'Torso Killer' pleads guilty in 1968 Valley Stream murder case

A convicted serial killer has pleaded guilty to a 1968 Valley Stream murder, along with four others in Nassau County on Monday. He appeared in court virtually.

Richard Cottingham, 76, also known as the "Times Square Torso Killer," pleaded guilty to the murder of Diane Cusick, whom police connected him to in June.

Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly announced the criminal charges June 22, after new DNA evidence linked Cottingham to the then-cold case. He was charged with one count of second-degree murder, and sentenced to 25-years-to-life for the murder.

Cottingham admitted to four other murders Monday, those of Mary Beth Heinz, 21, in Rockville Center, Laverne Moye, 23, in Rockville Center, Sheila Heiman, 33, in Woodmere and Marita Emerita Rosado Nieves, 18, in Jones Beach. Those murders date back to 1972 and 1973. 

The district attorney’s office said that Cottingham wouldn’t be prosecuted for the other murders since he will be in prison for life already.