Did a Notorious Serial Killer Appear on 'Dating Game' to Hunt His Next Victim?

Listen to EPISODE 15: FETISH FRIDAY-RODNEY ALCALA

There are some guys you date who are so bad that when you tell the story about them, it reflects just as badly on you as it does them. - Liz Tuccillo

What Roots Did Rodney Alcala Have Growing Up?

Rodney Alcala was born Rodrigo Jacques Alcala-Buquor on August 23, 1943, in San Antonio Texas. When he was approximately 8-years old, his father moved the whole family to Mexico, where he wanted them to live. It wasn't long after the big move when his father abandoned them. His mother had to work hard to earn enough money to move her family back to the United States. With determination, she made it happen, as they could settle in the Los Angeles area.

Alcala was only 17-years old when he enlisted in the United States Army. His career in the Army was cut short when he was issued a Medical Discharge in 1964. According to reports, he suffered from a mental breakdown and was subsequently diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder. After his discharge from the Army, Alcala enrolled at California State University only to transfer to UCLA a short time later. He would graduate from there in 1968 with a degree in Fine Arts. When Alcala was forced to flee California later that same year, he would enroll at New York University under the alias John Berger. While he was enrolled at NYU, he took a class taught by the great Roman Polanski.

What Horror Did One Little Girl Survive That Caused Her to Forget?

The first crime that Alcala is known to have committed occurred in 1968. In Hollywood, California, 8-year old Tali Shapiro was on her way to school when Alcala spotted her and lured her into his vehicle. Later, while testifying at one of his trials, she could only recall small bits and pieces of what he had done to her during the short amount of time she was with him. When he approached her, Alcala told her he was a friend of her parents and asked if he could show her a picture.

Once Alcala had her in his car, he drove her straight to his apartment. She testified later that she has no memories of the actual attack. Nevertheless, it seems, from every report that I have read, she would be his only surviving victim. Fortunately for Tali, someone witnessed him get her into the vehicle. That person was concerned for her safety since Alcala's car didn't have any visible license plates. This witness followed Alcala's vehicle and called the police to report what they had seen. They provided the exact location where little Tali was.

When the officers responding to the call knocked on the door to the apartment, Alcala was still inside. He made an effort to stall them, but when they heard a muffled moan from inside, the cops kicked the door in. The sight that greeted them would not soon be forgotten, as it was that horrifying. One officer later said that once they breached the door, they found Tali lying in a pool of her own blood, and she was completely naked. Alcala had viciously raped her before beating her with a metal bar.

The offices were so shocked by what they were looking at that they both ran to Tali's side to make sure she was still alive and administered first aid. Alcala took advantage of the distraction slipped out the back door. He would effectively evade capture in the foreseeable future. Since no arrest was made before Tali was released from the hospital, her parents feared her attacker would return to harm her further. For this reason, they made the decision to move their entire family out of the country.

How Did a Person with an Outrageous Ego and No Conscience Evade Capture?

Not long after the attack on Tali, the FBI added Alcala to their Most-Wanted List. They were not aware that he had already left California altogether and lived on the east coast under the name John Berger. Considering background checks were somewhat limited in the 70s, Alcala's ability to blend in, even with his gigantic ego, was considerably easier than if the same events were to occur. While he was on the run from the FBI and living in New York, Alcala began attending NYY film school, where he studied under the famous Hollywood legend, Roman Polanski. During this time, he would also commit the first murder that we know about, but I'll talk about that a little later.

While living in New York, he got a job working as a counselor in a summer camp. I want to take a second here and remind everyone, myself included, that this was all happening in the late 60s - early 70s. I have to remind myself of this because I was stunned by the gall he had getting a job where he wouldn't necessarily blend in. Then again, maybe that was the point. Perhaps he wanted to see how long he could hide in plain sight? I'm sure he was well aware that his picture was hanging on every post office wall from coast to coast. Maybe he gained some pleasure knowing he was doing whatever he wanted to do despite the authorities looking for him.

He was still working at this camp three years after his attack on Tali when he was discovered. Apparently, two girls who attended the camp one year saw the FBI poster at the post office. When they realized John Berger and Rodney Alcala were one and the same, they alerted the authorities to his location. Once the FBI became aware of Alcala's location, it didn't take them long to swoop in. They quickly placed him under arrest and extradited him back to California so that he would finally stand trial for his crimes against little Tali.

As mentioned, Tali and her family had already left the country. They were living in Mexico when Alcala was returned to California to be tried for his charges. Tali's parents also didn't want to traumatize her further, so they refused to allow her to go back to California to testify against him at trial. For that reason, the prosecutors faced the difficult task of convincing a jury to convict Alcala of attempted murder when they couldn't show the jury a surviving victim.

Alcala was smart enough to know that he was getting away with his crimes against Tali, so he chose to accept a plea bargain. He would plead guilty to an assault charge receive a sentence of 1-20 years, knowing good and well, he would never have to serve the entire 20 years.

The gamble paid off in his favor when he spent less than two years in prison. He was granted parole after that brief time because he could convince therapists he had been rehabilitated after receiving their counseling. It's obvious Alcala found a way to beat the system, mainly since I am featuring him here today. After his release from prison, he would remain a free man for about two months before he targeted a 13-year old girl on her way to school, raping her. Authorities were able to apprehend him quickly after the attack, and he was sent back to prison. Unfortunately, he would once again be granted parole after serving only two years.

Why Would a Killer Appear on a Show Looking for a Lover?

Not long after he was released from prison the second time, Alcala would land a job working for the LA Times as a typesetter. He was actually working for the very same newspaper that would soon be reporting on the crimes he was committing. Alcala had also started claiming to be a photographer to lure his victims to go back to his house with him. He told them that they could be his model if they just went back to his place where the rest of his equipment was located. By using this ruse, he was able to amass hundreds upon thousands of pictures of women, young children, as well as teen boys and girls. Most of the pictures show the subject posing nude for the camera.

In 1978, Alcala decided to appear on the National Television Show, 'The Dating Game.' Despite the fact he already had a record in California for rape and assault, the producers of the show didn't even bother to run a background check on their contestants. I won't even bring up the fact that he knew he had already killed at least two women in New York while he lived there under the name John Berger.

Since I'm sure you are dying to hear my opinion about why he chose to make this appearance, I'm going just give it to you. In my unprofessional opinion, I genuinely believe Alcala wanted to go on the show to find his next victim. I think his ego was so immense that he figured his charm would guarantee him the win. Then when Alcala killed her, notice I did not say 'if,' nobody would suspect him in her death. After all, the guy who just appeared on the show with the victim couldn't be the one that killed her, could he?

Suppose you watch the clip and ignore that he is a sadistic killer. In that case, you'll find that he was very charming and delivered his innuendos with comedic precision. He must have done something right because Cheryl Bradshaw, the bachelorette, chose him over the other two while they were on camera. However, she made the wise decision never to go out with him.

When all of the contestants were backstage and the cameras were off, she claims she gave her a creepy vibe. For that reason, she refused to go with him on the date the show producers were paying for. One of the other bachelors appearing with him later told people that while the cameras weren't running, Alcala was rude, obnoxious, and downright creepy. He got the feeling that Alcala was purposefully trying to intimidate everyone around him. He said he will never forget his encounter with the creepy guy that turned out to be a serial killer.

Whose Lives Were Cut Way too Short After an Encounter with Pure Evil?

I will be using the space in this section of my article to talk about the victims. I know that to speak about each victim, he will have to be included in the conversation. However, I will not use any of the space in this section to show a picture of him. He has had more than his share of this article about him. This part is all about the eight women and one little girl that had the misfortune of crossing paths with someone so evil. That is why I put together the tribute video above. I have it up on YouTube; however, it is not listed, so the only people who will see the video are those who watch it through the above link.

In 1971, Alcala attacked 23-year old Cornelia Crilley while she was in her apartment. He brutally raped her before strangling her to death with her own stockings. When he felt he was finished with her, he left her there all alone until others discovered her.

July 15, 1977, 23-year old Ellen Hover disappeared, leaving behind only a calendar with information stating she was meeting with a 'John Berger.' Her remains wouldn't be found until 1978 in Westchester County. Alcala would not plead guilty to murdering Cornelia and Ellen until 2012. At that time, he received a sentence of 25 to life to be served after serving his time in California.

In July 1979, Alcala was arrested for the kidnapping and murder of 12-year old Robin Samsoe. In 1980, he was convicted of these charges and sentenced to death. However, this conviction would be overturned four short years later, and a new trial was ordered. The basis for this decision was due to the first jury was wrongfully told of his criminal record. Therefore the first trial was deemed to be unfair. Alcala's second trial for this case was held in 1986, and this trial also ended with a guilty verdict and a death sentence. In 2001, the second verdict was overturned on a technicality with a third trial ordered.

Keep in mind, he remained in prison the entire time; he was never released pending the outcome of each trial. With all the advances in the fields of forensic science, specifically in the area of DNA. As a result, evidence has been able to tie him to even more charges.

In 2010, during the third trial for Robin's kidnapping, rape, and murder, part of the evidence presented against him was a pair of gold earrings said to be hers that were found when the authorities raided his storage locker in Seattle. Alcala played clips from his appearance on The Dating Game, saying he was wearing the earrings on the show. The jury wasn't convinced.

With the technological advances in forensics, while he was being tried in the third trial for killing Robin, Alcala was also facing charges for sexually assaulting and murdering four other women in California.

• November 1977: 18-year old Jill Barcomb
• June 1978: 32-year old Charlotte Lamb
• December 1978: 27-year old Georgia Wixted
• June 1979: 21-year old Jill Parenteau

He opted to represent himself during this trial and was found guilty on all five murder charges in February 2010. In March of 2010, he once again received the death penalty.

As late as 2016, authorities were still linking him to more and more crimes from the 70s. He was charged in Wyoming for the 1977 murder of Christine Thornton. However, prosecutors there opted not to extradite him to stand trial until there may be such a time that California releases him. He has also been linked to the murder of Pamela Lambson in the fall of 1977.

Would Justice Ever Truly Be Served When it Comes to Evil Personified?

When we featured the Alcala case in our podcast, it was on a Fetish Friday episode. I had several people ask me how he qualified for a Fetish Friday case when we didn't come out and discuss his fetish at length. I chose not to spend a lot of time talking about Alcala's fetish for a reason. Hopefully, by the time you finish reading this article, you will understand my reasoning. There is a potential that authorities might still be able to link him to more cases.

That being said, I'll reiterate what makes Alcala qualify for our Fetish Friday. By the time his third trial began in 2010, prosecutors had provided DNA proof that linked him to all of the victims until that point. With this link, they could determine a pattern for all of the women he killed. Prosecutors presented the jury with evidence that showed Alcala would literally play with his victims' lives.

Alcala performed a ritual that he had to carry out each time he murdered a woman. This ritual included choking his victim until she was near death, then he would wait for her to revive, only to repeat the process until he was tired of it. This part of the ritual is a sadistic form of Erotic Asphyxia. When he was finally tired of this part, he would brutally rape her before ultimately killing her. From what I read, it appeared he did this with each of his victims. Once he murdered his victim, he would pose her in a disgusting position before collecting his 'trophy' from her. The trophy Alcala liked to collect from his victims were their earrings, which were found in the bag as part of the evidence authorities seized from his storage locker in Seattle.

I found one particular thing even more disturbing than almost everything else when it came to Alcala and the crimes he committed, which he did during his third trial in 2010. When he represented himself, he took the stand and questioned himself for five long hours. That wasn't the disturbing part. I found it shocking that he used a different voice each time he asked himself a question and then answered it using his regular voice.

Even though I was not present for this trial, I can only assume that had there only been one factor, perhaps he may not have been convicted for the third time. However, when all of the factors were combined, it secured his final conviction resulting in another death sentence. The factors that I think played a part equally were:

• Alcala representing himself at trial
• His bizarre behavior when he took the stand and questioned himself.
• His attempt to cast Robin's mother in a harsh light when she was called to the stand (she later said this interaction was one of the hardest things she ever had to do in her life)
• Tali finally agreeing to testify against him after all those years

As I mentioned, in March of 2010, Alcala once again received the death penalty. However, the families of his victims would never have the satisfaction of watching him take his last breath. While awaiting execution on Death Row in San Quentin, Alcala died of natural causes on July 24, 2021. He was pronounced dead at 1:43 am at a hospital in Kings County. Sadly, I don't think we have heard the last of Rodney Alcala.

Side Note/Update - Over the years, I have gone back and forth regarding my thoughts and beliefs as they pertain to the death penalty. I have many reasons for the debate that occurs in my head whenever I think about this topic. However, in the case of Rodney Alcala, I would have gladly sat in the front row as a spectator as they injected him with the chemicals that would end his life. I am not one of his victims, nor am I related to the people he victimized. However, being allowed to witness that event in person would have been rather satisfying. I spent several weeks just gathering the data I would have to sort through before typing one word of this article. For that reason, I feel as if I would be honoring the victims by witnessing the death of the person that took their life. I know Alcala has a family somewhere, and I am sure they love him. However, a capital punishment sentence isn't for the offender's family to mourn the loss of their loved one because they had a chance to say their goodbyes. In my opinion, every capital punishment that follows through with success is for the victim's family. Because maybe, just maybe, once they know the person who took the life of their loved one is no longer able to see, smell, breath, laugh, cry, or even talk anymore, they will have a sense of relief. Relief because they can finally allow themselves to do all those things because the person they love will finally have some peace regarding their senseless death.

As I mentioned several times already, but it bears repeating once more, authorities can link more unsolved murders to Alcala as technology continues to advance. Even though he is now deceased, that doesn't stop his crimes from being solved. When the authorities raided the storage facility in Seattle, they found hundreds of pictures he had stored inside. These same pictures helped link him to some of the crimes he was charged with or convicted of. But, believe me when I tell you there are more pictures that authorities have not determined whether the individual in the photo is alive or dead.

The exact number of people Alcala killed may never be known. Some law enforcement personnel have compared him to Ted Bundy, even saying Alcala was more sadistic and more prolific than Bundy ever thought of being. Some estimate he murdered at least 50 victims, yet others say there could be as many as 130. I will hyperlink the website that will show you the pictures they have yet to identify. If you know someone, or if you know someone who knows someone who is in these photographs, please call the number on the website and let the authorities know. I have a family member who has been missing for nearly 10 years now, and I know how much it would mean to me if I could get closer to that.

Do You Mind if I Leave You with a Few Final Thoughts to Ponder?

1. Do you believe the authorities dropped the ball, so to speak, at any point over the years when it came to how they handled Alcala's arrests, trials, and incarcerations?
2. Do you feel there are more victims out there that can be linked to Alcala?
3. Do you believe that if there are more victims, the key to finding them lies in identifying who is in all of the photographs?

My co-host and I would like to thank you for taking the time to read our articles and listen to our podcast. We are working tirelessly to make every effort to deliver accurate, informative, and intriguing content. Every spare minute we have, we are spending it elbow deep in research to continue to educate, inform, and entertain everyone who reads our articles or listens to our podcast. If we delivered on the promise we made in our bio section, please leave us a tip. Every little bit gets put back into the show to continue to deliver on our promise. If I've said it once, I've said a hundred times, 'At the end of the day, when we take the time to listen to a podcast or read an article/story, what we are looking for is to be entertained.' We want people to get what they are looking for when they choose to read one of our articles.

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