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Rodney Alcala was a famous American serial killer and s*xual offender active in the 1970s. He was known for his charm and intelligence, which helped him lure victims. Alcala's crimes were recently shown in the movie Woman of the Hour, released on Netflix.
Directed by Anna Kendrick, Alcala gained nationwide attention when he appeared on The Dating Game in 1978, earning the nickname The Dating Game Killer. Despite his public appearance, Alcala was already a dangerous predator by then. While he has been conclusively linked to eight murders, investigators believe his actual victim count could be much higher, possibly reaching up to 130.
Alcala was known for his cunning and deceptive nature, often luring victims by pretending to be a professional photographer. His ability to evade capture for years allowed him to continue his deadly spree. Till this date, his case remains one of the most chilling examples of serial killings in the United States, leaving many questions about the full extent of his crimes.
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Who was Rodney Alcala?
Rodney Alcala was born in San Antonio, Texas, in a Mexican American family, the third of four children. In 1951, his father moved the family to Mexico but abandoned them three years later. When Alcala was 11, his mother relocated the family to Los Angeles. Alcala was a bright student, popular among peers, and graduated from Montebello High School.
In 1961, at 17, Rodney Alcala joined the U.S. Army but was discharged after a 1964 nervous breakdown and a diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder. He later earned a degree from UCLA and studied film at NYU under Roman Polanski. Throughout his life, Alcala was diagnosed with various personality disorders, including narcissistic and borderline disorders, which were mentioned during his trials for multiple murders.
5 facts about Rodney Alcala's crimes
1) Rodney Alcala's crimes began in 1968
Rodney Alcala's horrific crimes began in 1968 when he lured his first known victim, an 8-year-old girl named Tali Shapiro, into his apartment in Los Angeles. He assaulted and nearly killed her, but she survived thanks to a passerby who alerted the police.
Alcala fled the scene and managed to avoid capture for several years. His crime spree continued into the 1970s and 1980s, during which he became known as the dating game killer.
2) Rodney Alcala was referred to as The Dating Game Killer
In 1978, Rodney Alcala appeared as a contestant on the popular game show The Dating Game. Host Jim Lange introduced him as a successful photographer who enjoyed skydiving and motorcycling. During the show, another contestant found Alcala to be strange and described him as having bizarre opinions.
Despite this, Alcala won the competition and was set to go on a date with bachelorette Cheryl Bradshaw. However, Bradshaw refused to go out with him, saying she found him creepy.
Criminal profiler Pat Brown suggested that this rejection could have fueled Alcala's violent tendencies. Brown speculated that, as a psychopath, Alcala would not have understood the rejection. This could have intensified his feelings of anger or resentment. Notably, Alcala killed at least three more women after his appearance on the show, adding to his chilling legacy.
3) The polaroid evidence
In 1978, Alcala posed as a professional fashion photographer, convincing many young men and women to let him photograph them for his portfolio. Some of these photos were shared with his coworkers, who found it strange but didn't think much of it at the time. Many of the photos were s*xually explicit, including images of teenage boys and girls.
In March 2010, police in Huntington Beach, California, and New York City released 120 photos taken by Rodney Alcala, seeking the public's help to identify the people in them. Authorities feared that some of the women and children he photographed could be additional victims.
Around 900 more photos could not be made public because they were too explicit. In the first few weeks, 21 women came forward to identify themselves. Additionally, six families believed they recognized loved ones who had disappeared years ago.
4) The Hillside Strangler connection with Rodney Alcala
In 1977, the body of 18-year-old Jill Barcomb, a young woman from New York, was found in Los Angeles. She had been s*xually assaulted and was beaten to death. At first, police believed her murder might be linked to the Hillside Stranglers, who were responsible for killing 10 women in the area. However, it was later discovered that Barcomb's death was connected to a different serial killer Rodney Alcala.
Alcala was in the midst of his deadly spree when he appeared on the TV show The Dating Game in 1978, winning a date with a woman who later refused to go out with him. He would eventually be convicted of multiple murders, including Barcomb’s. His case remains the most chilling in U.S. history.
5) The double life of Rodney Alcala
Despite his heinous crimes, Alcala lived a seemingly normal life, even working as a photographer and appearing on The Dating Game show, all while continuing his killing spree. His ability to maintain this facade shocked investigators and the public alike.
The recently released movie Woman of the Hour features his crime and sheds light on some of his cases. Woman of the Hour is available to stream on Netflix.
