A woman has revealed why she formed an unlikely bond with the serial killer who murdered her mum.
Richard Cottingham brutally killed Jennifer Weiss' mum, Deedeh Goodarzi, in a New York City hotel back in December 1979. He beheaded her and cut her hands off alongside another unidentified victim - their skulls have never been found.
When it came to light that Cottingham - also known as the Torso Killer - also murdered at least nine other women, Jennifer knew she had to do something.
She went to visit the man who killed her own mum and did it to get answers for anyone else.
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Speaking to NewJersey.com, she said: "The magnitude of what he did is unfathomable. But I became friends with Richard for my mother’s sake and for my quest.
“I’m doing this for the mothers who lost their daughters and my own mother. And for these girls that their lives were ended one night or day by Richard playing God.
"I’m not going to rest easy until we figure out who they were. So that’s why I do what I do."
Jennifer was brought up by an adoptive family and finally began finding out where she came from at the age of 24 when she discovered the Children's Home Society of New Jersey who told her that her mum had been murdered by a serial killer.
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After writing to Cottingham, Jennifer began visiting him in 2017 and has now met the 75-year-old more than 30 times.
She went on to tell NewJersey.com: "I started to write Richard and ask him to put me on his guest list. I made it light-hearted and funny and made it really comfortable for him to say ‘Yes.’"
Weiss revealed what happened when she first came face to face with Cottingham - who will never be granted parole - when she said: "I knew what I wanted and I made it abundantly clear.
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"I’m giving you my friendship for details of the crimes.”
Speaking to PIX11 she went on: "Once I started to find out details about my mother’s crime, that’s when he opened the door to talking about other women that he killed. I believe we’ve got up to 75 cold cases."
But that's not the only problem she faces, after finding out that Cottingham knew her mother for two years, Jennifer now has to come to terms with the possibility that they may be blood related.
She said: "That’s something, unfortunately, I might have to deal with."
Featured Image Credit: YouTube/NJ.com