EP. 247 - SERIAL KILLER: THE TORSO KILLER - RICHARD COTTINGHAM PART 2

Murder In America

Blood In The Sink Productions

True Crime

4.8 • 8.5K Ratings

🗓️ 29 May 2026

⏱️ 65 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

When firefighters rushed to a hotel room in December of 1979, they had no idea they were stumbling into the den of a serial killer. On the bed, they discovered the bodies of two women — their heads and hands cut off, and their torsos set on fire and left on display for first responders to find. It was the first glimpse into the madness of Richard Cottingham, the Torso Killer. Little did first responders know, his reign of terror went back decades, leaving a twisted trail that, to this day, we haven’t uncovered the full truth behind. Even now, as he sits in jail, we’re left to wonder: How many victims did he truly have? - Sources:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eTYeCoYyxm58DXXdoFbHQyWHlWbcH9iKGIefFcQToW4/edit?tab=t.y2yayotxnlcb Listen to our new show, "THE CONSPIRACY FILES"!: -Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5IY9nWD2MYDzlSYP48nRPl -Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-conspiracy-files/id1752719844 -Amazon/Audible - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ab1ade99-740c-46ae-8028-b2cf41eabf58/the-conspiracy-files -Pandora - https://www.pandora.com/podcast/the-conspiracy-files/PC:1001089101 -iHeart - https://iheart.com/podcast/186907423/ -PocketCast - https://pca.st/dpdyrcca -CastBox - https://castbox.fm/channel/id6193084?country=us - Stay Connected: Join the Murder in America fam in our free Facebook Community for a behind-the-scenes look, more insights and current events in the true crime world: https://www.facebook.com/groups/4365229996855701 If you want even more Murder in America bonus content, including ad-free episodes, come join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/murderinamerica Instagram: http://instagram.com/murderinamerica/ Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/people/Murder-in-America-Podcast/100086268848682/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MurderInAmerica TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theparanormalfiles and https://www.tiktok.com/@courtneybrowen Feeling spooky? Follow Colin as he travels state to state (and even country to country!) investigating claims of extreme paranormal activity and visiting famous haunted locations on The Paranormal Files Official Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheParanormalFilesOfficialChannel - (c) BLOOD IN THE SINK PRODUCTIONS 2026 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Warning, the following podcast is not suitable for all audiences.
0:04.1	We go into great detail with every case that we cover and do our best to bring viewers even deeper into the stories by utilizing disturbing audio and sound effects.
0:12.0	Trigger warnings from the stories we cover may include violence, rape, murder, and offenses against children.
0:18.3	This podcast is not for everyone. You have been warned.
0:22.0	Today's episode is presented by A24's highly anticipated next horror event, Backrooms.
0:28.3	A furniture store owner vanishes after discovering a mysterious doorway in his basement
0:32.9	that leads to an endless network of interconnected rooms. From Kane Parsons, the preeminent creator of the Backrooms YouTube series, this tense psychological
0:41.8	horror thriller explores the suffocating dread of liminal spaces and the unknown lurking
0:47.0	behind them.
0:48.0	Don't miss Backrooms.
0:49.4	Only in theaters May 29th, get your tickets now.
0:53.1	In part one of this series, we discussed a man named Richard Cottingham, otherwise known as
0:59.3	the torso killer, a man who stalked New York City in New Jersey, deriving pleasure from beating
1:05.2	women, terrorizing them, and then taking their lives. He was put on the map, so to speak, following the murder of
1:12.7	Dede Gendarzi in the Manhattan Jane Doe, two women who he had tortured for days on end,
1:19.0	murdered, and then set on fire in a hotel room, just blocks away from Times Square in December of
1:25.4	1979. He was arrested just five months later,
1:29.3	after forcing a woman named Leslie O'Dell into a hotel room,
1:33.3	where she bravely fought back and managed to alert hotel staff that she was being attacked.
1:39.3	After his arrest, law enforcement was able to connect him to five horrific murders.
1:45.0	And for those crimes, he was sentenced to 192 years in prison, plus life,
1:52.0	which he was set to serve in New Jersey State Prison until his dying breath.
	...

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