Tags: Criminal.
Richard Francis Cottingham (born 25 November 1946) is an American serial killer from New Jersey operating in New York between 1967 and 1980. He was nicknamed the torso killer due to his habit of dismembering his victims usually leaving nothing but a torso behind. In one case he dismembered two prostitutes in a motel room taking the hands and heads with him before setting the room on fire. He was eventually convicted of murder in 1981 after being caught fleeing an attempted murder.