The Dating Game Killer
One of America's most notorious serial killers, whose crimes spanned more than a decade. Here is the story of Rodney Alcala:
Rodney Alcala, often referred to as "The Dating Game Killer," is one of America's most notorious serial killers whose crimes spanned more than a decade.
The Early Years
Rodney James Alcala was born on August 23, 1943, in San Antonio, Texas. His parents were Raul Alcala Buquor and Anna Maria Gutierrez and Rodney was the third of four children.
In 1951 when Rodney was about eight years old the Alcala family moved to Mexico after his father abandoned the family. After three years in Mexico Rodney's mother moved the family to Los Angeles, California.
As a child Alcala was known to be intelligent and charming. He excelled in academics, especially in art and music and had an IQ that was reportedly over 130.
His teachers and friends saw him as a bright student with a promising future. However there were early signs of trouble.
Alcala was described as having a "Jekyll and Hyde" personality where he could be charming and engaging one moment and distant and moody the next.
After high school Alcala joined the United States Army in 1961 at the age of 17. He was stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, where he served as a clerk.
However his time in the Army was short-lived. In 1964, after suffering a mental breakdown, Alcala went AWOL and hitchhiked from Fort Bragg to his mother’s home in Los Angeles.
He was eventually discharged from the Army on medical grounds and diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder a condition that would later be linked to his criminal behavior.
His Descent into Darkness
After leaving the Army Alcala enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where he studied fine arts. It was during this time that his life took a dark turn. In 1968 at the age of 25 Rodney Alcala committed his first known crime.
Tali Shapiro, an eight-year-old girl, was walking to school in Hollywood when Alcala lured her into his car by offering her a ride. A concerned motorist witnessed the abduction and followed Alcala to his apartment where he called the police.
When the police arrived they found Tali Shapiro lying on the floor, beaten and sexually assaulted, but still alive. Alcala had fled the scene and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Alcala fled to the East Coast where he adopted the alias "John Berger." Under this new identity he enrolled in New York University and studied film under the renowned director Roman Polanski. Despite being on the run Alcala managed to blend into his new surroundings, charming those around him and avoiding suspicion.
In 1971 while still using the alias John Berger Alcala landed a job as a counselor at an all-girls summer camp in New Hampshire.
Ugh somebody lock this creep up!
He continued to live under the radar by evading capture for years. However his past eventually caught up with him. In 1971 two children at the camp recognized Alcala from an FBI Most Wanted poster and he was arrested. He was extradited to California to stand trial for the assault on Tali Shapiro.
AWESOME! This should be the end right?
RIGHT??
A System's Failure
Despite the horrific nature of his crime against Tali Shapiro the prosecution faced a significant challenge: Shapiro’s family had relocated to Mexico and her parents were unwilling to allow her to testify in court.
Without the testimony of the victim the prosecution was forced to offer Alcala a plea deal. He pled guilty to a lesser charge of assault and in 1972 he was sentenced to just one to three years in prison.
UNBELIEVABLE!
Alcala was paroled after 17 months under the condition that he register as a sex offender. However his time in prison did little to reform him. Shortly after his release, Alcala was arrested for violating his parole when he provided marijuana to a 13-year-old girl.
Once again the legal system failed to recognize the threat Alcala posed. He was sentenced to two years but was released after serving just two more years.
Upon his release in 1977 Alcala moved back to Los Angeles where he was able to charm his way into a job as a typesetter for the Los Angeles Times. During this time, Alcala also managed to persuade several women to pose for him as a photographer.
This was a hobby he had picked up during his time at NYU. Unbeknownst to these women Alcala was using this guise to lure them into dangerous situations.
The Deadly Game
In 1978 Rodney Alcala made an appearance on the popular TV show "The Dating Game." Despite his criminal record and ongoing killing spree Alcala managed to charm both the show's producers and the female contestant Cheryl Bradshaw.
On the show he was introduced as a "successful photographer," and his playful banter and wit won him the date with Bradshaw.
However, after the show Bradshaw reportedly found him to be "creepy" and declined to go on the date. This rejection may have fueled Alcala's murderous rage even further.
During this period Alcala's killing spree was in full swing. He targeted young women, often luring them with promises of professional photography sessions.
His victims were subjected to unimaginable horrors before he ultimately strangled them to death. Alcala took photographs of his victims before, during, and after their deaths, creating a gruesome collection of "trophies".
Sick.
One of his most well-known victims was 12-year-old Robin Samsoe.
On June 20, 1979 Robin was on her way to ballet class in Huntington Beach, California, when she was approached by Alcala, who asked if he could take her picture.
Robin was last seen alive riding a friend's bike and her body was discovered 12 days later in the Sierra Madre foothills badly decomposed. Investigators found a pair of earrings in a Seattle storage locker rented by Alcala which were later identified by Robin's mother as belonging to her daughter.
The Arrest and Trials
Rodney Alcala was arrested on July 24, 1979 and charged with the murder of Robin Samsoe. During the trial the prosecution presented the evidence found in Alcala's storage locker, including the earrings and the photographs of numerous young women and children many of whom have never been identified.
In 1980 Alcala was convicted of Robin Samsoe's murder and sentenced to death. However his conviction was overturned in 1984 by the California Supreme Court, which ruled that the jury had been improperly informed of his prior sex crimes.
A second trial was held in 1986 and once again Alcala was convicted and sentenced to death. But in 2001 the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned this second conviction, citing issues with witness testimony.
A third trial was held in 2010 by this time advances in DNA technology had linked Alcala to four additional murders: Jill Barcomb, an 18-year-old who had recently moved to Los Angeles from New York; Georgia Wixted, a 27-year-old nurse; Charlotte Lamb, a 31-year-old legal secretary; and Jill Parenteau, a 21-year-old college student.
The evidence against Alcala was overwhelming and he was convicted and sentenced to death.
During the trial Alcala chose to represent himself. In a bizarre twist he questioned himself in the third person during the proceedings, asking questions like, "Did you do it?" and then responding, "No, I didn't." He also played a portion of the song "Alice's Restaurant" by Arlo Guthrie during his closing arguments, a move that left many in the courtroom bewildered.
Rodney Alcala was eventually linked to at least eight murders, though authorities believe the actual number of his victims could be much higher.
In 2016 investigators released over 100 of Alcala's photographs to the public in an effort to identify more of his potential victims. Many of the women and children in the photos remain unidentified and it is feared that some of them may have met the same tragic fate as Alcala's known victims.
Rodney Alcala died of natural causes on July 24, 2021, at the age of 77.
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