MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) — More than five decades after Diane Cusick’s lifeless body was discovered in the parking lot of a mall on New York’s Long Island, authorities have linked her death to the so-called “Torso Killer.” The suspect, Richard Cottingham, is believed to be one of America’s most prolific serial killers. He was arraigned Wednesday on a second-degree murder charge in Cusick’s 1968 killing in Nassau County. From a hospital bed in New Jersey, Cottingham pleaded not guilty. He’s already serving a life sentence for other killings. While he has claimed he was responsible for up to 100 homicides, authorities have only officially linked him to a dozen so far.
Photo: Richard Cottingham appears via video link at his arraignment, Wednesday, June 22, 2022 in Mineola, N.Y. More than 50 years after a woman was found dead in her car at a mall on Long Island, authorities prosecutors are expected to announce that DNA evidence has linked the slaying to Richard Cottingham, a serial killer who has been connected to 11 murders in New York and New Jersey between 1965 and 1980. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, Pool)
