Overview
- Fair Lawn police announced that Richard Cottingham confessed to killing 18-year-old Alys Eberhardt in her family’s home in 1965.
- Detectives Eric Eleshewich and Brian Rypkema reopened the case in 2021 and obtained the confession on Dec. 22, 2025 after multiple prison interviews.
- The admission included specifics that were never publicly disclosed, which investigators say corroborated his account.
- Authorities will not pursue additional charges because Cottingham is already serving multiple life sentences at South Woods State Prison.
- Eberhardt’s relatives and the police chief said the resolution delivers long-sought answers for the family after nearly six decades.