands and heads removed and had been set alight.

Was this his first killing?

By 1979, the married father-of-three had already killed but the authorities had not linked previous murders to him.

On 5 May 1980, police found the body of 19-year-old Valerie Ann Street in a motel in New Jersey.

Her hands were handcuffed behind her back, she was covered in bite marks and was beaten across the shins. She had died of asphyxiation.

This murder was later linked to an earlier murder in the same motel.

Radiologist Maryann Carr, 26, was also found brutally beaten near the same motel but police could not positively link the crimes until after Cottingham’s arrest.

On May 15, Jean Reyner was strangled and her throat cut in the Seville Hotel in New York.

How was he caught?

On 22 May 1980, Cottingham had picked up 18-year-old Leslie Ann O’Dell in New York and taken her to a hotel.

Staff at the hotel heard her screams from the room as Cottingham tortured her and called the police.

He was arrested as he tried to flee the room.

Where is he now?

In a series of trials in New York and New Jersey between 1981 and 1984, Cottingham was found guilty of five murders including that of Valerie Street and multiple charges of kidnap and sexual assault.

He has subsequently confessed to the killing of Nancy Vogel in 1967, school girls Jackie Harp, Irene Blase, and Denise Falasca between 1968 to 69 in New Jersey and the rape and murders of Lorraine Marie Kelly, 16 and Mary Ann Pryor, 17 in 1974 in New Jersey.

Imprisoned at New Jersey State Prison in Trenton, he claims to have committed up to 100 murders in total.

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Man sentenced 25 years to life for 'brutal' 2007 times square hotel murder, the convicted killer left his victim's body in a garbage bag underneath the bed in a times square hotel..

Brendan Krisel , Patch Staff

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — A man convicted of killing a woman he brought back to his Times Square hotel for sex will face 25 years to life in prison, the Manhattan District Attorney's office announced Monday.

Clarence Dean, of Alabama, was convicted in December of 2016 for the 2007 killing of 33-year-old Kristine Yitref, prosecutors said. Dean, now 45, met Yitref on the street in Times Square and invited her to his room at the Hotel Carter located on West 43rd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues.

Yitrif accepted Dean's offer and went back to the hotel with him around 4 a.m. on August 28th. Yitrif's body was found on August 30th when a maid came to clean the hotel room, according to the DA's office. Dean had cleaned the room, but left Yitrif's body and blood-soaked sheets and towels in a plastic garbage bag underneath the bed, prosecutors said.

Find out what's happening in New York City with free, real-time updates from Patch.

Dean was arrested on August 31st, according to the DA's office. At the time Dean was a wanted fugitive in the state of Alabama.

"Clarence Dean committed a merciless and brutal act of violence against a vulnerable woman," Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said in a statement. "After inviting the victim to his hotel room, Dean repeatedly struck her with such force that he reduced her bones to dust. He squeezed her neck so tightly that it snapped. He showed a complete disregard for human life, and now he will serve the maximum sentence possible for this barbaric crime."

Photo by Elvert Barnes via Flickr/Creative Commons

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The motel where Richard Cottingham murdered two of his victims

Murder Location in Manhattan, New York

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This is the motel where serial killer Richard Cottingham murdered two of his victims.

It is called the Travel Inn hotel, and it is located at 515 West 42nd Street in Manhattan, New York.

On November 29th, 1979,  Cottingham  rented room 417 using the name "Carl Wilson" and a fake address in Merlin, New Jersey.

The motel had a seedy reputation for prostitution during the 1970s.

It was also within walking distance of the Minnesota Strip, which was a section of 8th Avenue that ran between 42nd Street and 57th Street. The area was named as such because it was frequented by teenage sex workers who had run away from their hometowns in the Midwest.

On the morning of December 2nd, the fire department was called to the Travel Inn motel after a fire broke out in room 417.

Inside, firemen discovered the dismembered remains of two women.

Cottingham had severed their heads and hands before setting their bodies on fire using lighter fluid. He had then taken the severed body parts with him while he was leaving the motel.

The body parts in question have never been found.

The victims were a 22-year-old sex worker named Deedeh Goodarzi and a teenage girl who remains unidentified to this day.

Cottingham was convicted of the murders in July 1984.

During an interview in 2009, he claimed that he dismembered their remains to hinder their identification. At the time, he was worried that Goodarzi could be linked back to him, as he reportedly knew her and had been seen in her presence the night before.

Goodarzi was identified after the police traced her sandals back to a shoe store in Paramus, New Jersey. Suspecting that she might have lived nearby, they began to look at missing person reports in the area.

Not long after, they zeroed in on Goodarzi, who had disappeared after traveling to New York on November 30th, 1979.

At that point, they were able to confirm her identity using her medical records.

The other victim in the motel room remains unidentified, as she had no surgical or identifying marks on her torso. The authorities believe that she was 16–18 years old when she was murdered. Like Cottingham's other victims, she was petite, standing at 5'2" and weighing roughly 110 pounds. She also had the rare blood type A2.

Sadly, she is still listed as a Jane Doe.

Richard Cottingham: Travel Inn motel address

The address and the GPS coordinates for this location are as follows:

svg{fill:#212529} Address

515 W 42nd Street, Manhattan, New York, NY 10036, USA

svg{fill:#212529} Map

To view directions on how to get there, you can use the Google Maps shortcut below:

Google Maps

svg{fill:#212529} GPS coordinates

The latitude and longitude coordinates for the motel are:

40.760101, -73.996126

svg{fill:#212529} Directions

The motel is roughly 200 feet west of the corner of West 42nd Street and 10th Avenue. It is a short walk away from Times Square—hence his nickname, "The Times Square Killer."

Photos of the motel and other related images.

Travel Inn motel

This Google Street View image of the Travel Inn motel was taken in August 2022.

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Gilgo Beach murders: Timeline shows what led to arrest of suspect Rex Heuermann in Long Island

Several missing women, four sets of human remains found along a Long Island beach, a Netflix film about four unsolved murders, a pickup truck and pizza crust.

Those are some of the events leading up to the arrest of a New York architect in the string of killings known as the Gilgo Beach murders . 

More than 15 years after the first victim went missing, police charged Rex Heuermann with murder in the deaths of three victims Friday, according to Suffolk County court records , after DNA from a pizza Heuermann ate matched a male hair found on one of the victim’s remains.

Heuermann was charged with killing Melissa Barthelemy, 24, Megan Waterman, 22, and Amber Costello, 27, whose bodies were found along a Long Island beach roadway in 2010. He pleaded not guilty to three counts each of first- and second-degree murder.

He's also the prime suspect in the death of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, whose body was also found around the same time, according to court records. All four victims were believed to be sex workers at the time.

Asa Ellerup: Wife of Gilgo Beach murder suspect, Rex Heuermann, files for divorce after he's charged

Here’s a timeline of events leading up to Heuermann’s arrest. 

July 2007: Maureen Brainard-Barnes last seen in NYC

On July 6, 2007, Brainard-Barnes, who lived in Norwich, Connecticut, was contacted by a burner phone. From July 6, 2007 to July 9, 2007, there were sixteen interactions between Brainard-Barnes’ phone and the burner phone, court records show.

On July 9, 2007, Brainard-Barnes' phone was last traced in Midtown Manhattan near the 59th Street Bridge around 11:56 p.m. local time, according to court records. 

She was last seen in New York City.

On July 12, 2007, three days after Brainard-Barnes’ disappearance, two outbound calls were made on her phone near the Long Island Expressway in Islandia, New York, according to court records. The calls were made to check her voicemail. 

Early July 2009: Melissa Barthelemy contacted by burner phone before she was last seen in NYC

Barthelemy was contacted by a burner phone on July 3, July 6, July 9 and July 10, 2009.

On July 8, 2009, Heuermann’s wife, Asa Ellerup, traveled to Iceland, according to travel records.

Barthelemy was last seen on July 10, 2009, in New York City, court records show. 

According to cell site records, the burner phone was traced back to Massapequa Park and Midtown Manhattan on July 10. Later that evening, Barthelemy’s phone was traced to Midtown Manhattan and then Massapequa. 

On July 11, 2009, around 1:43 a.m., Barthelemy’s phone was used to make an outbound call checking her voicemail in Freeport, New York, according to court records. Later that day and on July 12, 2009, Barthelemy’s phone was used to make two more outbound calls checking her voicemail in Babylon, New York, court records show.

July 17 to August 26, 2009: Man calls Barthelemy’s family from her phone

On July 17, July 23, August 5, August 19 and August 26, 2009, a man called Barthelemy’s family members from her phone.

In a call between the man and a relative, the man admitted to killing and sexually assaulting Barthelemy, according to court records. The phone calls were traced back to Midtown Manhattan, court records show.

On August 18, 2009, Ellerup returned to the United States.

June 2010: Megan Waterman contacted by burner phone, last seen leaving Holiday Inn

On June 4, 2010, Ellerup traveled to Maryland, according to cell phone billing records.  

On June 5, 2010, Waterman was contacted by a burner phone which was newly activated, according to court records. 

Waterman communicated with the burner phone up until June 6, 2010 when surveillance video showed her leaving a Holiday Inn in Hauppauge, New York. This was the last time she was seen.

According to cell site records, the phone was traced back to Massapequa Park, which was in the vicinity of Heuermann’s home, around 3:11 a.m.

On June 8, 2010, Ellerup returned to New York from Maryland, according to cell phone records.  

September 2010: Amber Costello contacted by burner phone, last seen leaving home in West Babylon; witness described seeing pickup truck

On August 28, 2010, Ellerup traveled to New Jersey, according to cell phone records.  

On September 1, 2010, Costello was contacted by a burner phone located at West Amityville and Massapequa Park, according to court records. Costello received the calls around 11:33 p.m. and 11:34 p.m.

Shortly after, the burner phone traveled to West Babylon, where Costello lived. Costello was contacted by the burner phone around 12:05 a.m. September 2, 2010.

According to witnesses, when a prostitution client entered Costello's home, a man, who was pretending to be Costello's boyfriend, pretended to be outraged after Costello received the money from the client and the client left the home, court records show.

A witness told officials the client said he was “just her friend” and to “tell her I'll give her a call” as he walked out the door. 

“Based upon interviews, that client was described as a large, white male, approximately 6'4 to 6'6 in height, in his mid-forties, with ‘dark bushy hair,’ and ‘big oval style 1970s type eyeglasses,’" according to court records.  

A witness said the client drove a first-generation Chevrolet Avalanche, which was parked in the driveway. 

Around 1:18 a.m., Costello received a text message from the burner phone which said, “That was not nice so do I [get] credit for next time,” according to court records. Phone records show the burner phone was located in Massapequa Park within two minutes of the text message being sent.

According to a witness, Costello was contacted by the same client later that day.

“Amber told us that he wanted to see her again, but he didn’t want to come back to the house because of her boyfriend,” the witness said.

Costello was contacted by the burner phone four times that night, between 9:30 p.m. and 11:17 p.m., with calls being traced back to Midtown Manhattan, then Massapequa Park, then West Babylon, court records show.

Costello, who left her phone behind, was last seen on September 2, 2010, leaving her home that night. A witness said they saw a dark-colored truck pass the house coming from the direction Costello had walked towards, court records show.

On September 5, 2010, Ellerup returned to New York from New Jersey. 

December 2010: Remains of four people found along Gilgo Beach roadway; male and female hairs found

On December 11, 2010, Suffolk County Police Department Officer John Malia was conducting a training exercise with his K9 partner, Blue, along a Gilgo Beach roadway when Blue found a set of human remains belonging to Melissa Barthelemy, according to court records.

On December 13, 2010, police found the remains of three other women. Each of the four victims’ bodies were examined by a forensic scientist at the Suffolk County Crime Laboratory, court records show. 

A female’s hair, different from the victims, was found on three of the four bodies. The hairs were sent to an outside forensics laboratory, court records show. A male’s hair was also found on one of the victim’s remains.

“The hair was unsuitable for further DNA analysis at that time by the Suffolk County Crime Laboratory,” court records show.

Around this time, police were searching for 24-year-old Shannon Gilbert, a sex worker from New Jersey who vanished in 2010 after leaving a client's house in Oak Beach.

July 31, 2020: DNA profile generated for male’s hair found on remains

On July 31, 2020, the hair found on one of the victim’s remains was submitted for further DNA analysis. Forensic scientists generated a DNA profile for the hair recovered and determined the hair belonged to a male in mitochondrial haplogroup V7a.

March 2022: Police identify Heuermann as a suspect in the murder of Costello after linking him to the pickup truck the witness saw

In March 2022, Heuermann was identified as a suspect in the murder of Costello after detectives linked him to a pickup truck that the witness reported seeing in 2010.

Following the discovery of the Chevrolet Avalanche, which was registered to Heuermann, detectives began investigating cell phone records and other items, according to court records.

Heuermann made purchases, calls in same location where burner phones were used

According to court records, Heuermann used his American Express card in the same area where he used the burner phone to contact the victims. 

Heuermann also made calls from the same locations where he checked voicemails and called Barthelemy’s family members. 

“Significantly, investigators could find no instance where Heuermann was in a separate location from these other cellphones when such a communication event occurred,” according to court records.

Heuermann’s Tinder account linked to one of the burner phones

American Express records obtained by a subpoena revealed recurring “Google Pay” payments made by Heuermann to Tinder, court records show. 

According to records obtained from Tinder, Heuermann, who went by the name “Andy” on his Tinder profile, had links to a phone number which was connected to one of the burner phones, court records show.

The burner phone was linked to an email account, according to court records. The account was created on January 15, 2011. A search warrant on the email accout revealed selfie photos that “appeared to have been taken by defendant Rex Heuermann of himself,” according to court records. 

A burner email had searches related to the Long Island serial killer

According to court records, another burner email account, was used to conduct “thousands of searches related to sex workers, sadistic, torture-related pornography and child pornography.”

The email account was also used to search active and known serial killers, the disappearances and murders of Brainard-Barnes, Barthelemy, Waterman and Costello, a number of podcasts and documentaries about the investigation and articles concerning the task force investigating the murders, according to court records.

July 2022: DNA profile generated for female’s hair found on remains

In July 2022, forensic scientists determined each of the female hairs recovered on the three victims – Brainard-Barnes, Waterman and Costello – belonged to a female in the “mitochondrial haplogroup K1c2,” court records show.

On July 21, 2022, an undercover detective recovered eleven bottles from a trash can in front of Heuermann’s home. 

The Suffolk County Crime Laboratory took swabs of the bottles, and sent them to the forensic laboratory for DNA profiling, according to court records.

January 26, 2023: Detectives recover a pizza box thrown in trash can which belonged to Heuermann 

On January 26, 2023, a surveillance team recovered a pizza box belonging to Heuermann from a garbage can in Manhattan, according to court records.

“This pizza box was sent to the Suffolk County Crime Laboratory for analysis, where a swab was taken from the leftover pizza crust,” court records show.

February 24, 2023: DNA profile found on hairs match bottles; linked to Asa Ellerup

On February 24, 2023, forensic scientists said one of the DNA profiles from the bottles taken from Heuermann’s home “indicated a female individual belonging to mitochondrial haplogroup K1c2,” which is the same mitochondrial haplogroup as the female hairs recovered from the three victims, according to court records. 

“Based upon the investigation and evidence recovered to date, that female is believed to be the wife of defendant Heuermann,” court records show.

March 23, 2023: Swab from pizza sent to forensic lab

On March 23, 2023, the county crime laboratory sent a swab from the pizza crust to another forensic laboratory.

April 28, 2023: Detective delivers male hair to forensic laboratory for testing

On April 28, 2023, a detective hand-delivered a portion of the male hair found on one of the victim's remains to a forensic laboratory for testing, court records show.

May 19, 2023: Heuermann buys minutes on one of the burner phones

On May 19, 2023, Heuermann was captured on surveillance video purchasing minutes on one of the burner phones. 

June 12, 2023: Lab determined the male hair and swab from the pizza crust had the same DNA profiles

On June 12, 2023, a forensic laboratory determined the male hair found on one of the victims and the swab from the pizza crust had the same mitochondrial DNA profiles, according to court records.

July 13, 2023: Rex Heuermann was arrested, charged

On July 13, 2023, Heuermann was arrested in connection with three of the Gilgo Beach murders. His home and other locations are being searched. 

Until his arrest, Heuermann continued to use burner phones to contact sex workers. He also had permits for 92 guns, The Associated Press reported.

Since his arrest, Heuermann has been on suicide watch at the Suffolk County Correctional Facility, according to a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, The AP reported. 

Heuermann was charged with first-degree murder. He is being held without bail, according to court records.

July 19, 2023: Ellerup files for divorce

Ellerup filed for divorce Wednesday, her attorney said, per the AP. Ellerup filed the complaint in the Suffolk County Supreme Court.

Police have been seen taking boxes of material from his home where the couple lived together. These items included more than 200 firearms, a filing cabinet, a computer, a large doll in a glass case and other household items, The AP reported.

The home is located across a bay from where the remains were discovered. He has lived in the home for decades.

July 24, 2023: Investigators dig in Heuermann's backyard

On Monday, investigators continued to dig in Heuermann's backyard using a yellow excavator they have been using since Sunday, The AP reported. Investigators are trying to determine whether any of the killings happened at his home in Massapequa Park.

Over the weekend, police also dismantled a wooden deck at the house and replaced it with a white tent, The AP reported. A state medical examiner’s truck was parked near the tent.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This New York Lake Hides A Harrowing Secret

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• This lake in New York is a popular spot to visit, but many people have seen the ghost of a woman; it turns out that someone was murdered here many years ago.
• A woman has haunted this lake for over a century due to her brutal murder by her lover for a very cruel and selfish reason.
• The killer was found guilty and sentenced to death, claiming the victim had committed suicide. Her spirit remains at this New York lake, with many paranormal sightings having occurred.

The United States has many haunted waters known to be home to spirits. Be it Lake Lanier, where over 700 deaths have occurred , to White Rock Lake, home to the ghostly Lady of the Lake , or even the haunted Grouse Lake in Yosemite where a boy's spirit is said to cry and drag victims to the bottom , there are more haunted lakes in America that only the bravest dare to swim in than most people realize.

This includes a particular New York lake that hides a harrowing secret, tucked away in a sleepy town in the Adirondacks. The Adirondacks and the charming small towns found there have always been a place to enjoy summer vacations. Swimming in the lakes, hiking the trails, and enjoying cooler weather than in New York City has made the mountain region in New York a favorite of locals for generations.

However, areas in the Adirondacks also hold dark secrets, like this haunted lake, where the brutal murder of a young woman happened at the hands of the man she loved. As such, she continues to haunt the lake, not being able to find closure for more than a century after her death.

This Strange Nevada Lake Has A Dark History Of Missing People & Hauntings

Pyramid Lake has more lore and mystery to it than just about any other lake in the nation.

New York's Big Moose Lake Hides The Harrowing Tale Of Grace Brown

Grace brown has been walking the shores of big moose lake for over a century.

Grace Brown's spirit has been haunting Big Moose Lake for over a century. It is said that her spirit cannot rest after the man that she thought was her true love set up a deceptive scheme to kill her instead.

At the time of Grace's death, she was not the only victim; she was four months pregnant at the time. This was not a fact that many were privy to until her killer was arrested and facts came out in court. But it proved to be a necessary point to broach, as it was also the motive for Grace's killing.

Why Grace continues to haunt Big Moose Lake by either walking the shores of the lake or, before it burned down, walked the halls of the Big Moose Inn , is not known.

What unfinished business Grace has is not clear. But from those who have had encounters with her, Grace appears very sad and withdrawn. However, she is not a mean spirit, as all she does is extinguish lights being used to walk around the lake at night.

Don't Swim In This North Carolina River If You Hear Singing

It's said that something dangerous lurks beneath this river's waters. Its song may be the last one you hear!

The Brutal Murder Of Grace Brown

Grace brown was murdered by the man she was having an affair with, chester gillette.

Grace wanted more for her life than the dairy farm she grew up on. Because of this, Grace decided to make the move to Cortland, New York, in 1905 , where she was hired at the Gillette Skirt Factory. While working at the Gillette, Grace met Chester Gillette. Chester was the owner's nephew and had moved to Cortland from Montana.

The two hit it off immediately but kept their romance under wraps because Grace's social status, as seen by Chester, was not on par with his, and he did not want to be seen with someone who would eventually prevent him from marrying a woman who had both status and money.

By May 1906, Grace was pregnant. After Chester refused to marry her, she returned to her family dairy. The two continued to correspond. Grace wanted Chester to marry her so that she could reenter society versus being an outcast as an unwed mother.

It appeared that Grace's letters to Chester had convinced him to change his mind, as he invited her to go on a romantic weekend in July 1906. According to many, Grace believed that this romantic weekend would be when Chester would propose to her and the two would start their lives together.

The first day of Grace and Chester's trip started in Utica, New York, before going to Tupper Lake on the second day. It was on the third day when, en route back to Utica, the two stopped at Big Moose Lake to rent a canoe and enjoy a day in the sun on the lake.

What was curious was that while Grace left her luggage at the train station so that she did not have to lug it along with her while on the lake, Chester took his suitcase, complete with a tennis racket. As it turns out, this was because Chester had valuables in his suitcase. It was because this was part of Chester's elaborate scheme to make sure Grace was no longer what he saw as a problem in his life.

While on the lake, Chester struck Grace with the tennis racket and pushed her body overboard, knowing that Grace could not swim. Chester then fled the lake and stayed at the Arrowhead Hotel in Inlet, New York.

It would only be a few days before Grace's body was recovered. Also recovered was the tennis racket that Chester hastily buried at the edge of the lake. Chester was then arrested and charged with Grace's murder.

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Manchac Swamp, located just outside New Orleans, is the most haunted swamp in Louisiana.

Chester Gillette's Trial & Sentencing For The Murder Of Grace Brown

Chester gillette was sentenced to death for the murder of grace brown.

Chester's trial started and was the biggest and most "sensational" the region had seen . As such, each day the case was argued, a crowd waited outside the courthouse to learn details that were not revealed in the newspaper.

Chester's defense team claimed that Chester did not kill Grace. Instead, they claimed that Grace jumped into the lake to commit suicide, distraught about being pregnant. They contended that Chester tried to save Grace, but when he stood to see where she had jumped, the canoe flipped and all Chester could do was swim to shore to save himself.

The district attorney argued that Chester used his tennis racket to hit Grace on the head and then pushed her into the lake. Instead of trying to save her, Chester waited until Grace was dead, and then he returned to shore, leaving both Grace and the canoe in the lake.

6 Most Haunted Hiking Trails In New York (If You Dare)

Dare to hike New York's haunted trails? From eerie presences to ghostly encounters and scary screams, these trails are not for the faint of heart!

It took the jury five hours to deliberate, after which they found Chester guilty. He was sentenced to death. In December 1908, after all of Chester's appeals had been denied, his sentencing was carried out.

Even though there was justice served in Grace Brown's case, her spirit continues to walk the perimeter of the lake. Locals hope that someday she will be able to find peace. But for now, it appears as though Grace's spirit is confined to Big Moose Lake due to Chester Gillette's act of pure evil.

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Inside chilling story of The Times Square ‘Torso’ Killer feared to have slaughtered 100 women and mutilated their bodies

• Frances Mulraney
• Published : 20:01 ET, Dec 28 2021
• Updated : 21:22 ET, Dec 28 2021
• Published : Invalid Date,

THE Times Square Killer reached infamy with a string of gruesome murders over at least 18 years as he targeted mostly sex workers and mutilated many of their bodies.

Richard Cottingham, also known as the Torso Killer , was arrested in May 1980 after the muffled screams of his last victim alerted hotel staff to her torture.

The staff was reportedly already on edge after Cottingham had murdered a woman in the same hotel just weeks before.

Cottingham, now aged 75, was originally found guilty of the murder of five women but later confessed to other deaths, naming his victims and how they died.

The serial killer, who remains in prison in New Jersey, admitted to more murders as recently as April 2021.

While he has officially been tied to eleven deaths, Cottingham has claimed that he killed between 85 and 100, but remains stubborn in revealing more details and the identities of the victims.

His story will now be relived on December 29 in a new Netflix documentary "Crime Scene: the Times Square Killer."

The killer is believed to have targeted sex workers for his terrifying torture as he wanted to "punish" them.

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He remained under the radar working at a health insurance company based in Manhattan while living in New Jersey with his wife, Janet, and their three children, Blair, Scott, and Jenny.

Working the 3pm to 11pm shift, Cottingham went scouting at work for victims through Times Square , which in the late 1970s was far from the vibrant tourist attraction it is known as today.

With crime on every corner, it was a paradise location for Cottingham to pick up sex workers for his deviant abuse without ever being found.

Among Cottingham's most infamous crimes were the horrific killing of two women and the burning of what remained of their bodies in Travel Inn Motor Hotel just off Times Square.

Deedeh Goodarzi, 22, and the body of an unidentified 16-year-old girl were found inside on December 2, 1979.

Cottingham had tortured the two women, decapitated them, and removed their hands, taking the limbs with him as he escaped.

As fire alarms rang, a hotel worker made the gruesome find of their charred torsos.

Goodarzi's daughter has since befriended her mother's killer in the hopes of finding where he left her head.

FIRST KILL AGED 21

Cottingham's first known murder was in 1967 when he was only 21 years old, yet he did not admit to the killing until 2010.

He strangled Nancy Schiava Vogel, a 29-year-old mother of two, in her car in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey.

The young mother had met Cottingham after playing bingo with friends and reportedly recognized him as a fellow Little Ferry resident.

Her body was found three days later nude and bound.

Through 1968 and 1969, he killed three teen girls, also only admitting to the crimes decades later.

The youngest was 13-year-old Jackie Harp, as well as strangled 18-year-old Irene Blase and 15-year-old Denise Falasca.

CRIME SPREE

In the early 1970s after these murders, Cottingham began to be picked up for a series of lesser offenses.

He was convicted and fined for shoplifting in August 1972 and a year later arrested and charged with robbery, sodomy, and sexual assault.

The second case was dismissed, as were charges of unlawful imprisonment and robbery in February 1974.

Just six months later, Cottingham abducted Mary Ann Pryor, 17, and Lorraine Kelly, 16.

He reportedly dumped their bodies in a parking lot after taking them to a motel and drowning them in a bathtub.

“Like two little dolls at Christmastime," one detective described the scene.

These murders are reportedly the only time that Cottingham ever showed any sign of remorse.

"I was with them for a couple of days… and got to know them," he said as to why he remembered their names.

"To this day, I don't even think they would have ever said anything. And that's what bothers me because I probably didn't have to do anything to them," he added, according to the New York Times .

He only confessed to these murders last April.

KILLS RAMP UP

Cottingham's murderous spree ramped up in the late 70s as his personal life deteriorated after the birth of his third child.

His wife filed for divorce in 1980 citing "extreme cruelty" and accusing Cottingham of going to gay bars.

It came after years of him refusing to have sex with her and starting an affair with a woman named Barbara Lucas.

Cottingham's killings and assaults had reached a frenzied pace by the time of his divorce.

In December 1977, he had killed Maryann Car, 26, by tying her up and strangling her.

A year later, he attacked and raped Karen Schilt and Susan Geiger just a month apart.

Both were left for dead when he dumped them in New Jersey.

Geiger was pregnant at the time of the attack.

KILLING FRENZY AFTER DIVORCE

After the 1979 Time Square murders, Cottingham spiraled even further and attacked four women in 1980 - the year his wife filed for divorce - killing two of them.

Valerie Ann Street, 19, was found naked and bloodied on May 5 in a Quality Inn in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey.

Maryann Carr's body had been found years earlier near the hotel but cops could not link the crimes.

A week later on May 12, the body of 25-year-old Jean Reyner was also found strangled with her throat cut in the historic Seville Hotel.

Cottingham was eventually caught ten days later on May 22, 1980.

Up until this point, he had evaded any suspicion by successfully leaving no evidence at any other crime scene to point authorities in his direction before he was caught in the act.

CAUGHT IN THE ACT

Cottingham had picked up 18-year-old Leslie Ann O’Dell as she solicited in Manhattan and she agreed to have sex with him for $100.

They checked into the Quality Inn in Hasbrouck Height, where he had left the mutilated body of Valerie Ann Street just over two weeks before.

Cottingham then handcuffed O'Dell after putting a knife to her throat began to torture her, nearly biting off one of her nipples.

Her cries of pain eventually reached staff and guests who were on high alert after the previous murder.

Cottingham was caught by police in the hallway with handcuffs, a leather gag, two slave collars, a switchblade, replica pistols, and a stockpile of prescription pills.

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He was sentenced to more than 200 years in prison in three separate trials.

Authorities have worked over the decades to try and identify another murder he may have committed.

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5 Favorite Coastal Maine Inns For A Fall Getaway

The crowds are gone, and the lighthouses, lobster rolls and sea breezes make Maine a unique foliage destination.

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Perkins Cove is a coastal village nestled in Ogunquit, Maine

I’m fortunate to spend a lot of time in the beautiful state of Maine each year, and while every season has its charms, fall is one of the best times to explore the state’s legendary coastline. The summer crowds are gone, the lobster rolls are still tasty, and the weather can be sublime. Here’s a look at five of my favorite coastal inns that take a foliage getaway to the next level.

Cottage at Dunes on the Waterfront.

Dunes on the Waterfront

Location in everything at the newly opened Dunes on the Waterfront , a cluster of 21 white clapboard cottages ranging from one to three bedrooms, ideally situated on 12 acres of lawns overlooking Ogunquit’s beach, dunes, and tidal river. Originally dating from 1936, they underwent a $10 million restoration and now offer a stylized Maine coast getaway. It’s a short walk from the hotel to the town’s many restaurants, bars, and shops or you can take one of Dunes’ complimentary bikes. It’s also a short distance from the Ogunquit Playhouse, one of the state’s classic summer stock theaters, which offers performances through the fall. On property, there’s a heated pool with ocean views and waterfront yoga classes.

The Rockport Harbor Hotel, Rockport

The Rockport Harbor Hotel is a newish 20-room boutique hotel located on Rockport’s busy main street, in the heart of this busy town with restaurants, shops, and galleries. The Farnsworth Art Museum's world-class collection of Maine-born artists - including three generations of Wyeths - is a short walk from the hotel. The rooms are both luxurious and traditional, with marble bathrooms, gas fireplaces, and a balcony with views of the harbor or the Camden Hills. The Oak Room restaurant presents creative fare from Chef Travis Nestor, who is also behind Atrium, the hotel’s recently opened fine dining restaurant with views of the harbor and Penobscot Bay,

The Claremont.

The Claremont, Southwest Harbor

I love the setting of The Claremont Hotel on the quiet side of Mt Desert Island in Southwest Harbor, overlooking Somes Sound. Yet Acadia National Park, which receives upwards of four million visitors a year, is just half an hour away. This restored 1884 Victorian seaside grand dame underwent a $20 million renovation a few years ago and now has 12 cottages, four suites, a three-bedroom waterfront property, and 34 guestrooms. The Botanica Spa and a heated swimming pool overlook Somes Sound, and the on-property dining and drinking opportunities include Harry’s Bar, Little Fern Restaurant, Buttercup Bakery and Batson Fish Camp.

Bluebird Ocean Point Inn

Boothbay Harbor is the essence of the Maine coast, situated in the heart of the Midcoast Region, a haven for sailors and the gateway to Monhegan Island, which lies about 10 miles offshore. The town is filled with shops, boutiques, and restaurants. It offers the Maine State Aquarium and the nationally acclaimed Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. Located in Boothbay Harbor’s Ocean Point community overlooking Card Cove, the former Ocean Point Inn was bought and remodeled by Lark Hotels in 2023. There’s plenty of dining in town, but the hotel offers the Ocean Point Kitchen and OPK Bar on-site.

The Pentagöet Inn and Pub

The Pentagöet Inn & Pub, Castine

The beautiful village of Castine, filled with Greek Revival architecture, is the setting for The Pentagöet Inn & Pub , a Queen Anne Victorian from 1894 with a wraparound porch, a three-story turret, and well-tended perennial gardens. Matt Powell and George Trinovitch bought the hotel a couple of years ago and have infused new life and whimsy into this coastal dowager while retaining its wonderful history, with antique wood-carved headboards, vintage lithographs, and fine linens. Mister’s Pub is their lively bar where Supper is served. The hotel hosts Jazz on the Porch on Tuesday evenings through early October. Castine is delightfully sleepy, but Deer Isle and Acadia National Park are just a short drive away.

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Best Hotels with Free Wifi in Republic of Adygea

Hotel Belaya Reka

Offering a barbecue and views of the mountains, Hotel Belaya Reka is situated in Guzeripl.

Hotel Kashtan

Kashtan Hotel is set 480 metres above the sea level, near the Belaya river.

Park Hadzhoh

This hotel is located next to a park in the centre of Kamennomostskiy village, a 15-minute walk from the Hadzhohskaya Tasnina canyon.

Grand Hotel &Spa Maykop

Situated in Maykop, Grand Hotel &Spa Maykop has a restaurant, bar, garden, and free WiFi throughout the property.

Zihia Hotel

Featuring an on-site restaurant and bar, Zihia Hotel is located in Maikop. This hotel offers air-conditioned rooms with a private balcony.

Just 300 metres from the city park, this hotel in central Maykop offers elegant rooms and suites with flat-screen TVs and refrigerators.

Hotel Pro Sport

Situated in Maykop, Hotel Pro Sport has a restaurant, bar and free WiFi. Guests can enjoy city views.

Wellness Usadba

Situated in Guzeripl', in a building dating from 2010, Wellness Usadba offers a terrace and guestrooms with free WiFi.

Hotel Edem features a restaurant, seasonal outdoor swimming pool, a bar and shared lounge in Guzeripl'.

Barskaya Usadba Hotel

Providing free WiFi, a sun terrace with a swimming pool, shared lounge and garden, Barskaya Usadba is located in Kamennomostskiy.

Hotel Nadezhda

Hotel Nadezhda provides air-conditioned rooms in Yablonovskiy. Among the facilities of this property are a restaurant, a 24-hour front desk…

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Ex-prosecutor reveals the secrets of the diabolical killers he locked up.

After four years prosecuting sexual assault cases in Orange County CA, deputy district attorney Matt Murphy was called into the office of his supervisor, Lew Rosenblum. 

He had good news – a promotion.

“Welcome to Homicide,” said Rosenblum. “If you think that was crazy, just you wait.”

In ‘The Book of Murder – A Prosecutor’s Journey Through Love and Death’ (Hyperion Avenue), Murphy reveals the extraordinary lengths he went to seeking justice for victims of what he calls “the world’s worst crime”.

Murphy spent 17 years prosecuting some of the most diabolical murder cases in the country, completing 45 trials, including six capital cases, across Southern California.

He remembers his first homicide clearly.

“We have all seen the moment on TV or in the movies when the new guy shows up and sees a dead body for the first time,” he recalls. “I was so green in the Unit that I hadn’t even thought…was I about to make a fool of myself? Would I contaminate the scene, lose the respect of my detectives, and be subject to endless hazing for years? 

“Murphy,” I told myself, “in the name of all things holy: Please. Do. Not. Puke.”

Twelve of Murphy’s most notorious cases are covered in ‘The Book of Murder’. 

From Skylar Deleon, a one-time child actor imprisoned for the murders of Thomas and Jackie Hawke aboard their yacht, to John Meehan, the con artist and inspiration for the Netflix series ‘Dirty John’ who was stabbed to death by his stepdaughter in August 2016, Murphy has snared famous serial killers including ‘Dating Game killer’ Rodney Alcala and solved complex so-called ‘no body’ murders.

A legal analyst for ABC News, Murphy explains that while every investigation is unique, they all share a truth often rooted in the tiniest bit of evidence.

“The direction of a single drop of blood. A tuft of lint on the floor. A wedding invitation that seems out of place,” he writes. “Evidentiary details don’t forget, they’re not biased.

“Tragedies happen,” he says. “Murders are committed.” –Gavin Newsham

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• The Republic of Adygea

Adygea is a Russian federal subject found in the south-western part of Russia in the northern part of Caucasus region. It is part of the Southern federal District. It stretches from the Kuban River in the south to the Caucasus foothills to cover an area of 2,900 square miles, and it is the 5th smallest republic in the Russian Federation. The official languages in the Republic are the Adyghe and the Russian languages. The largest city in the Republic is Maykop which is also Adygea’s capital, and it is home to about one-third of the total population in the Republic.

Maykop is the largest and the capital of Adygea Republic in the Federation of Russia . It is found on the bank of Baleya River which is a tributary of the Kuban River. The city shares its boundaries with the District of Maykopsky to the south and east, the district of Giagnsky to the north, and the District of Belorechensky in the Krai of Krasnodar to the west. The population of the city has been almost constant, and in 1989 it had a population of 148,608 people, in 2000 it had a population of 156,931 people, while in 2010 population of the city had dropped to 144,249 people.

History of Maykop

Maykop is named after the Maykop culture of the early Bronze Age, and this was after the discovery of a royal burial site in 1897. In 1857, the Russian military Fort was built in the area where the city is located. Oil deposits and natural gas were discovered near the City of Maykop in 1911, and in 1936 Maykop, together with the surrounding area, were merged to create the autonomous oblast of Adyghe and effectively becoming the administrative center for the autonomous region. In 1942, the city of Maykop was occupied by the unified army of Nazi Germany (Wehrmacht) without any resistance because of the operation of Germany ’s Brandenburger commandos. However, in January 1943 the city was liberated by the Red Army. The city has been the capital of Adygea republic in the Russian Federation since 1991.

Economic Activities

The foothills of Caucasus Mountains are covered with deciduous forests while other parts of the Republic is mainly plains which has rich soils and agriculture is the main activity and crops such as wheat, corn, hemp, sunflowers, tobacco, potatoes, vegetables, and melons a widely cultivated. There is a local specialty of a flower which is cultivated for its scent that belongs to the lavender and the Crimean Rose. Floodplains along the Kuban River are marshy, and there are approximately 8,000 hectares which have been claimed for market gardening. The main industry in the Republic is primarily processing of farm products, and there are oil and natural gas which is extracted near the Maykop. Similarly, timber is another major product particularly in the Southern part of the Republic.

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Chicago Man Charged in Fatal Shootings of Four Sleeping Train Passengers

“This was a random act of violence,” an official said. The man, 30, faces four counts of murder.

By Julie Bosman

Reporting from Chicago

A 30-year-old Chicago man has been charged with murder in the deaths of four passengers who were fatally shot on Monday as they slept on an L train in the suburb of Forest Park, Ill., the authorities said on Tuesday.

The man, identified by the police as Rhanni S. Davis, faces four counts of first-degree murder, said Deputy Chief Christopher Chin of the Forest Park Police Department.

“This wasn’t a robbery. It didn’t appear that he was in a fight with anybody else,” Mr. Chin said in an interview on Tuesday. “This was a random act of violence. He shot and killed four victims when literally they were sleeping on the train.”

On Tuesday evening, Kim Foxx, the top prosecutor in Cook County, which includes Chicago and Forest Park, decried the shooting as “inexplicable” as she announced charges in the case.

“It is horrific,” she said. “We want answers.”

Mr. Davis is expected to appear in court on Wednesday. It was not immediately clear whether he had a lawyer.

The shooting occurred just before 5:30 a.m. on Monday, aboard a westbound Chicago Transit Authority Blue Line train. According to police, surveillance video showed the assailant walking through the train, shooting four passengers who appeared to be asleep in two different train cars.

The four victims, three men and one woman, were not sitting together. Another man who appeared to be a witness fled the train, and the police are searching for him, Mr. Chin said. Officials said on Tuesday that six shell casings from a Glock handgun were found at the scene.

The Blue Line train, which runs between Forest Park and Chicago O’Hare International Airport through downtown Chicago, operates 24 hours a day. The C.T.A., the nation’s second-largest public transportation system, serves hundreds of thousands of riders most weekdays.

Three of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene. A fourth was pronounced dead after being rushed to a hospital.

The police used video surveillance to track down Mr. Davis, they said, and he was arrested by the Chicago police on Monday morning on a Pink Line train. A handgun was recovered during the arrest, they said.

Dorval R. Carter Jr., the president of the C.T.A., called the incident “the definition of a heinous crime and tragedy.”

Addressing violent crime on the C.T.A. is a very complex issue, he said, noting that the system has 145 rail stations, 1,500 rail cars and covers almost 240 miles of track.

But in his long career in mass transit, he said, “I can’t recall any kind of mass killing like this ever occurring.”

Julie Bosman is the Chicago bureau chief for The Times, writing and reporting stories from around the Midwest. More about Julie Bosman