NJ Serial Killer Admits to Killing Nursing Student in Shocking Case

Closure of the 1965 murder case of Alys Eberhardt.

NJ Serial Killer Admits to Killing Nursing Student in Shocking Case

The "Torso Killer," Richard Cottingham, a serial killer from North Jersey, has admitted to killing another young woman in the 1960s, according to authorities.

Cottingham told Fair Lawn police this month that he killed Alys Eberhardt, an 18-year-old nursing student from that town, in 1965. Cottingham is presently serving a life sentence in South Woods State Prison for the killings of at least 11 women.

Previous news sources state that on September 24, 1965, around 2:30 p.m., Eberhardt left her dorm at Hackensack Hospital School of Nursing to return home. Around 5:30 p.m., her father discovered her dead in the house.

Cottingham has been interviewed by Fair Lawn Police and independent crime expert Dr. Peter Vronsky since 2021, according to a statement released on Tuesday.

"During the final interview, Cottingham made a full verbal and later provided a written confession where he admitted to killing Eberhardt," the police said on Tuesday. "In these admissions, he provided corroborating details about the circumstances leading up to the crime, the house, and details about the murder which were not publicly known."