The Dating Game Killer: Who Was Rodney Alcala & How Was He Caught?

Rodney Alcala was an American serial killer/sex offender who was linked to the murders of eight individuals. However, his accurate kill count remains unknown. According to officials, he might have taken the lives of close to 130 people. For his crime, the court sentenced him to death. Furthermore, he received an additional sentence of 25 years to life after pleading guilty to two more killings.

Rodney Alcala was arrested on July 24, 1979. After a 12-year-old girl from Huntington Beach named Robin Christine Samsoe disappeared, the police issued a sketch of the suspect. According to Biography, the serial killer’s parole officer saw the sketch and recognized him. He was then tracked down and arrested.

In 2017, Investigation Discovery aired a biographical television film showcasing this notorious criminal’s exploits. Directed by Peter Medak, it was titled Dating Game Killer.

According to Rotten Tomatoes, the synopsis of Dating Game Killer reads,

“Rodney Alcala commits a series of grisly murders in the 1970s. While the mother of one of his victims desperately searches for answers, Rodney maintains his intelligent, smooth-talking persona, even appearing as a bachelor on “The Dating Game.”

Why was Rodney Alcala called The Dating Game Killer?

Rodney Alcala was called The Dating Game Killer because, in 1978, he appeared as a contestant on the television show The Dating Game.

Alcala died in 2021 due to unspecified natural causes in Corcoran, California, on July 24, 2021. At the time of his death, he was 77 years old. After his passing, one of his victims, Tali Shapiro, who is now 61 years old, said that the world was a better place to live without the serial killer’s existence.

According to The New York Times, she said,

“The planet is a better place without him, that’s for sure. I know it’s awful what happened to me, but I’ve never identified with it. I’ve moved on with my life, so this doesn’t really affect me. It’s a long time coming, but he’s got his karma.”

Rodney Alcala also assaulted eight-year-old Tali Shapiro in September 1968.

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