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Richard Cottingham, a 75 year old convicted serial killer currently incarcerated at South Woods State Prison in Bridgerton, New Jersey, has been charged with the 1968 murder of Diane Cusick.
The Associated Press reported that as of 2022, Richard Cottingham is believed by authorities to have committed at least 11 murders across New York and New Jersey. Many of his victims were dismembered, leading to his nickname the 'Torso killer'.
The New York Times reported that while Cottingham was initially convicted of 5 murders in the 80's, in 2021 he confessed to an additional 5 murders in return for immunity from prosecution.
On June 22, 2022, Cottingham was arraigned for the murder of 23-year-old dance teacher Diane Cusick in 1968. Then 22-years-old, Cottingham was accused of beating and strangling Diane Cusick to death after abusing her.
Response to Richard Cottingham being implicated in the 54-year-old murder
According to Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly, the 54-year-old murder of Diane Cusick would not have been investigated further if not for modern DNA technology.
Donnelly said that despite thorough police work, Cusick's murder went cold. Due to the time that had passed, authorities had little hope that it would be solved.
Donnelly told reporters:
"We believe this may be the oldest DNA hit to lead to a prosecution in the United States"
Cusick's daughter, 58-year-old Darlene Altman, expressed her disbelief at the fact that authorities managed to implicate someone in her mother's murder after all these years.
She said:
"I am very overwhelmed."
Upon seeing Cottingham at the arraignment, Darlene also told reporters of how uncomfortable he made her.
She stated:
"He was very creepy."
While Richard Cottingham confessed to 5 other murders in 2021, he is still pleading not guilty to the 1968 murder of Diane Cusick.
Donnelly acknowledged this while speaking to the press.
She said:
"He didn’t lay out a full admission."
She continued:
"What he laid out was baby steps along the way that we were able to put together with the help of the police department to fill in that story."
Donnelly also warned the media not to be deceived by Cottingham's current experience, which is that of a bedridden old man. She claimed that this should not affect the outcome of the hearing.
She said:
"He is a violent predator and no matter how he looks today in a hospital bed he was not always a feeble older man"
She added:
"He was a young 22-year-old when he committed the murder of Ms. Cusick. He was strong, stronger than these women were, and he was violent."
Richard Cottingham is currently serving a life sentence in prison for crimes such as murder, kidnapping and assault. In the past, according to CBS, he has told journalists that he was responsible for the murders of around 100 women.
