On September 13, 1978, thousands would tune into their favorite show, the Dating game, where viewers would watch a bachelorette interview three men and hopefully find a date. On this episode Cheryl Bradshaw interviews Jed Mills, Armand Cerami, and Rodney Alcala.
Rodney Alcala was later sentenced to death for the killing of 5 girls.
The Dating game ran from 1965 to 1986 and captivated audiences with raunchy and unique episodes bringing something new and exciting to their televisions. Hosted by the charismatic Chuck Barris, the show was a hit.
When Alcala first appeared on the Dating Game, he confidently talked about his career as a successful photographer. Making sexual innuendos and flirting with Bradshaw. Eventually winning himself a date with Bradshaw. Throughout the episode he smiled and talked sweetly but underneath all of this was a deranged serial killer. Bradshaw never ended up going on the date, ultimately saving her life.
The first reported victim was 8-year-old Tali Shapiro in 1968. She was walking to school when Alcala pulled up alongside her and began talking to her. Police got reports of a suspicious beige car with no license plate following a little girl. The police showed up to Alcala’s door.
Alcala claimed he had just been in the shower and needed to get dressed. The cops said he had 10 seconds then they knocked down the door. The police found mass amounts of blood and a body on the kitchen floor. Shapiro had luckily survived, by the time the police entered, Alcala had already escaped.
His next reported victim was Cornelia Michael Crilley. On June 12, 1971 Crilley was found raped and strangled. Crilley had been living in Manhattan when Alcala came up to her offering to help her move her furniture. She was later found strangled by her own stocking.
On November 9, 1977 Jill Barcomb was brutally killed by Rodney Alcala. Barcomb had recently moved to Southern California at the time of the killings. The following day Barcomb’s body was on a dirt path. She had been strangled and horribly sexually assaulted. Alcala wasn’t the original suspect. At the time one of Barcomb’s friends had been killed by the Hillside strangler. So the top suspect at the time was the Hillside Strangler.
Her killing was a cold case for many years until 2003, where new DNA evidence connected Alcala to the killing of Jill Barcomb.
In December of 1977, Georgia Wixted went missing on her way home from a bar. When she didn’t show up for work the next day her friend Barbara Gale became extremely worried. Gale then reported Wixted as missing. The police found Wixted’s body in her apartment. Her apartment showed signs of forced entry.
Alcala went on to kill 12-year-old Robin Samsoe in 1979. Samsoe’s friends reported that Alcala approached Samsoe and her friends offering to take photos of the group. On June 20, Rodney Alcala kidnapped Samsoe on her way to ballet class, Samsoe’s body was found brutally mutilated 12 days later.
These are the confirmed victims but it’s possible he killed hundreds more. Alcala kept ‘trophies’ and had photos from each of his victims. This could be jewelry or any small objects.
After the killing of 12 year-old Robin Samsoe, police issued a sketch of Alcala in hopes of catching him. Alcala’s parole officer recognized him from the sketch and reported it. In 1980, Alcala was found guilty of one of the killings. He was sentenced to death.
Later in 2001, he had another conviction that was overturned after new found DNA evidence. Alcala had a 3rd trial where he was sentenced to death but before the sentencing could happen, he was transferred to New York where the death penalty is not an option.
Ultimately July 24, 2021, Rodney Alcala died of natural causes in Kings county.
