Ex-Bergen Detectives Chief Gets 'Torso Killer' To Confess In New Doc.

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A new documentary will follow former Bergen County Chief of Detectives Robert Anzilotti on his quest to find answers for several old cold cases linked to convicted serial killer Richard Cottingham, sources said.

The new A&E special, "The Torso Killer Confessions", premiering Thursday and Friday at 9 p.m., delves into the two-decade-long journey of Anzilotti "as he works to bring justice to cold case victims," the cable network said.

"Excited to share the debut of my TV documentary," Anzilotti said in sharing a preview of the documentary on LinkedIn. "In search of justice, my journey for the truth against the odds is explored in (this) chilling two-part special."

Anzilotti, who retired in 2021 as the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office chief of detectives after 30 years of law enforcement service in the county, was assigned (in 2004) a series of unsolved murders of women, most of them living in Bergen County, the New York Post reported.

The FBI National Academy graduate said, in the preview, that he had "zeroed in" on Cottingham — who was nicknamed the "Torso Killer" because he had cut the heads and hands off some of his victims, according to The New York Times.

His intent, over their decades-long relationship, was to "schmooze" him, "as despicable and disgusting as that is," he added, and that relationship culminated in confessions from the serial killer, including one for the murder of a young Hackensack resident named Mary Ann Della Sala, whose death in January 1967 was never solved.

Cottingham, the network said, was suspected to be linked to at least a dozen other cold case murders, and has claimed to have killed over 100 women. He is serving five life sentences for some of his crimes.

Featuring never-before-heard audio tapes of interrogations and confessions, and never-before-seen photos, the special is "further bringing the story to light."

“‘The Torso Killer Confessions’ is a prime example of A&E’s ability to continually lead within the true crime genre with bold and powerful storytelling,” Elaine Frontain Bryant, EVP and Head of Programming for A&E, said in a statement.