The murder of an 18-year-old woman, which occurred in 1965, has been solved after almost six decades. The Fair Lawn Police Department claims to have finally closed its only unsolved homicide case. Convicted serial killer Richard Cottingham confessed to the 1965 murder of Alys Eberhardt, a nursing student who was found stabbed and beaten in her family home. The case was reopened in 2021 under the leadership of then-Chief Glen Cauwels. Detectives Eric Eleshewich and Brian Rypkema led the new investigation, finally linking Cottingham, who is already serving multiple life sentences for other murders, to the crime. Cottingham, imprisoned since 1981, admitted to the murder during questioning late last year, when his health deteriorated. Detectives say he provided details about the house and the crime scene that were never made public. “He would give us little hints, things like that, and how he reacted to certain questions. Communication with him was constant over the years,” said Detective Eleshewich. Cottingham first saw Eberhardt when she was studying nursing at Hackensack Hospital. Two weeks later, she was stabbed and bludgeoned to death. Cottingham went on to become a serial killer with a long history of murders. He became known as the “torso killer” in 2022 when he admitted to the 1968 murder of Diane Cusick on Long Island, and her family made their grief known. During that hearing, Cottingham confessed to four other murders of young women on Long Island. Now, for the Eberhardt family, the long wait for justice is over. “Closing Fair Lawn’s only unsolved homicide is a tremendous accomplishment,” said Chief Joseph Dawicki. “While we can’t bring Alys back, I hope her family finds some peace knowing her confessed killer is now behind bars,” he added. For the Eberhardt family, the confession brings a long-awaited closure.“Our family has waited for the truth since 1965,” said Michael Smith, her nephew. “To receive this news during the holidays and be able to tell my mother, Alys’s sister, that we finally have answers was a moment I never imagined would come.” Cottingham remains in South Woods State Prison serving three life sentences and faces new arrest warrants for murder. Authorities say no new charges will be filed.