Richard Cottingham, also known as the “Torso Killer,” is an infamous serial killer who is serving life in prison for murders he committed in the 1960s and 1970s. Amid his old age and ailing health, he says he is ready to admit to nearly 100 murders. Historian Peter Vronsky, who has a unique relationship with Cottingham, shared insight into Cottingham’s crimes and revealed why he’s ready to confess to more murders while speaking to investigative journalist Kristin Thorne for Luxury Handbag Shopping’s Uncovered.
While he has been given life sentences for the five murders he’s been convicted of, Cottingham has admitted to even more killings over the years while behind bars.
Vronsky explained to Thorne that he has made it his mission to seek justice for the families of Cottingham’s victims. “They’re desperate that police interview Cottingham and either clear him or incriminate him in the claims that he’s making,” he said of the families.
Cottingham and Vronsky are in frequent contact, and he revealed that the criminal calls him “every day.”
“I’ve probably recorded, by now, maybe 700 hours of conversations with Cottingham on the phone, because all my personal visits were interrupted when the pandemic hit in 2020,” he said before sharing a health update for Cottingham. “He’s paralyzed. He cannot move. He’s got kidney disease. He’s got advanced necropathy of the legs. He’s in terrible condition.”
Vronsky also shared Cottingham’s reasoning for why he was able to commit so many murders. “He claims that he was very strategic in these 85 to 100 murders,” he said. “He claims he was very strategic, that he would cluster them, that he would never leave a fingerprint behind. He was very attuned to tire tracks.”
The historian added that Cottingham “was forensically aware.”
“For example, he strangled, drowned, smothered and stabbed some of his victims,” he continued, explaining that police used to view the different ways of killing as proof that the crimes weren’t committed by the same person. Due to the logic, Cottingham was able to get away with many of the killings.
Vronsky added that Cottingham “doesn’t know” much about his victims. “He acted spontaneously. He doesn’t know. Only in one case, he knew the victim’s name,” he said. “Otherwise, he doesn’t even know where he perpetrated these crimes.”
He said that Cottingham “generally knows” some details of his past murders, including the 1968 death of Jackie Harp.
“He was driving around aimlessly and he drove into Midland Park without knowing he was in Midland Park. And he got thirsty and he stopped for a root beer,” he said. “When he was having the root beer, Jackie Harp walked by on her way home from marching band practice at her school.”
After Cottingham spotted her, he “followed her and forced her into the bushes and murdered her. She was dead within 15 minutes, maybe even less.” Vronsky then reiterated that Cottingham “never knew her name” and “never knew the town” the murder took place in.
While it may be hard to believe that Cottingham is unaware of many of his crimes, Vronsky said that the criminal is likely telling the truth because he has “no insight into himself.”
“The closest he comes to giving a motive is, ‘It was fun. It was a challenge to get away with it,’” Vronsky said. “He would act on impulse. He didn’t stalk his victims or target them.”
Cottingham is going to die behind bars, though Vronsky believes it’s important that police departments acknowledge he’s responsible for several killings he has not been convicted of.
“All I can say is, there’s enough probable cause for detectives to go down and interview them. They have the case files. I don’t. I don’t have access to their case file,” he said. “So I don’t know what they know, but it’s up to them now to just take the day, go interview him with the case file and you decide whether you think Cottingham can be incriminated and negotiate a cold case closure with him, or just clear the guy and say it’s not him.”
