Who Was Rodney Alcala? Inside the Serial Killer’s Crimes and Cameo on a Popular Show

In the 1970s, serial killer Rodney Alcala appeared on the then popular TV show called Dating game.

Despite already having begun his killing spree, the San Antonio-born veteran was competing as one of three bachelors vying for the attention of Bachelorette Cheryl Bradshaw. His charm – the same tool he used to lure his victims – won him a date, even though Bradshaw had no idea she was communicating with the killer.

The events of this chilling episode have been reimagined at Netflix Woman of the hour (2024) — directed by and starring Anna Kendrick — with juxtaposed scenes of Alcala’s murders and Bradshaw’s experiences as an aspiring actress and being a woman in the 70s creating tension along the way.

From his stint on the small screen to his numerous convictions, here’s everything you need to know about one of America’s most notorious serial killers, Rodney Alcala.

Who was Rodney Alcala?

Black and white close-up photo of Rodney James Alcala in 1980. Getty

Born Rodrigo Jacques Alcala-Buquor on August 23, 1943, the notorious killer spent his early years in Mexico before he and his family moved to Los Angeles when he was 8 years old.

At the age of 17, Alcala enlisted in the army, but was discharged in 1964 after a nervous breakdown and allegations of sexual misconduct, reports CBS News.

He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1968 with a degree in fine arts, but soon after his first attack he fled to New York University – where he took classes with Roman Polanski under the pseudonym “John Berger”.

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What TV show was Rodney Alcala on?

Host Jim Lange (left), bachelor Anita Gillette and three contestants in a 1972 episode of ‘The Dating Game’ Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Photo Archives/Walt Disney Television via Getty

Alcala appeared in an episode of the series in 1978 dating game, the popular competition series that pitted three eligible bachelors against each other to date the Bachelor – eventually earning him the nickname “Dating Game Killer.”

The ABC program was rich in innuendo. Host Jim Lange introduced Alcala as “a successful photographer who got his start when his father found him in a darkroom at the age of 13, fully developed.”

Throughout the episode, Alcala enthusiastically answers the Bachelor’s leading questions: comparing himself to a banana, saying it’s the night he “really gets good,” and playing the dirty old man.

Although Alcala ended up being the most desirable suitor, bachelor Bradshaw sensed something was wrong. After the show, she eventually turned down the date, telling contestant coordinator Ellen Metzger, ” ‘I can’t go out with that guy. He’s giving off weird vibes. He’s very weird. I’m not comfortable.’ ”

What did Rodney Alcala do?

Rodney Alcala pictured at age 35 on July 25, 1979. Los Angeles Times/AP

Alcala was chosen by the show because he was tall, handsome and charming. The producers didn’t run a background check, so they didn’t know he’d also already killed at least two women in Southern California.

He previously served 34 months in prison for the brutal rape and beating of an eight-year-old girl, Tali Shapiro. He was briefly placed on the FBI’s most wanted list.

By the time of his arrest in 1979, Alcala had killed at least seven women, but authorities believe the body count could be much higher.

Prosecutors said Alcala was a cruel killer who toyed with his victims. He would beat or choke them until they lost consciousness. When they woke up, he would repeat the process before finally killing them.

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What was Rodney Alcaca convicted of?

Photo by Rodney Alcala; Rodney Alcala on ‘The Dating Game’.

Orange County District Attorney’s Office

In 1980, Alcala was sentenced to death for the murder of 12-year-old Robin Samsoe; however, the verdict was reversed in 1984 and he was granted a new trial. He was sentenced to death again in 1986, only to have that sentence revoked in 2003.

However, Orange County prosecutors soon discovered that Alcala’s DNA matched evidence linked to four other women killed between 1977 and 1979: Jill Barcomb, 18; Jill Parenteau, 21; Georgia Wixted, 27; and Charlotte Lamb, 32.

In 2010, an Orange County jury convicted Alcala of five counts of first-degree murder, once again sentencing him to death.

After his conviction, Alcala faced more murder charges in other states. In 2012, he was sentenced in New York to 25 years to life in prison for the murders of 23-year-old women Cornelia Crilley and Ellen Jane Hover in the 1970s. In 2016, Wyoming prosecutors charged him with the 1977 murder of Christina Ruth Thornton, a 28-year-old who was six months pregnant when she died.

Authorities continued to actively investigate Alcala’s suspected connection to several unsolved murders in states such as Washington, New Hampshire and Arizona.

Where is Rodney Alcala now?

Rodney Alcala enters the courtroom before closing arguments begin in his death penalty trial in Santa Ana, California, on February 22, 2010.

Michael Goulding/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty

On July 24, 2021, the serial killer and sex offender died of natural causes at the age of 77 while awaiting the death penalty in California. Although the true death toll remains unknown, authorities believe Alcala may have killed up to 130 people, according to the Associated Press.

Since his death, Alcala’s crimes have continued to capture the public’s attention — featured in the 2022 Sky Original documentary series. Dates with deathepisode from 2024 People Magazine Investigates: Surviving a Serial Killer and a thriller from 2024 Woman of the hour.

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Source: HIS Education