Where Is Janet Cottingham? A Look Into “Time Square Killer” Wife and Daughter
Emily Baldwin
Published Jan 05, 2026
Janet Cottingham is mostly known for being the wife of Richard Cottingham. Here are some of the details to follow.
Janet’s husband, Richard, is a New Jersey-based American serial killer.
On December 2, 1979, he dismembered and decapitated two victims at a Hells Kitchen motel near Times Square on W. 42nd Street and Tenth Avenue.
Cottingham is formally charged with the murders of 11 people, but he claims to have killed between 85 and 100 more.
U mean to tell me Richard Cottingham killed over 80 people and his wife had no clue. Tuh
— ? (@KaytsAdventures) December 30, 2021
Table of Contents
Where Is Janet Cottingham? Is She Richard Cottingham Wife?
Janet Cottingham has remained low-key and out of the spotlight after testifying against her then-partner, Richard Cottingham.
On May 3, 1970, Richard Cottingham married Janet Cottingham at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Queens Village, New York.
Janet Cottingham provided most of the insights into her husband, Richard Cottingham’s decision, and was one of the key players in Richard’s sentencing.
On the other hand, Janet Cottingham’s ex-partner, Richard Francis Cottingham, an American serial murderer from New Jersey, committed murders in New York and New Jersey.
He tortured and murdered sex workers Deedeh Goodarzi, 22, and an unidentified adolescent victim, chopping off their heads and hands. Their torsos were set on fire.
The dismembered heads and hands were never discovered when Cottingham departed the site.
On May 22, 1980, he was captured at a New Jersey motel while abusing a young sex worker he had recruited and driven there from New York City.
Who is Janet Cottingham Daughter?
Janet Cottingham’s children’s information has not yet been disclosed.
On the other hand, Richard Cottingham has three daughters of his own.
Unfortunately, it is unsure whether the children’s mother is Janet or not as there are not many details on his family members.
Interesting documentary about #RichardCottingham and the dark history of #TimesSquare I knew nothing. Great focus on the history (& plight) of sex workers and society’s attitudes towards them. #NewYork #TrueCrime @netflix
— Sally-Anne Bedford (@SA_Bedford) December 29, 2021
Is Richard Cottingham Still Alive?
Richard Cottingham is still alive.
Cottingham was found guilty of five murders, two in New Jersey and three in New York, and kidnapping and sexual assault charges on multiple occasions.
Nancy Vogel was murdered in 1967, and Cottingham pleaded guilty to her murder in 2010.
He has recently confessed to the murders of New Jersey schoolgirls Jackie Harp, Irene Blase, and Denise Falasca in 1968–1969 in Bergen County, New Jersey, while under the protection of the law.
Also, he confessed and pled guilty in the kidnap, rape, and murder of Lorraine Marie Kelly, 16, and Mary Ann Pryor, 17, in 2021.
What Is ‘Torso Killer’ Richard Cottingham’s Life Like Today? via @aetv
— ??⚘ReneeAS_69⚘?? (@ReneeAS6) December 28, 2021
Where Is Richard Cottingham Now?
He admits to drowning two New Jersey girls after snatching them while shopping at a mall in 1974, as recently as April 2021.
Cottingham, now 75 years old, is still incarcerated at Trenton’s New Jersey State Prison.