Crime, Conspiracy, Cults and Murder - Ep. 68 | The Disturbing Dating Game Serial Killer

Episode Date: August 27, 2025

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code CCCM at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Get 35% off your entire order at Lolablankets.com by using code CCCM at checkout. Experience the world’s #1 blanket with Lola Blankets. Go to shopremi.com/CCCM and use code CCCM at checkout for 50% off. Rodney Alcala, often called the “Dating Game Killer,” lived a double life—appearing charming and intelligent in public while hiding a far darker reality. Behind his charisma was a calculating predator whose trail of victims stretched for years before the full scope of his crimes came to light. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The lights of late 1970s Los Angeles promised glamour, possibility, and fame. But in the shadow of those palm-line streets moved a man whose charm was as dangerous as it was disarming. A man who could smile for a camera, even as he carried the weight of unspeakable secrets. And on a summer afternoon, he'd be the stranger offering to take your picture. And that evening, he might be a contestant on a cheerful TV game show. And somewhere between the flash of the lens and the applause of the audience, lives would be changed forever. This is the story of Rodney Alcala,

the predator who hid in plain sight, and the trail of shattered lives he left behind. Crime, conspiracy, cults, serial killers, and murder, all things that I love to consume, and I know you do too, you sick, twisted, beautiful, intellectually minded, meh-he-heel's good. Today we are covering a,

an insane story, one that quite literally just sounds like a movie, and of course was made into one, and we'll talk about that a little later, but it is terrifying to think that a human being like this could be out there while being so charismatic, not unlike Ted Bundy, and so easily steal the lives from innocent human beings.

So without further ado, let's unbuckle our seatbelts, go mock five down the highway, slay him on the brakes, and bust through this windshield into this disturbing serial killer together. Rodney James Alcala was born Rodrigo Jacques Alcala on August 23, 1943 in San Antonio, Texas. And he was the third of four children in what appeared to be a normal Mexican-American family. And in 1951, when Rodney was about eight years old,

his father moved the family to Mexico, only to abandon them three years later. Shit Dad. So he just abruptly walked out on Rodney, his siblings, and their mother, Anna Maria in 1954. And this betrayal, would deeply affect the family. I mean, of course.

And Rodney's mother was left to raise these children alone, but she would soon relocate the family to a suburban in Los Angeles for a fresh start. And Rodney was 11 years old at this point when he arrived in L.A., effectively growing up without a father's presence. But despite the early upheaval, young Rodney Alcala initially showed few outward signs of trouble,

which is uncommon for serial killers, as we know. And he was actually considered a broad and gifted student. He attended private schools in the Los Angeles area and excelled academically. And classmates remembered him as reasonably popular as well. And he served on his high school's yearbook committee and competed and track and cross-country teams. Sky was like the guy, the popular guy in school. So by all appearances, he was a typical teenager. He was smart, sociable, even well-liked. So there was little to foreshadow the darkness that would later overtake him. Yet, as we often learn in hindsight, appearances can be deceiving.

Maybe he was just really good at acting, which I'm going to assume, because I don't know, we're always talking about nature and nurture, and I feel like he just might have been one of those people, those psychopathic people who are really able to blend into society and trick everyone. And those who study Alcala's life often point to his father's abandonment as an early turning point, because being suddenly deserted by a parent at a formative age can inflict deep emotional wounds, of course. But we can't exactly know what impact it had on Rodney's psyche.

But it's clear his family life was fractured from a very early age. So after moving to Los Angeles, his mother did her best to provide stability. But still, the absence of his father, who had uprooted the family only to leave them, hung over Rodney's childhood. Because the young boy who had once lived in a secure two-parent household was now adapting to life with a single mother. But as we discussed, there was no documented incidents of violence or criminal behavior. However, the emotional turmoil of his father's rejection and the subsequent relocation might have planted seeds of at least anger or resentment. And psychiatrists later noted that Alcala exhibited traits of narcissism and antisocial personality disorder. And as we know with narcissists,

they think more of themselves than others and they often go hand in hand with psychopaths, especially in the serial killer realm. So again, I just just kind of bodes to my theory of him just being really capable of blending into society. So the boy who seemed to be thriving academically was also a child who had learned that people he depended on could vanish without warning. So by his late teens, Rodney Alcala's life took another turn. And in 1960, at the age of 17, he graduated from Cantwell's Sacred Heart of Mary High School. And showing his independent streak, decided to join the U.S. Army in 1961.

And he enlisted as a paratrooper and was assigned clerical duties. So here was a new chapter. This high-achieving student now was serving his country. Just the ultimate patriot. But it was during his army stint that the first serious red flags about his behavior appeared. Because military records and later reports describe Alcala in the army as manipulative, vindictive, and insubordinate. Now we're starting to understand. this guy is. He was able to trick people in high school and all that kind of stuff, but you know,

you get into the army and these people do not fuck around. And far more disturbing, he was disciplined multiple times for attacking young women well in the service. And there aren't many details of these assaults, but the mere fact that a teenager in the army was essaying women is a glaring early indicator of the predatory behavior he had been hiding. It's as if the dark secrets inside him began to surface once he was away from home. He finally felt like maybe he could be himself, I guess, quote unquote. So in 1964, Alcala's military career came to an abrupt end after what was described as a nervous breakdown. And he went absent without leave, which is AWOL, fleeing from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and hitching all the way back to his mother's house in California.

So when the army finally detained him, because you're not allowed to just leave the army, military psychiatrist would evaluate the 20-year-old soldier and diagnose him with antisocial personality disorder, essentially labeling him as someone with no regard for right and wrong or the rights of others. Just doesn't give a fuck about anybody else. Throwing narcissism in there as well, because he was prone to deceit, manipulation, and just had no remorse, which are, again, classic train. of a psychopath, that's right. And we're in the 60s, guys.

There's not a lot for people with mental health. So you can bet your bottom dollar, he didn't get the help that he definitely should have gotten. And later in life, court psychiatrists would add other diagnosis like narcissistic personality disorder and seduyl sadism. And we will see that further on.

And they would also measure his IQ at around 135, indicating he was exceptionally intelligent. So just the worst of both worlds, basically. He's narcissistic, psychopathic, has no remorse, doesn't give a shit about others, is a sadist, and is extremely smart to boot. So just the, the makings of a quote-unquote perfect serial killer, or near-perfect, obviously not. And by perfect, I mean, you know, the worst-case scenario, but you know what I mean? Very Ted Bundy-esque, very Ed Kemper-esque. So in other words, Alkella was a high- IQ individual with a dangerous lack of empathy, just a potent combination for wrongdoing.

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This should be tons of fun. Marvel Television's Daredevil Born Again, now streaming only on Disney Plus. So the army discharged charged him on medical grounds in 1964, concluding his short and troubled military service. And it's just haunting to think that while Alcalo's former classmates likely saw him as just a brilliant student

and his army superiors noted his intellect, behind closed doors he was already revealing himself to be the ultimate predator. So he returned to civilian life in 1964 with an honorable discharge, which I don't understand guy, was a psychopath that hurt women, but okay America, And there was no criminal record from those incidences in the army either.

Which just makes me think, how many people just got away with doing that in the army? That's a whole other thing, I guess, but whatever, let's keep going. So, Alcala would try to resume a normal path in life, and he would enroll at UCLA and earned a fine arts degree by 1968. And he was even said, incorrectly, as it turns out, to have studied under film director Roman Polanski at NYU. So he seemed, by all accounts, to be moving on, leaving the military stigma behind. Yet those early red flags like, you know, the assaults and the mental health warning, loomed in the background. And tragically, there were precursors that society failed to adequately heed.

So by the late 1960s, Rodney Alcala was an educated, charming young man with a dangerously disordered psyche, free to walk the streets of Los Angeles. and it wouldn't be long before he acted on his darkest impulses outside the confines of the army, with devastating consequences. So the true beginnings of Rodney Alcala's criminal saga came on September 25th in 1968 in Los Angeles. And that morning, an eight-year-old girl named Tali Shapiro was walking to school along Sunset Boulevard, not far from the famous Chateau Marmont Hotel where her family was staying. So Alcala, then, 25 years old, pulled up in his car,

and offered Talley a ride. Initially, she refused, as she didn't know the stranger, but Alcala was smooth and persistent. And he lied, telling her he knew her parents, which gave the little girl a false sense of safety, which is so scary and just, the 60s were a different time, there wasn't stranger danger, there wasn't all these things we know now.

It's like, don't trust people that we don't know, but it's just heartbreaking. And unfortunately, Talley would get into a story. car and a good Samaritan would happen to witness this interaction and his name was Donald Haynes and he was just a salesman that was passing by and he would notice a man with long curly hair talking intently to a young girl and felt that something was wrong and when he saw Alcala actually lure Talley into the car Haynes later said quote all the warning signs were there unquote and trusting his gut Haynes followed Alcala's

car as it drove to an LA residence and he watched the man coaxed the girl inside, and then Haynes rushed to find a pay phone to call 911. Thank God. Like, it's all it takes is just trust in your gut. And his call, thank goodness, likely saved Tally Shapiro's life. Los Angeles police officer Chris Camacho responded to the scene and arrived at Alcalo's door within minutes. And sensing something terrible, Camacho kicked in the door and was greeted by a nightmare.

Because Tally Shapiro was sprawled out on the floor. covered in blood. But she was still alive, thank goodness. But a steel bar would be found across her neck and she was unconscious, just barely clinging to life. But given the scene and later findings, police would find out that Alcala had done unspeakable things to the little girl, as in assay,

and obviously had used that bar found on her neck to strangle her but was unsuccessful, thank goodness. Thank God she survived the whole ordeal, but like the i can't even imagine the the the PTSD all the things that she went through after the fact like it just the type of person it takes to do something like this to a child is i can't i can never compute it i can never compute it and i genuinely think that whatever these people do to these innocent people should be done to them and then some um i think they deserve to suffer uh is that a hot take? I don't think so. I think that that should be the case. But am I allowed to say that?

I don't really care. I'm going to say that. So Officer Camacho would go in, lift the bar off of Talley, and she would gasp for air, which of course was a sign of life. And it meant that Talley was alive. But before Camacho could apprehend the attacker, Ocala would slip out the back exit and vanish. So he had the choice to pursue Alcala or save Shapiro. And he chose to save Shapiro, which of course. I'm grateful for that. And I'm sure her and her family were as well. Not loving your AT&T or T Mobile Bill. Yeah, we've been hearing that a lot. Good news. Bring your AT&T or T Mobile Bill to Verizon and we'll give you a better deal. So get away from that unfortunate phone bill and get to Verizon. Run, ride, canoe. Whatever it takes, we'll be here.

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So Talley Shapiro would be rushed to the hospital at that point. And she had severe head injuries and was in a coma for 32. days after the attack because it was absolutely brutal. And I do not want to go into all the details because I don't think it's prevalent. It's just a monster that did something horrible to an innocent child. And thankfully, she survived. And she would eventually recover after months of care. But the trauma she had endured is absolutely unimaginable.

And the Shapiro attack was the first known crime of Rodney Alcala, or first reported crime, I guess, because, He never was held accountable for the stuff he did in the army. It was just a shocking explosion of violence that revealed the depth of his depravity. And what's even more chilling is that decades later, another survivor came forward, indicating Talley might have not been Alcala's first victim after all. And this was a woman named Morgan Rowan, who revealed that as a 16-year-old in the summer of 1968,

just weeks before Talley's assault, she too had been attacked by Alcala and barely survived. And Rowan recounted meeting Alcala at a Los Angeles party and accepting a ride, only for him to suddenly detour to his house and offer the group marijuana. And once alone, with Rowan, Alcala turned violent, and he would proceed to beat her up and do other unspeakable things to her. And she would say, quote, I remember thinking, I'm going to die, unquote. And that's what she would recount of those terrifying moments, because Alcala was preparing to kill her when Rowan's friends became concerned and broke into the locked room and rescued her.

Which again, thank goodness, there's a guardian angel around these girls. And Morgan Rowan would never report the assault to the police at the time. But she was traumatized and left California immediately after the assault. But she would carry Survivors Guild for decades. And a friend would send her newspaper clippings about Shapiro's attack and attempted murder. And Rowan blamed herself for not reporting her own incident. incident. But these early attacks underscore Alcala's pattern of predatory behavior. He targeted the vulnerable and used deception or social situations to trap them. And it's so unfortunate that she felt

that way that it was her fault, but she could have never known that he would go and do that to another child. But I can't imagine how that feels. Just seeing that. Battali Shapiro's case generated an arrest warrant for Alcala in 1968. But by the time the authorities identified him as the assailant, he had already fled California. So Rodney Alcala was now a fugitive. And he was just getting started. So after fleeing LA, Alcala reinvented himself in New York City under an alias,

using the name John Berger. And Alcala enrolled in film classes at New York University. And in the meantime, Alcala's violent evolution just took it to the next step. And now he would begin to kill. And his first known murder victim was Cornelia or Corey, Crily, a 23-year-old TWA flight attendant living in Manhattan. So on June 12th, 1971, Corey was found essayed and strangled with her own nylon stockings

in her Upper East Side apartment, and she was found deceased. But she had recently moved into that apartment, excited to be building an independent life in the city. An investigators believed she met a seemingly helpful man who offered to assist her with moving furniture. But tragically, this A good Samaritan act was a ruse, again, very similar to Ted Bundy, because once inside her apartment, Alcala attacked her. And the young flight attendant's dreams of travel and independence were cut brutally short, and her body was left on the floor and the killer vanished without a trace. So with no immediate suspect, the case went cold and haunted New York detectives for decades. And it wasn't until 2011, 40 years later that DNA evidence finally linked Rodney Alcala to Cornelius'

murder, bringing belated justice for her family. So Ocala was still at large in 1971, but not for much longer. Because a stroke of luck led to his initial capture that year, and in June of 1971, two children attending a New Hampshire arts camp just happened to recognize their camp counselor, John Berger, from an FBI Most Wanted poster at the post office. Amazing skills from these kids to actually recognize that while all these fucking adults don't see shit. Because the counselor was none other, than Rodney Alcala in disguise, which is horrifying to think that he was a camp counselor for kids. I know it's a different time,

but are you not looking into people that are looking after your kids? It's just insane to me. But camp staff alerted authorities, and in August of 1971, Alcala was arrested in New Hampshire and extradited back to California to face charges for the Talley Shapiro assault. However, the wheels of justice turned front. frustratingly slow.

By 1971, Talley's family had moved to Mexico and refused to have their little girl testify after the trauma that she had endured, which is completely understandable. But without Talley's testimony, prosecutors felt they could not pursue charges for essay and attempted murder. So instead, Alcala struck a deal. And it would plead guilty to child molestation, which is a lesser offense. And for the brutal attack on Tally Shapiro, Rodney Alcala received a second. sentence of just one to three years, of which she served 34 months.

I don't even... The people who put him in jail needs to go to jail. That doesn't even make sense in my head. That's fucking terrible. So Ocala was out on parole by 1974. Guy basically just went to the corner for a few minutes, basically. So a convicted sex offender who had essentially gotten away with attempting, child murder was just walking free on the streets.

And within weeks of release, he proved he was still a menace. Oh, shocking. Fucking shocking. Sorry, I get worked up about anything to do with kids, dude. I just, uh, just, and all of this, all of this. Our justice system here in Canada as well, it's just like, in terms of these crimes specifically, it doesn't make sense to me. It's always like the least amount of time, and I don't understand it.

So as I was saying, he just continued to be a menace to society. And in 1974, he lured a 13-year-old girl identified in records as Julie Jay into his car, allegedly, to give her a ride to school. And this was a disturbingly similar setup to Talley Shapiro's case. But luckily, the girl managed to escape before it escalated to murder. But Alcala was arrested for assaulting her. least. So again, the system dealt with him light-handedly and he would serve just two more years and was paroled in 1977. He repeated crimes like immediately after, weeks after getting out of jail and he did the same thing, tried to do horrible things to a child and kill them. And they're like,

ah, I guess we'll put him in the corner for a couple more minutes. He's just not getting it. No, you're not getting it. Again, I know this is a different time. I just get worked up. I'm going to, I'm gonna calm down a little bit. Okay. Let's get back to it. So like I said, he was in jail for two more years and then was paroled in 1977. But each time, he would walk out of prison with predatory urges completely unchecked. And now it was 1977.

And Rodney Alcala was 34 years old and a free man to say the laced. But he was labeled at least as a twice convicted sex offender and a twice paroled dangerous felon. Yet, astonishingly, he was allowed to roam once more, and this time his crimes would escalate to serial murder. So upon his second release, a parole officer in Los Angeles made the fateful decision to promote Akella to travel to New York City for a visit. You know, the place where he got extradited from? What the fuck? So it was an unusual and, in hindsight, a catastrophic approval, considering he was a known flight risk. And within about a week of arriving in Manhattan in the summer of 1977,

Ocala would strike again. And on July 15th, 1977, Ellen Jane Hover, who was just 23 years old, disappeared from her Manhattan apartment. And Ellen was an accomplished young woman and the daughter of a well-known nightclub owner. And her father's name was Herman Hover of the Syros in Hollywood Club. And the goddaughter of entertainers Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. But she was a gifted pianist with big musical aspirations. So by all accounts, Ellen had a very bright future ahead.

And her last diary entry on July 15th noted a lunch meeting was someone named John Berger. And again, that was Alcala's alias. And he was still using the same alias, which is just such a slap in the face to all victims and the police everyone. He was just like, I can get away with it. So the head on this guy was fucking massive as in ego. So he had arranged to meet her under the pretense of a photography session or perhaps a date. But after that day, Ellen Hover was never seen alive again. And her disappearance prompted a massive search.

And Alcala was questioned by NYPD detectives since they knew John Berger was his alias and admitted to meeting with Ellen. But without a body or evidence, they couldn't hold him at the time. But nearly a year later in 1978, Ellen's remains were discovered in an area on the grounds, of Rockefeller's estate just outside of New York City. And she had been murdered and buried under rocks on a hillside overlooking the Hudson River. And the spot was eerily close to where another aspiring model recalled Alcala as Berger

taking her photographs around that same time. So Allen's hovers promising life, her plans and music and kindness to friends ended in a shallow grave. Just yet another vibrant young woman stolen by Alcala's hands. And in the span of six years from 1971 to 1977, Alcala had gone from attempted child killer to cross-country murderer. And he had claimed at least two lives at this point, Cornelia, which he had not been caught for yet, and Ellen Hover, and possibly others not yet

discovered. An investigator suspect he may have killed additional victims during his time on the East Coast. But at the time, however, neither murder was conclusively tied to us. Alcala. Criley's case was unsolved and Hover's case remained open with him as a prime suspect, but no arrest, because I had no evidence. So Alcala is obviously feeling completely untouchable at this point, and he would just return back to Los Angeles in late 1977. And after returning, he would immediately continue his killing spree, this time leaving

a trail of bodies across Southern California. So by fall of 1977, Alcala had secured a job as a typesetter at the last Los Angeles Times, ironically working in the heart of the city's new industry. And he was even interviewed and cleared by police as part of the Hillside Strangler serial killer investigation that year, since he was a known sex offender in the area. And no one realized that the string of unsolved murders about to occur in Los Angeles were not the work of the strangler at all, but the quiet typesetter in their midst. And the spree began almost immediately. He had zero Oh, zero cool down period, because he, again, just felt untouchable.

So on November 9, 97, the body of Jill Barcombe was discovered in the Hollywood Hills. And Jill was just 18 years old. And she had come from Los Angeles from Oneida, New York, seeking adventure and hoping to break into Hollywood as an actress. And she had only been in California for a short time when she crossed pass with the piece of shit Alcala. And unfortunately, her body was found posed on a dirt path near. Mulholland Drive, curled into a knee-to-chest position as if discarded like trash. He just didn't care about anyone else but himself. He thought everyone else, especially women, were just trash compared to him.

And Jill had unfortunately been S-A and beaten as well. And similar to his M-O with all of the other girls, she was also strangled. And the ligature marks were from blue rope ties. And he had beaten her so badly that her face was nearly. completely unrecognizable. Just absolutely horrifying. And investigators initially thought Jill might have been a victim of the then active Hillside Strangler,

duo due to location and brutality. But that case would later be solved separately, and Jill's murder remained unclaimed by the Stranglers. And unbeknownst to authorities, she was the first California victim of Rodney Alcala. Quote, she had aspirations to become a Hollywood actress. Prosecutor Matt Murphy later said of Jill, highlighting the poignant fact that this woman came to LA with big dreams,

only to meet a nightmare. And Jill Barcombe's life, along with her youth and hopes of stardom, ended in violence on that lonely hillside. And less than five weeks later, Alkella struck again. And on the night of December 16th, 1977, 27-year-old Georgia Wixsted, a registered nurse, gave a friend a ride home from bar and then returned to her own apartment in Malibu. And when Georgia didn't show up for work at the hospital the next day, concerned co-workers called police. And officers arrived at her small house and found signs of forced entry. Because they would find a broken window latch and items in disarray all over her home.

And as they got further inside, they would make a horrific discovery. And they would find Georgia deceased on her bedroom floor. And she would not have clothes on and she would also be beaten and strangled. And like the others, she had also been S-Aid. And the tool used to kill her were her own nylon stockings. Similar to Cornelia's case years before. And similar to the last murder as well, it was unspeakably brutal. He had made her near unrecognizable as well with what he did to her.

And then he would do other things to her private area that were also unspeakable. and I don't really want to get into it. You can look into it yourself. Absolute, just sadist, sick, psychopathic human being, this man was. Because the violence done to Georgia was extreme, even by standards of essay homicide, which is saying a lot. It was as if the perpetrator Alcala took perverse pleasure in just complete overkill, which he obviously did. And investigators painstakingly collected evidence and decades later these clues including a handprint and other DNA collected from the scene would conclusively tie alcala to georgia so by now alkella had killed at least four women cryley hover barcombe and wicksted and left one child for dead and was still roaming free and then would

roll in the year 1978 and he would just continue the carnage because on june 24th 1978, the body of Charlotte Lee Lamb was found in El Segundo, California. And Charlotte was 32 years old and working as a legal secretary, but she, like Jill Barcombe, had artistic dreams. And she had moved to California with aspirations of making it into the entertainment industry. And she was described as strikingly beautiful, someone who lit up the room when she walked in. But on the night of June 23rd, Charlotte had gone out dancing at a Santa Monica nightclub. And it's believed, that's where she encountered Rodney Alcala. But the next day, her unclothed body was discovered

in the laundry room of the apartment complex where she was temporarily staying. And Charlotte, like the others, had been essayed, beaten, and strangled with a shoelace. And the killer had also tied her hands behind her back. And at the scene, detectives recovered foreign DNA and noticed bite marks on Charlotte's upper half, if you know what I mean.

Just, just, It sends chills down my spine. And this was a signature that matched the bite marks found on Jill Barcombe as well, suggesting a serial offender was at work. And decades later, DNA on a pair of earrings in Alkella's storage locker would match Charlotte Lamb's genetic profile, confirming he was her murderer. But in 1978, Charlotte's case also went cold. And she was remembered by friends and family as kind, ambitious,

and just overall, extremely likable young woman with big dreams of becoming a star. And even as Alcala was murdering women in 1977 and 1978, he kept up a facade of normalcy, which is just horrifying to think about. Because at Los Angeles Times, colleagues just saw an odd but affable photographer who even showed off some of his portraits at work.

And many of those portraits were of young women and teenage boys, and some unclothed or in suggestive poses. Just no red flags, times, okay. But I guess at the time it just seemed eccentric, though in hindsight it was just another massive red flag warning sign. So Akala would troll the streets and beaches approaching hundreds of people with the line that he was a professional photographer building his portfolio. And this predatory hobby would later provide crucial evidence

and also hint at many more possible victims. And by the fall of 1978, Rodney Alcala had already killed five women that we know of, and he was far from finished. Yet incredibly, and for the story most notably and most known for, in the midst of this spree, Alcala would step onto the stage of a nationally televised game show. The ego on this guy was absolutely insane. The fact that his face had been plastered, he had been a wanted fugitive in America,

and he was caught and he went to jail for almost four years, and they just let him on this game show. Is beyond me. But let's get into it. So the very month after murdering Charlotte Lamb, Alcala donned a leisurely suit and flashed a charming smile on the dating game. And none of the viewers had any idea that Bachelor No. 1 was a serial killer who had literally just strangled woman a few weeks before. Please welcome Rodney Alcala. Just the audacity of this guy is absolutely mind-boggling. It just shows to how compartmentalized and arrogant Alkella was. Because he could literally kill someone one day and just laugh on TV the next, just confident he wouldn't get caught.

So you have to ask this question. How does a serial killer, or at this point, a serial a serial, a a defender, serial convict, a person that was on FBI's radar, end up as a contestant on a primetime TV show. Well, the answer lies partly in the era, because in the 1970s, there was no quick background checks or computerized criminal databases that show producers could easily access fine. Sure. Whatever, I'll give you that. So when Rodney Alcala auditioned for The Dating Game, he was able to hide his criminal records simply by using his real name.

And at the time, his prior convictions were known only to law enforcement in California. And the show's staff had no idea they were interviewing a registered sensual offender who'd twice been to prison. So again, we know he's smart. He obviously found a way around this. It's not on the show, but it's just crazy to think how this happens. So they would basically see what was just in front of them, a relatively, I guess, good-looking 35-year-old with a charismatic presence and a bit of a mysterious vibe. And according to Ellen Metzger,

the show's coordinator at the time, Alcala impressed her in the casting process, saying, quote, he was attractive and all the women were going to love him. It's so eerie thinking and watching it over, like I strongly encourage you, I think it's like a 10 minute video on YouTube and we'll put some clips in here,

how so incredibly disturbing it is to watch it, knowing what he's done already, and even his answers. Number one, would you say hello to Cheryl, please? We're going to have a great time together, Cheryl. Okay. Not knowing anything about him seem so red flaggy and fucking weird. But, you know, I know too much information. I'm not going to judge anyone who was on the show or who put him on.

You know, he is a psychopathic genius. But it's incredibly eerie. And Ellen Metzker's future husband, Mike Metzger, who was the Dating Games executive producer, was less sure. And he letter said, Alcala gave him. him in uncomfortable feeling. Quote, a mystique that I found uncomfortable. You know shit. Again, just follow your gut.

But ultimately, they decided to put him on. Because at this point, producers were chasing ratings and wanted lively contestants. And Alcala, with his confident answers, an easy laugh just fit the bill. So nobody imagined their contestant pool needed vetting against criminal records. As one producer noted, many people auditioned

just for a chance to be on TV, Not necessarily for true love. It's just like any, any dating show today, basically. And Rodney was one of those people. Except his motivations were far more sinister than fame. It's worth noting the narcissism at play here, obviously. Because Alcala certainly didn't audition for a dating game show because he needed help meeting women.

He had no trouble luring victims on his own. Rather, appearing on television just fed his giant fucking ego, basically. And prosecutor Matt Murphy, who later put Alcala on trial, commented that this episode, quote, reflects the narcissism and the ego and the arrogance of a serial killer, unquote, which puts it exactly, exactly how I'd say it. Like, it's actually incredible. And I keep saying he's smart.

He's so fucking stupid. He's a dumb little stupid piece of shit man. I just want to make that clear. I keep saying he's smart. And I'm just talking about IQ. But how incredibly dumb for him to go on national TV. He looks like such a fool now, which brings me some sort of semblance of,

I guess, peace. I don't know. I don't know. I just, it's just crazy to me. Anyway, because as we know, Alkella likely just got a thrill from outsmarting everyone and being admired on screen, all while carrying the dark secrets of his crimes.

Probably just got off on it. So it was obviously a risky move, exposing himself to millions, but he was confident in his ability to charm and remain above suspicion. So the episode featuring Rodney Alcala was taped and aired on September 13th, 1978. And on stage, three bachelors sat side by side hidden from the bachelorette by a partition. And Alcala was Bachelor number one. And the Bachelorette, a young woman named Cheryl Bradshaw began asking her suitors a series of cheeky devil on Tondra-laden questions. And typically fair for the show, which by the late 70s had grown

more suggestive to keep up with the times. And it is like incredibly suggestive. It's like uncomfortable to watch. For example, when asked for an example to describe what kind of meal he would be called if she were serving him. I am serving you for dinner. What are you called and what do you look like? weird question. Alcala didn't miss a beat and said, I'm called the banana and I look really good. And the audience obviously chuckled at the obvious sinuendo, just playing along and Bradshaw probed. Can you get a little more descriptive?

And Alcala leaned into the joke saying, peel me. But the crowd just loved him and I'm sure he just ate that shit up. And Bradshaw would also ask, What's your best time? And Alcala smoothly turned it into another sensual innuendo. The best time is at night, nighttime. Why do you say that?

Because that's the only time there is. Which is horrifying that since we know all the information about him. So this flirtatious banter was exactly what the producers wanted. A bit raunchy, funny, and provocative for the TV audience of that era. And Jed Mills, the actor who sat as Bachelor number two next to Alcala, Later recalled that while on camera, Alcala seemed normal enough. But behind the scenes, he found him, quote, unquote, really creepy. And Mills remembered that in the green room, before going on stage, Alcala had quietly yet boastfully told him, quote,

I always get my girl, unquote. Chills, dude. Absolutely just chills up my spine. At the time, Mills just thought he was bragging about his dating game. Only later did those words take a far more sinister. meaning when he learned what this guy was. But the show rolled on, and by the end of the segment, Cheryl Bradshaw had chose the winner, and she picked Bachelor number one, Rodney Alcala. And the prize was a date with tennis lessons

and a trip to Magic Mountain Amusement Park and all paid for by the show. And on stage, when the partition was finally removed, Bradshaw met Alcala face-to-face for the first time, and he gave her a polite kiss as the audience plotted. And the host, Jim, beamed and signed off. So to everyone watching at home, it was a cute ending to a kitchy game show, and The Bachelet had gotten herself a tall, dark, and handsome date,

who described himself as a photographer and skydiver. What could be more thrilling, right? But of course, the viewers didn't and couldn't know that the man on their screen had literally just killed someone, Charlotte, just a short while earlier and left her in a laundry room, or that he'd kill again very soon. And Alcalo's performance was an Oscar-worthy act of normalcy and charm, a mask he wore expertly.

Although I watched that and I'm just like fucking creeped out fully. But all in all, it's just deeply unsettling in retrospect. So after the cameras stopped rolling, the winning couple met briefly in person. And that's when Bradshaw's gut instinct kicked in. Thank God, always follow your gut. Because almost immediately, she felt creeped out by him. Quote, I started to feel ill, unquote, Bradshaw remembered of the encounter, sensing that there was something very off about her date.

And it wasn't anything he explicitly said or did at the moment. It was just a vibe, a wave of discomfort. And Ellen Metzger, the show's coordinator, recalled that when Alcala and Bradshaw were introduced on stage, the energy was surprisingly flat. And the spark you might expect after a winning pick just wasn't there. And Bradshaw's excitement visibly turned into what Metzger called a, quote, pretty lukewarm togetherness. And once she laid eyes on him. But still, they went along with the post-show congratulations. And by the next day, Cheryl Bradshaw made up her mind.

And she phoned Ellen Metzger at the show's office and backed out of the date altogether. Thank God. And in a candid conversation, she confessed, quote, Ellen, I can't go out with the sky. There's weird vibes that are coming off of him. He's very strange. I am not comfortable, unquote. Yes. Love it.

Love it when someone follows their gut. Oh my gosh. And Bradshaw asked if canceling would be a problem, and Metzger assured her it was fine, and contestants were not obligated to actually go on the dates if they didn't want to. Also, thank God. Thank God there wasn't like some sort of bucked up contract

or something that she had to follow. In fact, it was not uncommon on the dating game for the pairs to never follow through, At the end of the day, they're not seeing that date, so it doesn't matter to the program. So her decision raised no flags with the producers. And for Cheryl Bradshaw, it was obviously a relief because her intuition, screaming that she'd be unsafe with him arguably saved her life. And we can only imagine what might have happened on that fantasy date if a serial killer had gotten his prize alone with his chosen target. And the best part of this is the ego bruising that Alcala got by being rejected by Bradshaw.

Obviously, he would outwardly take it in stride. He'd be like, oh, that's fine, whatever. But I'm sure this just absolutely crushed him, and that's awesome. But all in all, this makes Bradshaw one of the incredibly lucky ones in this case. She literally picked a serial killer out of a lineup of Bachelors on live TV, yet lived to tell the by trusting her gut feeling of danger. But it also just outlines the ego of this serial killer. I mean, he toyed not only with his victims,

but with society at large, confident enough to put himself on TV as if daring the world to catch him. Quote, I can't imagine anybody that would commit a crime and then purposely go on television. And this was a producer later saying in disbelief after finding out who Alcala actually was. And in hindsight, some claim, including including myself, that they can see the evil behind the smile in those moments on the TV show.

Though in truth, he was just acting the part expertly. But the show forever earned the moniker, the dating game killer, underscoring the irony that a cold-blooded murderer could hide in such a harmless setting. And for the investigators who would later prosecute him, the dating game footage became one more piece of the puzzle. But this whole dating game show just kind of shows the systemic failures of the time. I mean, there was no way for the TV show people to know that he was a convicted criminal at the time, and that is no fault of theirs, but the fault of the system. And it's just kind of horrifying to consider that Alcala could have been stopped earlier if information had flowed faster or if parole had been stricter.

Because the fact that he sat on a TV stage in 1978 with a smile is a direct consequence of those lapses. And it would just take another victim to finally bring him down. And lastly, that creepy game show moment had an impact on popular culture's understanding of predators, because it forced people to realize that a murderer doesn't always look like a scary outsider. And decades later, when Netflix announced a film about Alkella's titled Woman of the Hour, directed by Anna Kendrick and released in 2024, the focus was squarely on this juxtaposition, the serial killer bachelor on the dating game. And it's a story so unnerving and sensational that Hollywood couldn't resist,

yet it's all basically true. And the significant ultimately is that Alcala's TV appearance crystallizes the core theme of his story. And that is that the way a predator can blend into every day and even become entertainment, all while victims remained hidden and silenced in the shadows. And one of my only quips about that show is why did Anna Kendrick's hair look like that? It didn't even look like she was from the 70s.

I will forever be... forever be confused about that. But other than that, they did a pretty good job, especially given that it's Hollywood and they just love to romanticize and fantasize and make up stuff, which of course they did. It was a pretty, pretty okay watch. But Rodney O'Callow would walk off the dating game stage still a free man, but his time was luckily running out. So after the spectacle of his dating show appearance, Rodney Ocala wasted no time resuming his predatory ways. And in February of 1979, Alcala hunted another victim. But this time, she would escape.

Monique Hoyt, only 15 years old, was hitchhiking in Riverside County when Alcala picked her up on Valentine's Day. And Monique was a vulnerable teen who didn't know any better and it was a different time when hitchhiking was an okay thing. And perhaps she was just looking for a ride or an adventure. But instead, she found herself in a living nightmare. So Alcala would pick up Monique and drive her to his place.

where he would immediately S.A. her in his apartment. And then he would bizarrely do something he's never done before and take her on a road trip to the mountains near Joshua Tree. And Joshua Tree is a national park. Likely as just a twisted prelude to murder. But when they were in the desert, he took photographs of Monique, wearing only her underwear and then proceeded to again S.A. Her.

And I can't even fathom or imagine how incredibly terrified she would have been in this moment. During this whole ordeal, by acting this out and also taking photographs, he was documenting some of the abuse on camera. And as if all of this wasn't enough, Alcala wasn't finished. And he would tie Monique up, make it so she couldn't make any sound with her mouth, and then began to prolong the essay. And on top of that, he would take a rock and try to kill her with it.

But Monique Hoyt proved incredibly resilient and also lucky. And at some point during the return drive, Alcala stopped at a gas station restroom. And despite her injuries, Monique seized the chance to escape. And she managed to slip away, perhaps while he was momentarily distracted, and fled to safety. Thank God. And Monique went to the police and filed a report detailing Alcala's brutal attack. And this was a major break. because a living victim who could identify her assailant was in the police station.

And Alcala, thankfully, was arrested shortly thereafter for essay of Monique Holt. And also, I don't know why there was an attempted murder in there as well, but okay. However, once again, the system staggeringly failed to neutralize the threat. And Alcala's mother paid his bail. Horrible mother, by the way. And he was released pending trial. So despite facing charges for essaying a mom, In the minor, Alcala was allowed back on the streets.

And this decision had dire consequences, as he would claim two more lives before authorities truly closed in on him, which is incomprehensible. So a few months later, on June 13th and 1979, Alcala committed what would be his final adult murder victim. And Jill Parento, who is 21 years old, was a college student and computer key punch operator living in Burbank, California. And she was a friendly, outgoing young woman with a tight-knit circle of friends. And on that June evening, Jill left work excited to go to a baseball game.

But when she didn't show up for work the next morning and missed an important shift, her worried colleagues and friends contacted police. And officers arrived at Jill's small apartment and discovered signs up a break-in. And they would see a window screen had been cut and a window was ajar. And inside, they would find Jill dead on her bathroom floor, unclothed and posed with pillows propped beneath her shoulders. And she, too, had died extremely similar to the other victims. But one crucial piece of evidence at Jill's crime scene was the perpetrator's blood.

And it appeared that Alkella cut himself while crawling through Jill's window, leaving spots of blood behind. And in 1979, DNA profiling didn't exist, but investigators preserved that blood sample, thank goodness. And it would later directly implicate Alkella when DNA technology advanced. And another clue emerged from Jill's social life. Because one of her friends, Catherine Bryant, informed police that she and Jill had met Alcala

at the Los Angeles nightclub a few times in the weeks before Jill's death. So this connection made after Alkella was already a suspect for other reasons helped build the case that Jill knew her killer casually at the point of her death. So he wasn't a random intruder, but someone who had gained her trust and trust enough to approach or follow her home.

but just heartbreaking altogether. And finally, we come to the crime that truly brought Rodney El-Kalla down. And that was the murder of Robin Christine Samso. So on June 20th, 1979, just one week after Jill Peranto's body was found, 12-year-old Robin Samso disappeared in Huntington Beach, California. And Robin was a blonde, blue-eyed girl

who loved ballet and the beach, and she was adored by her family and the babysitter in her household, her household and that summer day Robin had gone to the beach with a friend enjoying the start of a vacation. And she was later seen hurriedly biking toward her ballet class, afraid she might be late, but she would never arrive. And Robin's disappearance was treated with utmost urgency. And her friends told police the story that earlier that day at the beach, a strange man with a camera had approached Robin and her friend, asking if he could take their pictures. And he was persistent until a neighbor

intervened and asked the man what he was doing and caused him to retreat. So after Robin went missing, an artist worked with eyewitnesses to create a composite sketch of the photographer. And that composite drawing was circulated widely around Southern California. And a parole officer in Los Angeles saw the sketch and instantly felt a jolt of recognition because it looked just like his parolee Rodney Elcala. So he contacted the police and informed them that the suspect they were searching for might be Elkala, who, disturbingly, was supposed to be awaiting trial for the Monique Hoyt S.A. But was out on bail. Just a complete failure of the system.

But this was a crucial tip investigators needed. And Alkella's name was now at the top of the suspect list for the missing Huntington Beach Girl. But tragically, on July 2nd, 1979, Rob and Samso's remains were found. And Park Rangers discovered her body dumped off a remote mountain road in the foothills of on Gabriel Mountains. And it had been 12 days since she had vanished. So animals and exposure had badly decomposed the remains, but dental records confirmed the identity.

And they would find that Robin had been treated exactly like the other victims. But the only difference was, is that she had most likely been stabbed with a knife, which again, I just can't. Just my heart goes out to the family and obviously the victim. I always say it's never easy to talk about death

or, or, these kinds of things, but it's kids. They're just so innocent. I just can't, I can't help but put myself in that, what the child was thinking and how terrified they were and all this kind of stuff. And it, the hate in me grows so much for people that do these things.

But the placement of her body and the violence fit the pattern of Alcala's other crimes. And for Robin's family, it was obviously the worst confirmation imaginable. But now police were more determined than ever to catch the absolute monster responsible for these crimes. So Robin's case became a turning point,

and both because of the speed and of the response of the public outcry. But a child's abduction ignited Southern California law enforcement like nothing before, and media outlets broadcasted Robin's photo and the composite sketch of the suspect all over the news. The community was completely on edge, and it did not take long for multiple people

who knew Rodney Alkella to call in and say the sketch looked like him. And for Robin's mother, Marianne Connolly, those days were agony. And she later kept a shelf of Robin's photographs in her home, just a permanent shrine to her daughter's memory. And Robin had been a lively girl who loved the beach and dancing, a 12-year-old with an infectious smile and just boundless energy. And she was supposed to be safe riding her friend's bicycle to ballet class on a summer afternoon, but instead the completely unthinkable happened to her. And the heartbreak in the community was palpable, and it added urgency to the investigation. And witnesses from the beach that day reported

that a strange man had approached Robin and her friend with unusual interest in photographing them. And one of Robin's friends, 13-year-old Bridgett, recalled that the man asked, quote, can I take your picture? It's for a contest, unquote. So they would pose for a couple of snapshots before a neighbor sensed danger and intervened,

like I said before. But this interaction was just burned into Bridget's memory for the rest of her life. But meanwhile, investigators dug into Alcala's background, finally. And they learned he was a registered sex offender with a history of violence. And Huntington Beach, detectives rushed to get a warrant

to search Alcala's home in Monterey Park, Los Angeles. And on July 24, 1979, police arrested Rodney Alcala and charged him with the kidnapping and murder of Robin Samso. And Alcala would naturally deny everything. And he would coolly claim he was in, innocent, stating he had been nowhere near Huntington Beach on June 20th. And publicly, his arrest made headlines, branding him the dating game killer, emphasizing the sensational link to the TV

show he'd had just been on a year prior. But the case against him still needed more physical evidence to secure a conviction for Robbins' murder. And that evidence would soon emerge from a storage locker nearly 1,200 miles away. So after Rodney Alcala's arrest in July of 1979, investigators dug into his possessions and history to build the murder case. And one intriguing lead was a storage locker in Seattle, Washington, allegedly rented in his name. Because in early 1980, as they prepared for the trial of Robin's murder, police obtained a warrant and opened that locker. And what they found was nothing short of a trove of trophies and clues that would link Alcala to multiple crimes.

Because inside the storage unit were hundreds of photographs of women, teenage girls and young boys. And many of the subjects were unclothed and in suggestive poses. And this was Alcala's unsolicited portfolio of strangers he had convinced to model for him over the years. But the sheer volume of pictures was staggering. And police realized they could be looking at potential victims or at least people who have encountered Alcala.

So in essence, they stumbled upon the meticulously documented footprint of a serial predator. But that was not all. Because also in the locker were personal items belonging to various women. Because Alcala had a disgusting, weird habit of taking jewelry from his victims as keepsakes. And among these, detectus found a small pair of gold ball earrings that immediately raised alarms. Because Robin's mother had described her daughter as wearing gold ball earrings when she disappeared. And at least one of those earrings had been missing from Robin's body, presumably taken by the killer. And now, here in Alcala's locker, lay a pair of earrings matching that description perfectly.

So it was a potentially damning piece of physical evidence tying him to Robin's murder. And there were traces of DNA found as well, later identified as belonging to victims like Jill Parento and Charlotte Lamb. For example, an earring with traces of blood would match Charlotte's DNA, further cementing the link between Alcala and the 1978 El Segundo murder. So the storage locker was just a monumental find. And it gave investigators leads on cold cases, which was incredible. So in March of 2010, long after Alkella's convictions, police released 120 of these photographs to the public, hoping to identify the people in them. And families recognized loved ones who had vanished. And some women saw themselves in released images and came forward to say that they had strange encounters with Alkella where he took their picture, which is horrifying to think of.

And the photos potentially tie Alkella to unsolved cases in New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, and elsewhere, and suggest he may have had many more victims than the known ones. An investigators fear that some of those photographed individuals ended up dead, even if Alcala never confessed to them. And to this day, most of the subjects remain unidentified, and police continue to solicit the public's help in naming those faces. And I'm going to take this opportunity to put these photos on screen. If you recognize anybody, contact your local authorities. Before the immediate needs of 1979 and 1980, though, the Seattle Locker evidence bolstered the prosecution, and it gave them tangible items to show a jury.

And it just painted Alcala as someone who collected mementos of his kills, a very common trait of serial killers who like to relive their crimes. And the Seattle Locker became a key word of horror associated with Alcala's story because it was essentially his treasure chest of evil. And without it, some of his murders, like those of just, Bill Barcombe and Georgia Wixsted and Charlotte Lamb and Jill Parento might have remained unsolved for much, much longer, if maybe never solved. But with it, detectives were able years later to match DNA and indict him for those crimes as well.

But one can only imagine the scene of officers combing through this locker and the growing realization as photo after photo emerged of unknown faces. Just the chill of recognizing a victim's jewelry. But it ultimately helped solve murders and provided evidence to keep him behind bars permanently. Finally. So by capturing Alcala in 1979, law enforcement halted his killing spree, obviously. But the journey to fully account for his crimes was far from over. Because initially, Alkella was tried and convicted in 1980 for Robin's murder, based largely on witness testimonies. Also, the sketch identification and the recovered earrings. And by the early 2000s, prosecutors were

gearing up for his third trial. And his other trials will be detailed shortly, so stay with me. And during this third trial, they had an invaluable new tool that hadn't been available in the 1980s, which was DNA profiling. But in the interim years, California had passed laws allowing the collection of DNA samples from inmates. So in 2003, while O'Callagall was sitting in prison awaiting his third trial, investigators obtained a court order to take a sample of his DNA, which he vehemently fought, but lost. And once they had his profile, they ran it against evidence from cold cases. and the results were explosive, because Alcala's DNA matched seamen left at several unsolved murder scenes from the late 1970s.

Specifically, it matched evidence from the murders of Jill, Georgia, Charlotte, and the other Jill, Jill, Jill Parenthood. And these were the very cases that had been lingering for decades, because the victims were known, but the killer was unidentified until now. And additionally, forensic work tied things together. For example, a handprint at Georgia Wixdid's scene was matched to Alcala. and the blood from Jill Parenton scene was matched to his DNA profile. So just armed with this new DNA evidence, Orange County prosecutors in 2006 got permission to consolidate all five murder charges,

Richard Robbins, plus the four newly solved murders, into one mega trial. And this was significant because it was presenting a pattern of multiple murders to one jury would make it extremely hard for Alkella to assert reasonable doubt, as one of his own attorneys pointed out. So essentially, DNA, had achieved what earlier investigations could not, and it definitively linked Alcala to the crime scenes of women who had been killed while he was active. And DNA technology even connected Alcala to a murder victim in Wyoming. And a photograph from his trove showing a young woman on a

motorcycle led to the identification of Christine Ruth Thornton, who had disappeared in 77. Her remains found in 1982 were unidentified until her family provided DNA samples in 2015 and match to the remains. And it just turns out, Christine was about six months pregnant when she was killed. And Alcala later admitted to taking her photograph, though he denied killing her. But we know he's a lying piece of shit. And in 2016, Wyoming authorities charged Alcala with Christine Thornton's murder based on the photo and circumstantial evidence, though they did not extradite him due to his failing health on death row, which we'll get into. But it just goes to show that he quite literally could have been the most prolific serial killer in American history,

because we really don't know how many victims he has, like a lot of other serial killers. But the amount of murders that happen that had the same, if not very similar, MO is incomprehensible. And the fact that he got away was so much, even though he was a convicted felon. It's very scary to think about. So bringing Rodney Alcala to justice was a long and convoluted journey

that stretched across three. decades because it wasn't enough to just catch him. The legal system had to contend with appeals, overturned convictions, and retrials, and all the families of victims just waited for finality. So first, we had Alcala's first trial, which began in early 1980 in Orange County, California. And this was for the murder of 12-year-old Robin. In the prosecution's case leaned on the eyewitness testimony of Robin's friends who had seen Alcala approach them at the beach, and the composite sketch identification and the discovery of Robin's earrings in Alcala's storage locker. And Alcala was found guilty of first-degree murder in May of 1980, and the jury sentenced him

to death in California in June of 1980. Nana-nana-boo-boo. And for the families, it was a moment of relief, a feeling that the monster was going to pay with his life. However, the case was far from closed. Because in 1984, the California Supreme Court overturned the 1980 conviction and death sentence on a technicality. Because the jury at the first trial had been improperly informed of Alcala's prior sex crimes, which was the Talley Shapiro attack and the assault of Julie J. So essentially,

the High Court ruled that the in conclusion of his criminal history had prejudiced the jury in the Robin Sampso case. And it's just an excruciating example of how a prosecutorial oversea step, even when done in good faith to show character evidence, allowed a convicted killer another chance. Like, you have his records. He fucking kills kids. But they're like, oh, they might think he's a bad guy because he tried to kill this kid, and that's not really fair.

What the fuck is the system, dude? That brings us to trial number two, which was in California. And this was for the retrial of Robin's murder, leaving out the prior crime's evidence. So the trial was very similar from a legal standpoint with witnesses and the physical evidence, etc. But without telling the jury, quote, by the way, he's a twice convicted rapist and attempted murderer. They had to leave that out. So in May of 1986, Alcala was again convicted of Robin's murder. And in the penalty phase, the jury once more returned a death sentence.

Of course it's going to be the same. He killed a child. It just doesn't even make sense. Like, what a waste of time. I mean, he's a waste of oxygen and just being of this earth, but what a waste of time. And you might think that be the end of it. But no, because indeed, in 1992, the California Supreme Court upheld this second conviction on direct appeal. Yet Alcala was nothing if not persistent. And he filed a federal habeas corpus petition, which is essentially another appeal in the federal court system.

Why is that even allowed? So in 2001, a federal judge granted him relief overturning the second conviction. What? So in 2003, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with that decision, thus vacating Alcala's conviction again. And the reasons this time were complex, but included that O'Kala claimed the Park Ranger that found Robin's body was, quote, hypnotized by police investigators. and a witness was prevented from potentially supporting that claim.

So the appeal at court decided that this was a violation of Alcala's right to fair defense. So it was a bitter pill for law enforcement and Robin's family because twice they had seen him sentenced to die and twice those verdicts were erased on appeal. So by this point, Rodney Alcala had been sitting on death row, technically under sentence of death, but with his case in limbo. So now it was clear they would have to try him for a third time. And this was in 2010. And in 2010, landscape was a bit different to say the least. Because as we discussed in the DNA section, Alcala was now linked to four additional murders besides Robbins. And Orange County prosecutors moved to consolidate all five murders.

Robin Samso, Jill Barcombe, Georgia Wixsted, Charlotte Lamb, Jill Parento, into one trial. And Alcala's defense fought this, knowing that one case might be defensible, but five would look like a pattern of a serial killer. Ooh, that might make him look bad. That might make him actually have to be held accountable for his actions. What is this world we live in? This wasn't that long ago. So the California Supreme Court in 2006 ruled in favor of the process. they could join these cases. Thank God. Thus, in February of 2010, Rodney Alcala went on trial for

five counts of first-degree murder simultaneously. And in a stunning move, Alcala chose to act as his own attorney in 2010 trial. Where have we seen this before? He's a fucking Ted Bundy carbon copy. He can't even like come up with his own stuff. What an idiot. It just, it's like the show all over again. He like had to be on television. show how smart he was and how cunning he was, but that got him caught because he's an idiot. And now he's acting as an, his own attorney when he has no background in that at all, which just shows he's an idiot because he's not actually that smart. He just has a giant ego, stupid brain. Anyway, this all and all would just set the stage for some bizarre courtroom scenes to say the least.

Because over the course of the trial, Alcala, who had no formal legal training personally cross-examined witnesses and gave opening and closing arguments on his own behalf, like a, you know, psychopath. And at one point, he adopted a deep voice and proceeded to question himself on the witness stand, you know, like a psychopath with a personality disorder. How is it that someone who has been diagnosed with personality disorder narcissism and psychopathy is allowed to stand in trial in his own defense. How is that possible? And he would even address himself as Mr. Alcala in a deep tone and then answer in his normal voice.

And this strange tactic did him zero favors because he looks insane because he is. And it likely just alienated the jury who saw it as either a stunt or evidence of how disturbed he was and how narcissistic he was into thinking that this would actually work. And during the trial, the prosecution laid out the full scope of Alcalo's brutality, backed by the hard forensic evidence now available. And DNA and physical evidence tied him irrefutably to each of the four Los Angeles murders. And gruesome details, including bite marks, posing of bodies, etc., just demonstrated a signature pattern. And in Robin's case, although DNA was not the key because her remains were skeletal, the earrings and eyewitness testimonies were powerful, as was the narrative of,

of how Alkella lured the girl. So Alcala's defense was pointless and useless and dumb. And he would just claim that he couldn't remember killing the women, which is a rather weak non-denial, sir. And he tried to dispute Robbins case by showing a portion of his dating game episode to argue that the gold earring he wore in the clip if they were visible, which they weren't,

were his own, not Robbins, which doesn't make any sense. He's just so dumb, like he's actually so dumb. actually so dumb. 135 IQ aside. But this just implied that the earrings in his locker were his not a trophy. So he actually wasn't wearing his victim's earrings on that show because it was before he met Robin. They were actually Robin's earrings, but they were in his locker. And the earrings he was wearing on the show were just his own earrings, I guess, but they looked similar to Robbins. So that that was his really fucked up defense, as if that would do anything. And a rebuttal witness,

Jen Mills, who was the fellow dating game contestant, testified that, men simply did not wear earrings in 1978, and he would have noticed if Alcala had an ear pierced. And this just undercut Alcala's odd argument. And he would make no real attempt to explain away the other four murders, there was just too much evidence. And in a dramatic moment during the penalty phase of the trial, Tally Shapiro, the girl who survived in the 1968 assault,

came into the courtroom to testify. Because she's brave as hell, oh my goodness. And Talley had been a secret weapon. who was held back until the sentencing portion, just to give a face to his prior crimes and ensure he received the maximum penalty. And by then, a grown woman, Talley told the jury about the day Alcala lured assayed and almost killed her, and how she fought for justice. And her mere presence was a powerful reminder of Alcala's lifelong predation. And unsurprisingly, in March of 2010, the jury convicted Alcala on all five counts of murder. And they heard from one of Alkella's few witnesses, a psychiatrist who claimed Alkella's

supposed borderline personality disorder could explain his professed memory lapses about the killings. Nice try, asshole. And the prosecutor countered that Alkella was a calculating, quote, sexual predator who knew exactly what he was doing, which of course he did. And it took the jury only about two days to decide. And they recommended the death penalty for the third time. And the judge formally sentenced Rodney Alcala to death in California in March of 2010. And for the families of Jill, Georgia, Charlotte, Jill Parento, and Robin, this was an enormous victory in a long-awaited catharsis. Because many of them had attended the trial day after day hearing the sickening details of how their loved ones died. So at last they saw the man responsible held to account in a court of law,

convicted by overwhelming evidence. So even as the California trial concluded, there remained the matter of the murders in New York, Cornelia Crily and Ellen Hover. For decades, these cases had lingered unsolved, though NYPD always suspected Alkella after he was caught in California. But back in 1971, when Alkella was arrested in New Hampshire, NYPD detectives had traveled to question him about Cornelia's murder. But Alkella had feigned innocence, and they lacked the proof to indict him at the time. And similarly, in 1979, a task force reinvestigated cold cases eyed Alkella for Ellen Hover's disappearance, but again, lacked a body until it was found in 1978.

And then the evidence was still circumstantial. So after Alcala's 2010 conviction, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. decided that even though Alkella was on California's death row, the New York victims deserved their day in court, which of course. And a Manhattan grand jury indicted Alkella in January of 2011 for the murders of Cornelia Crily and Ellen Hoover. And in June of 2012, Alcala was extradited to New York to face these charges.

And he initially pled not guilty and indicted he would fight the case, but facing the mountain of evidence, he changed strategy. And in December of 2012, Alcala changed his plea to guilty for both murders. Wow, smartest thing he's ever done in his entire life actually own up to what he did. And he stated he wished to return to California to continue appealing his death sentence there. So he essentially concealed the New York cases to avoid a lengthy trial. And on January 7, 2013, a New York judge sentenced Alcalais, to 25 years to life on each count to run concurrently. And at the sentencing, D.A. Vance spoke a closure

and remembrance for the victim's families. And he noted that both women were just 23 years old, quote, two families were robbed of daughters who never had a chance to have families of their own, grow old, and see the city change and become safer, unquote. And family members of Ellen and Cornelia were present, some wearing stickers with the victim's photos. And it was an emotionally charged,

and Alcala for his part made no statement of remorse. And because New York had abolished a death penalty in 2007, life in prison was the maximum sentence he could get there. But two more families had it officially affirmed. Rodney Alcala killed their loved ones. So following the 2010 California conviction, Rodney Alcala was returned to death row at San Quentin State Prison in California.

And at some point, after the trial, he was transferred to Corcoran State Prison, which was another facility likely for health and customs any reasons. And death sentences in California at the time were in limbo in 2019. And California's governor declared a moratorium on executions. So even if all appeals failed, Alkella was not at imminent risk of being executed. And in his final years behind bars, Alkella continued to occupy himself with legal maneuverings. And incredibly, during the gap between his second and third trials in the 1990s and 2000s, Alcala had written a self-published book titled, U.S.

the jury, where he protested his innocence in Robin's case, and even pointed fingers at another suspect, which is psychotic, which we know he is. And he also filed a couple of frivolous lawsuits from prison as well, one claiming the prison had caused him a slip and fall injury. Oh, boo-hoo. And another complaining that the prison cafeteria failed to provide him a low-fat diet. But these bizarre lawsuits demonstrate Alcala's continued narcissism and just fully lack of remorse. Because even on death row, he was concerned with his own comfort and figure, I guess. But by the late 2010s, Alcala's health was deteriorating. And in March of 2021, reports emerged that he was too ill to stand trial in Wyoming for Christine Thornton's murder charge.

And on July 24, 2021, Rodney James Alkella died of natural causes at the age of 77 in a hospital in Kings County, California. So he had spent 42 years in custody since his 1979 arrest. And at the time of his death, Alcala was still technically under a death sentence, though with the moratorium, it was effectively a life term. So for the families of victims, there were mixed emotions. Some, like Talley Shapiro, expressed relief. Quote, the planet is a better place without him.

She would tell reporters. And others noted that he had essentially lived out his natural life. something many of his victims were cruelly denied, and Rodney Al-Cellis' final years were without freedom, but also without the execution that some had hoped for, which I completely understand. In California's death row meant years of isolated incarceration, appeal paperwork, and reflection,

which I don't think he was capable of, and he reportedly didn't grant interviews or show any contrition publicly. And in the end, he died as he lived, just removed from normal society, a subject of morbid fascination and carrying secrets to the grave about how many lives he actually truly took. He was a monster and it was horrible what was done to those girls and at the end of the day, I choose to remember them and I will also put those photos back on screen of the unidentified victims, and if you recognize any of them, make sure to contact your local authorities. But with that,

This is the end of the episode. And if you have any other cases you want me to deep dive into, let me know down to the comments. I always read the comments. And stay safe. Okay? Bye.