EXCLUSIVE Inside my strange friendship with a notorious serial killer... and how our daily calls led me to victims of decades-old murders
Cottingham, now 76, was a married father of three from New Jersey and computer programmer who led a sadistic double life - family man by day, serial killer by night - during the 1960s and '70s.
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The Guardian
26 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Man shot through eye and buried alive survived attempted murder by ‘contract crew', NSW police allege
Homicide squad detectives investigating the murder of Rich 'Dylan' Choup are appealing for information from the public regarding two other violent incidents they believe could be linked. Strike Force Hallet was established to investigate a 'contract crew' allegedly responsible for the death of Choup in July 2024; the separate kidnapping and torture of a man in Canley Vale; and the attempted murder of another man in Queensland. Homicide squad Det Supt Joseph Doueihi alleged on Monday that 'all three offences occurred within a six-day period between 19 July and 25 July'. 'We will allege that this syndicate that's responsible for these three offences are linked to a Victorian drug trafficking syndicate,' he said. New South Wales police allege that on 19 July 2024, a 31-year-old man was kidnapped from the Auburn and Regents Park area and taken to a location in Canley Vale where he was tortured and had part of his ear cut off. 'Later that day, he was released,' Doueihi said. Detectives searched a Canley Vale property – where the man was believed to have been held – on 10 October 2024 and allegedly found a box cutter. 'We will allege that was the box cutter that was used to sever part of that man's ear,' Doueihi said on Monday. Detectives released an image of the box cutter as well as CCTV of two vehicles travelling in convoy at the intersection of Freeman Avenue and Sackville Street in Canley Vale around the time of the incident. The vehicles were described as a dark-coloured Audi SQ2 and a white Volkswagen Golf. 'The relevance of the Audi is that it was also [allegedly] later used in the suspicious disappearance of Mr Choup,' Doueihi said. Doueihi said on 21 July last year, a 23-year-old man from NSW was lured to Queensland by a group of males 'not knowing what their ulterior motive was'. 'The male was shot in the head through the eye with the bullet lodged in his brain [and] he was buried in a shallow grave,' the detective said. Doueihi said that unbeknownst to the offenders, who believed the man was dead, the 23-year-old crawled out of the grave and made his way to a nearby service station in Jimboomba. 'Covered in dirt … the man asked staff not to call emergency services [but] he collapsed shortly after, prompting them to seek help. He was taken to hospital,' NSW police said in a statement on Monday. Police released CCTV of a white Hyundai Getz seen at a roadhouse in Nambucca on the mid-north coast on Saturday 20 July 2024 – the day before the alleged attempted murder. Sign up to Morning Mail Our Australian morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Doueihi said 'incident three', the primary investigation of Strike Force Hallet, was the alleged murder of Choup. On the afternoon of 31 August 2024, officers were called to bushland off Heathcote Road at Lucas Heights after trail bike riders discovered human remains. The remains were later confirmed to be those of 32-year-old Choup, who was reported missing to police on 29 July. A post-mortem confirmed Choup had been fatally shot and that the top of his right ear had been severed. 'We believe that it's very highly likely related to something that's gone wrong within that drug trafficking syndicate from Melbourne,' Doueihi said. 'We believe that Mr Choup was an employee of that syndicate and has fallen foul of that syndicate for some reason – we don't have the exact details'. Choup was last seen on 25 July in Cabramatta when he told friends he had a meeting. CCTV captured Choup meeting with a man on Railway Parade who appeared to reprimand and slap him, the detective said on Monday. Both men were then seen walking towards a grey Audi SQ2. Anyone with information about the CCTV, the men in it or the vehicles was urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
The Guardian
29 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Erin Patterson guilty; officer who shot Kumanjayi Walker ‘racist', coroner finds; and what if Jesus was a vlogger?
Good afternoon. A jury has found Erin Patterson guilty of murdering three relatives and attempting to murder a fourth with a deadly beef wellington lunch almost two years ago. As the trial entered its 11th week, a Victorian supreme court jury convicted Patterson of murdering her estranged husband's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and his aunt, Heather Wilkinson. The 12-person jury also found Patterson guilty of attempting to murder Heather's husband, Ian Wilkinson, who survived the lunch after spending weeks in hospital. No members of the Patterson or Wilkinson families were in court for the verdicts. In a statement, Victoria police said: 'Our thoughts are with the respective families at this time and we acknowledge how difficult these past two years have been for them.' As the verdicts were read out, Patterson looked ahead calmly and did not drop her gaze from the jury. A date for a sentencing hearing has yet to be set. Kumanjayi Walker shooting inquest: coroner finds NT police officer Zachary Rolfe 'was racist' Human rights groups urge Victoria not to adopt NSW protest permit system in response to alleged antisemitic attacks Hannah Thomas: NSW police drop emergency riot powers charge against pro-Palestine protester Trump and US commerce secretary say tariffs are delayed until 1 August Michael Douglas says he has 'no real intentions' of acting again: 'I had to stop' Remorseless Australian bowling onslaught blows away West Indies in second Test They had portholes, cutting edge mod cons – and the ultra luxurious models even came with a free calculator. As Japan's beloved Nakagin Capsule Tower resurfaces, we celebrate an architectural marvel. 'I still have very wonderful memories of sitting out on the old steps of the office … just thinking, 'What have we got ourselves into, and what an amazing opportunity that we have to build a country'.' – Dame Meg Taylor In the early 1970s, the politician and diplomat remembers a sense of immense optimism as Papua New Guinea stood on the brink of independence. Now, as Papua New Guinea prepares to mark 50 years of independence from Australia, Taylor and other prominent figures reflect on a nation failing to live up to its promise. Parisians and tourists flocked to take a dip in the Seine this weekend after city authorities gave the green light for it to be used for public swimming for the first time in more than a century. About 1,000 swimmers a day will be allowed access to three bathing sites on the banks of the Seine for free until the end of August. Sign up to Afternoon Update Our Australian afternoon update breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion What if Jesus was a vlogger? The AI Bible stories flooding social media Joss Peter asks: are these videos a sign of the times? Are they brainwashing me towards Christianity? Can scrolling deliver me salvation? Why can't I stop watching? Today's starter word is: SUN. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply. Enjoying the Afternoon Update? Then you'll love our Morning Mail newsletter. Sign up here to start the day with a curated breakdown of the key stories you need to know, and complete your daily news roundup. And follow the latest in US politics by signing up for This Week in Trumpland. If you have a story tip or technical issue viewing this newsletter, please reply to this email. If you are a Guardian supporter and need assistance with regards to contributions and/or digital subscriptions, please email
Daily Mail
37 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
What Erin Patterson told her friend after she was found guilty
Erin Patterson spoke to her friend Alison Rose Prior and said, 'See you soon', after learning her fate. Patterson was on Monday found guilty of murdering her three in-laws with death cap mushrooms in a beef Wellington that she served them for lunch at her home. As she was being led back down to the cells by court staff, Patterson made the comment, 'See you soon', to her best friend and supporter, Ali Rose Prior. Ms Prior left the court thronged by media. 'I'm saddened, and it is what it is,' she said when asked how she was feeling. 'I didn't have any expectations, it's the justice system and it is what it is,' she continued as walked outside, escorted by G4S security staff. One reporter asked, 'She said she would see you soon, were you hoping to see her?' 'I will see her,' Ms Prior replied, as she wept behind her sunglasses. '...I'm her friend and I'll see her - I'll visit with her.' Asked if Patterson was confident there would be a not-guilty verdict, she said: 'I don't know.' Ms Prior then begged media to leave her alone so she could get to her car. The verdict ends one of the nation's most intriguing homicide cases. Patterson sat defiantly throughout her 10-week trial, glaring at the media, members of the public and the family of the people she murdered with callous disregard. The mother-of-two had pleaded not guilty to the murders of Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson. They died after consuming death caps in the beef Wellingtons during lunch at Patterson's Leongatha home in southeast Victoria on July 29, 2023. Only Pastor Ian Wilkinson survived her plot - a blunder Patterson would live to regret, and will now serve time for after also being found guilty of attempting to murder him. Seated at the back of courtroom four of the Supreme Court of Victoria, sitting at the Latrobe Valley Magistrates' Court, Patterson, dressed in a paisley shirt, appeared stunned as her fate was sealed on Monday afternoon. Asked to deliver a verdict, the jury foreperson - one of only five women to sit on the original 15-person panel - simply stated, 'guilty'. The verdict produced an audible gasp from those within the packed courtroom, which included members of the Patterson clan. Patterson will now be taken back down to the Morwell Police Station cells where she had been kept throughout the trial. They are the cells she had grown to loathe throughout her trial, complaining about being denied a pillow, doona and her computer. She can expect to spend the next decades of her life caged within the walls of Dame Phyllis Frost Centre in Melbourne's west alongside a rogue's gallery of female killers.
