Rodney Alcala appeared on the hit TV show The Dating Game 1970s as one of three bachelors vying for the attention of bachelorette Cheryl Bradshaw, and his charm won out – she picked him.
While the audience cheered on as the pair headed off set, no one could imagine the chilling truth. For unknown to Bradshaw – or anyone else – she had picked a prolific serial killer.
And now Alcala’s unsettling appearance on the show, alongside his gruesome crimes, is portrayed in Netflix's upcoming film, Woman of the Hour, directed by and starring Anna Kendrick in the role of aspiring actress Bradshaw.
From his unsettling TV appearance to his multiple convictions, here’s a look at everything you need to know about the infamous serial killer Alcala.
Who is Rodney Alcala?
Born Rodrigo Jacques Alcala-Buquor on August 23, 1943, Alcala spent his early years in Mexico before moving to Los Angeles with his family at eight-years-old.
He joined the Army aged 17 but was discharged in 1964 following a nervous breakdown and allegations of sexual misconduct, according to CBS News.
In 1968, Alcala graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a fine arts degree, but then attacked his first victim and fled to New York, where he enrolled at New York University under the alias John Berger.
Alcala seeks fame
In 1978, Alcala appeared on The Dating Game, a popular US series where three bachelors competed for a date with a bachelorette. Alcala later earned the nickname The Dating Game Killer after his crimes were exposed.
On the show, host Jim Lange introduced Alcala as a “successful photographer who got his start when his father found him in the darkroom at the age of 13, fully developed.”
During the episode, Alcala made sexually suggestive remarks in response to the bachelorette’s questions. At one point, he compared himself to a banana, stating that night time is when he “really gets good” and even acted out the part of a "dirty old man."
He was chosen as the winning bachelor. However, Bradshaw, who seemed charmed, started to sense something was amiss and ultimately rejected the date. She later told the show’s contestant coordinator, Ellen Metzger, "I can't go out with this guy. There's weird vibes that are coming off of him. He's very strange. I am not comfortable."
What were Alcala's crimes?
Producers on The Dating Game selected Alcala for his good looks and charm, but they had no idea that Alcala had already killed at least two women in Southern California at the time.
They also didn't know that he had served 34 months in prison for the brutal rape and beating of an 8-year-old girl named Tali Shapiro. At one point, Alcala was on the FBI’s Most Wanted list.
By the time of his arrest in 1979, Alcala had killed at least seven women, though authorities suspect the actual number could be much higher. Prosecutors described Alcala as a sadistic killer who toyed with his victims, beating or strangling them until they lost consciousness, only to repeat the process before eventually killing them.
What were Alcala's convictions?
In 1980, Alcala was sentenced to death for the murder of 12-year-old Robin Samsoe, but the conviction was overturned in 1984. He was retried and sentenced to death again in 1986, though that judgement was also reversed in 2003.
However, DNA evidence later linked Alcala to the murders of four other women between 1977 and 1979: Jill Barcomb, 18; Georgia Wixted, 27; Charlotte Lamb, 32; and Jill Parenteau, 21. In 2010, he was convicted on five counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to death once more.
After this conviction, Alcala faced additional murder charges in other states. In 2012, he was sentenced to 25 years to life in New York for the 1970s murders of Cornelia Crilley and Ellen Jane Hover, both 23.
In 2016, Wyoming prosecutors charged him with the murder of Christine Ruth Thornton, a 28-year-old woman who was six months pregnant when she was killed in 1977.
It's believed Alcala may have been involved in several unsolved murders in states such as Washington, New Hampshire, and Arizona.
Where is Alcala now?
On July 24, 2021, Alcala died of natural causes while on death row in California at the age of 77. Although his confirmed body count stands at seven, authorities suspect he may have killed up to 130 people, as reported by the Associated Press.
Since his death, his horrific crimes have continued to captivate public interest. His story has been featured in the 2022 Sky Original docuseries Dating Death, a 2024 episode of People Magazine Investigates: Surviving a Serial Killer, and now the new thriller Woman of the Hour.
