109. The Torso Killer and Haunted 12 Gay Street in New York

Buy the gals a drink, find them on social media: https://linktr.ee/Killer.Hangover.Podcast

Join us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/killerhangoverpodcast — Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/killerhangoverpodcast/message

Transcription

In the 40’s and 50’s 42 Street, The Deuce, in New York was the entertainment district of the city. In the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s it became the epicenter of the sex industry, which included sex workers, pimps, drugs, and predators. One such predator was Richard Cottingham, the Torso Killer. Cottingham chose his victims from around Time Square as well as from the area around Lodi, New Jersey, where he lived with his wife and children. For 13 years Cottingham hid under the disguise of family man and computer operator at Blue Cross Blue Shield in New York, but all the while abducting, torturing, and killing young girls and women. Cottingham admitted to killing every other week during that time, you do the math….Cottingham is now at the South Woods State Prison in New Jersey serving 200 consecutive years for his murders in New York and New Jersey. Bettina shares a little of what Cottingham was doing and how he did it during those 13 years.

Beth takes us to a short little crooked street in New York City – Gay Street. The street was originally constructed as horse stables for the wealthy horse owners living nearby around Washington Square Park. As New York grew the stables were turned into low income housing, mostly homes for servants for those wealthy residence near by. It then became a home for musicians, artists, and writers. # 12 Gay Street is the building that Beth covers in her paranormal. There are several spirits that have been reported at # 12. There is the young woman who is seen pacing Infront of the home, the young girl who is seen only on the first floor stairwell, the foreign diplomat anxiously pacing back and forth in the home, and the Gay Street Phantom, among others. So much history and so many stories abound about # 12 Gay Street. A little house on a crooked little street.

SOURCES:

Crime Scene: The Time Square killer, Netflix documentary

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Cottingham

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/42nd_Street_(Manhattan)

The ‘Torso Killer’ dismembered her mother. Decades later, they’re unlikely friends

https://www.oxygen.com/true-crime-buzz/how-jennifer-weiss-is-helping-close-other-richard-cottingham-murders

https://www.nj.com/news/2020/01/the-torso-killer-dismembered-her-mother-so-why-did-this-woman-become-his-friend.html

https://citybeautifulblog.com/2021/04/10/12-gay-street-where-the-ghosts-still-come-to-party/

https://nyghosts.com/12-gay-street/

Mistresses and misnomers: the story of Gay Street

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Street

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Street_(Manhattan)

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2009/10/theres_something_queer_about_t.html

COCKTAIL: Pirate’s Booty

Pirate’s Booty {A Rum Cocktail Recipe}

Pages: 1 2