Richard Cottingham's house

This is the house where the Times Square Killer, Richard Cottingham, lived between 1975 and 1980.

It is located at 29 Vreeland Street in Lodi, New Jersey.

Cottingham, who is also nicknamed "the Torso Killer," moved into this rented three-bedroom house in February 1975.

He lived here with his wife, Janet, and their three children, Blair, Scott, and Jenny. His neighbors said that he seemed like a regular family man.

In April 1979, he started living in the basement after his wife initiated divorce proceedings against him for "abandonment" and "mental cruelty."

On May 22nd, 1980, the police arrested Cottingham after they caught him torturing a sex worker in a motel room in New Jersey. Consequently, he was charged with attempted murder and kidnapping.

During a search of his home, investigators discovered personal items belonging to some of his victims. These "trophies," which had been kept in a locked room in the basement, included necklaces, brooches, earrings, and other pieces of jewelry.

He kept these items as souvenirs so that he could relive the killings.

Cottingham murdered at least twelve women between 1967 and 1980.

On one occasion, he dismembered two sex workers and set fire to their torsos at a hotel near Times Square. He then left the scene with their severed heads and hands, which remain missing to this day.

Following his arrest in May 1980, police linked him to the murder of Valerie Streets. In 1981, he was found guilty of Streets' murder and sentenced to nearly 200 years in prison.

Since his conviction, he has pleaded guilty to 12 murders. He has also claimed that his true victim count is at least 85.

Cottingham is originally from the Bronx in New York City. However, his family moved to River Vale, New Jersey, when he was 12 years old.

Before his arrest, he was a successful computer operator who worked at the Blue Cross-Blue Shield insurance company in Midtown Manhattan.

One of his former co-workers said that he was smart, well-read, and up-to-date on current events. He was also extremely fidgety and unable to sit still.

On more than one occasion, he would openly talk about his experiences with sex workers.

One day, Cottingham told his co-worker that he had stolen a sex worker's money and clothes while she was sleeping. His "justification" for doing this was that he "didn't like anyone getting one over" on him.

During his trial, he admitted that he had been fascinated by bondage since he was a young child.

Since his incarceration, he has attempted suicide on two occasions.