Notorious 'Torso Killer' admits to another murder from the 1960s
- - Notorious 'Torso Killer' admits to another murder from the 1960s
Amanda Wallace and Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY NETWORK January 7, 2026 at 6:21 AM
0
The notorious serial murderer known as the "Torso Killer" who operated in the 1960s and '70s in the New York City area has confessed to another murder, closing a case over six decades old, authorities in New Jersey said.
Nursing student Alys Eberhardt was 18 years old when she was stabbed and bludgeoned to death at her family's home in the borough of Fair Lawn, New Jersey, a suburb of New York City, on Sept. 24, 1965. Despite the assistance of county, state and federal law enforcement agencies, her killer evaded authorities for decades.
The case was reopened in spring 2021 at the direction of former Fair Lawn Police Chief Glen Cauwels. Detectives Eric Eleshewich and Brian Rypkema were tasked with reviewing the files of the initial investigation.
It was around that time when convicted serial killer Richard Cottingham, known as the "Torso Killer," made new admissions to authorities regarding his involvement in several killings in the Bergen County area decades ago.
Alys Jean Eberhardt is pictured in this file photo. She was killed in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, in September 1965 when she was 18 years old. Authorities say they now know who her killer was.
Detectives began to examine him as a person of interest and the possibility surfaced that the death of Eberhardt may have been one of his earliest crimes, according to the Fair Lawn Police Department. Authorities decided not to pursue additional criminal charges in the event that a confession was obtained.
"In the interest of getting closure for the family, additional charges are not being sought in this case," the Fair Lawn Police Department said in a statement.
Fair Lawn detectives began interviewing Cottingham in 2021, the police department said. Shortly after, they met and forged relationships with Dr. Peter Vronsky and Jennifer Weiss, both confidants of Cottingham. Throughout the next four years, detectives from Fair Lawn, the New Jersey State Police and the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office conducted a number of in-person interviews with Cottingham.
In November, the Fair Lawn detectives were told that Cottingham's health was failing and that he wanted to speak with them. The Fair Lawn Police Department said that two additional interviews took place with detectives.
During the final interview in December, Cottingham made a full verbal confession and later provided a written one, admitting to killing Eberhardt, police said. These admissions included information about the circumstances leading up to the crime, the house, and details about the murder that were not publicly known, according to police.
Victim's family has 'long-overdue sense of peace'
Eberhardt's family, in a statement through her nephew Michael Smith, thanked the Fair Lawn Police Department for its work and persistence.
"Our family has waited since 1965 for the truth. To receive this news during the holidays – and to be able to tell my mother, Alys' sister, that we finally have answers – was a moment I never thought would come. As Alys' nephew, I am deeply moved that our family can finally honor her memory with the truth," Smith said. "Your efforts have brought a long-overdue sense of peace to our family and prove that victims like Alys are never forgotten, no matter how much time passes."
"Richard Cottingham is the personification of evil, yet I am grateful that he has finally chosen to answer the questions that have haunted our family for decades. We will never know why, but at least we finally know who."
Who is the 'Torso Killer' Richard Cottingham?
Cottingham, now 79, also known as the "Times Square Ripper," killed women and girls in the New York City area, including the New Jersey suburbs. He is known for dismembering his victims and targeted several sex workers.
Cottingham has been in custody since his arrest in 1980 and is serving three life sentences at South Woods State Prison in Bridgeton, New Jersey. Since his arrest, he has confessed to at least a dozen murders and was convicted in five cases.
Several of those confessions have come in recent years.
Previous confessions: Serial killer known for dismembering victims admits to drowning two North Bergen girls
In court in 2022 as part of a guilty plea agreement, Cottingham confessed to the 1968 slaying of 23-year-old dance teacher Diane Cusick, found strangled to death in her car in Valley Stream, New York, and four other women: Mary Beth Heinz in May 1972, Laverne Moy in July 1972, Sheila Hyman in July 1973 and Maria Emerita Rosado Nieves in December 1973.
In 2021, he admitted to drowning Mary Ann Pryor, age 17, and her friend Lorraine Kelly, 16, in 1974 in a motel bathtub and dumping their bodies in the woods in Montvale, New Jersey.
Contributing: Steve Janoski and Kaitlyn Kanzer, NorthJersey.com
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: 'Torso Killer' Richard Cottingham admits to 1965 murder
Source: “AOL Breaking”
