Richard Francis Cottingham (born November 25, 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. He was eventually convicted of murder in 1981, after being caught fleeing an attempted murder. Officially, Cottingham killed nine people, but he claims between 85 and 100 murders.