Editing Richard Cottingham (section)

{{Villain_Infobox
|Image = Richard_Cottingham.jpg
|fullname = Richard Francis Cottingham
|alias = The Butcher of Times Square<br>Jim<br>The New York Ripper<br>The Times Square Torso Ripper<br>The Torso Killer
|occupation = Computer operator for Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (former)
|origin = The Bronx, New York, United States
|skills = 
|type of villain = Serial Killer 
|crimes = Aggravated assault<br>
[[Arson]]<br>
[[Attempted murder]]<br>
Drunk driving<br>
[[Kidnapping]]<br>
[[Misogyny]]<br> 
[[Murder]]<br> 
Mutilation<br>
Possession of controlled substances<br>
Possession of a weapon<br>
[[Rape]]<br>
Robbery<br> 
Sexual assault<br>
Shoplifting<br>
Sodomy<br>
[[Theft]]<br>
[[Torture]]<br>
|goals = Get away with his murders (failed)
|hobby = Killing and mutilating girls}}{{Quote|You have to take it. The other girls did, you have to take it too. You’re a whore and you have to be punished.|Cottingham to one of his victims.}}'''Richard Francis Cottingham''' (born November 25, 1946) is an American serial killer who operated in the New York City between 1967 and 1980. He was also known as '''the Butcher of Times Square''', '''the New York Ripper''', '''the Times Square Ripper''', and '''the''' '''Torso Killer''' due to his ''modus operandi'' of [[Dismemberment|dismembering]] his victims and leaving only their torsos behind. His victims were exclusively female, with most of them being prostitutes. He would usually take them to hotel rooms where they would have sex, after which he would brutally murder them and cut up their bodies. On several occasions he lit the bodies on fire, with one such occasion nearly burning down a hotel. Cottingham is officially known to have killed 12 people, but he claims to be responsible for 85 to 100 murders.