Serial killer, 79, admits to murder of New Jersey teen over 60 years ago
Serial killer’s victim tally rises as he admits to another murder
- Serial killer Richard Cottingham, known as the Torso Killer, has confessed to the 1965 murder of 18-year-old nursing student Alys Eberhardt in Fair Lawn, New Jersey.
- Cottingham, 79, provided previously unreleased details of the crime, bringing closure to one of the town's oldest unsolved cases.
- The confession follows a renewed investigative push by Fair Lawn Police, who reopened the case in 2021, revisiting evidence and pursuing leads.
- Imprisoned since 1980 and serving multiple life sentences, Cottingham has previously confessed to numerous other murders, including cases in 2021 and 2022.
- Authorities stated that no additional charges will be filed for the Eberhardt case, aiming to provide the victim's family with long-awaited answers and a measure of peace.