Crime Scene – The Times Square Killer review: Gritty docu-series about a horrendous murder spree in New York

4/5

Story: In the early 80s, Richard Cottingham, was charged and convicted in the murder of 11 women in New York and New Jersey – most of whom he’d picked up at Times Square, drugged, subjected to sadomasochism and, in some cases, even dismembered. Sentenced to close to 200 years for his horrendous crimes, which, incidentally, he didn’t confess to until 30 years later. When he finally broke his silence, he admitted to have killed anywhere between 80-100 women in a span of 13 years.

Review: Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer follows the case of Richard Cottingham, dubbed as the torso killer initially based on one of his earliest publicly known killings, in which he dismembered two women by chopping off their hands and heads to avoid identification. The three episodes include crime scene footage and interviews with detectives, journalists, etc., but most importantly, it has visuals of New York in the 70s and 80s, when Times Square was not what it is today. Back then, it was the den for all things sex, pornography, peep shows, live-act shows, prostitution, etc. This was also a time when crimes against women were high, with those against commercial sex workers even dubbed NIH (Not involving human) and, therefore, not considered worthwhile for investigation. It was also a time when law-enforcement agencies in different cities did not communicate, so, although crimes of a similar nature were unfolding in both New York and New Jersey, it was only after Cottingham was arrested that they established a connection.

In the late 70s and early 80s, when the murders of the Times Square Killer came to light, there was a feminist movement pushing for better, if not equal, rights for women, whereby men were held accountable for crimes against women. And this played a major role in ensuring that Cottingham was brought to justice, because a majority of his victims were commercial sex workers. Over the course of three episodes the show not only establishes the gruesome nature of the crimes he committed, but more importantly how things were back then, which made it easy for him to get away with murder for a while.

When Cottingham was arrested for attacking a 19-year-old in a hotel room that got staff to alert the police, it was the stuff on him that set off alarm bells and established a possible connection to earlier crimes, like, for instance, duct tape, sedatives, hand cuffs, a gun, knife, etc. Throughout the case, Cottingham insisted he was innocent and even went to trial, where irrefutable evidence got him a cumulative sentence of close to 200 years in jail for 11 counts of murder. He finally broke his silence and admitted to his crimes in 2009, adding, much to the shock of authorities that he’d killed close to 100 women in a span of 13 years.

One of the women interviewed for the show, Jennifer, is the biological daughter of Deedeh Goodarzi, a Cottingham victim who was dismembered. Given up for adoption when she was only days old, Jennifer’s quest to find out her biological mother led her to a file full of reportage on the horrifying death Deedeh had, and eventually to Cottingham, with whom she continues to have a ‘relationship’ that she hopes will help uncover more details about his crimes, solve previously unsolved cases, and in turn, provide closure for families who have possibly lost loved ones in his murderous spree.

While the narrative of the series is tight and gripping, it’s the salacious underbelly of New York of that era that provides shock value, especially, if all you’ve known of Times Square is what makes it a tourist paradise today. This is also a case that goes against the general perception of serial killers that they more often than not are victims of some form of abuse themselves. Cottingham had no such history, had a family – wife and three kids – and a respectable job at a computer firm in New York.

Verdict: It goes without saying that this is a must-watch for true-crime fans. It is also an eye-opener about New York back in the day. It’s a bit graphic, and hence, the 18+ rating. We say, stream it!