One of North Jersey's most notorious serial killers, who committed some of the region's most heinous acts and was nicknamed "The Torso Killer," confessed to three more cold cases in Bergen County, officials confirmed on Friday.

The number of killings committed by 73-year-old Richard Cottingham, locked away since 1980, has risen to nine. The deaths most recently connected to Cottingham include Jacalyn Harp of Midland Park, Irene Blase of Bogota and Denise Falasca of Closter. All three women were strangled in the late 1960s, the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office confirmed.

Cottingham was known for dismembering his victims, leading to his nickname. He cut off his victims' hands and heads to avoid their identification and his arrest.

He became the subject of several books written by a former reporter at The Record, Rod Leith.

"I never had encountered this kind of dark evil in any of the subjects I covered," Leith previously said. "I had written about some deeply disturbed people, but not anyone who was as treacherous and deviant as Cottingham."

In the early 1980s Cottingham was convicted of killing five women, three in New York and two in Bergen County. In 2010 he confessed to another North Jersey slaying, the 1967 death of 29-year-old Nancy Schiava Vogel of Little Ferry.

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A spokeswoman for the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office confirmed the clearance of the three Bergen County cases but did not provide details.

"The families of these victims were immediately and confidentially notified when the cases were solved," Elizabeth Rebein of the Prosecutor's Office said. "There were no previous public announcements so as not to imperil continuing investigations. For similar reasons, there will be no further public comment on these or other similar continuing investigations by this office."

Harp, Blase and Falasca were killed over a one-year span from 1968 to 1969. Harp was kidnapped while walking home from band practice in Midland Park. Blase was abducted in Hackensack and found dead in Saddle Brook the next day. Falasca was also discovered in Saddle Brook the day after her disappearance.

Cottingham once told a reporter that his victims number was greater than 85, but fewer than 100, over the course of 10 years. Critics note that serial killers often inflate their numbers to boost their reputations.

In addition to Vogel, Cottingham was also convicted in the New Jersey murders of Valorie Street and Maryann Carr. He was born in the Bronx and later moved to River Vale and graduated from Pascack Valley High School. He once worked as a computer operator.

Joshua Jongsma is a breaking news editor for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to all the major news happening in North Jersey, subscribe here. To get breaking news directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter.

Email: jongsma@northjersey.com Twitter: @jongsmjo