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Rodney Alcala

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Rodney Alcala
Born
Rodrigo Jacques Alcala-Buquor[3]

(1943-08-23) August 23, 1943 (age 80)
San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Other namesThe Dating Game Killer
John Berger
John Burger
Rod Alcala
Conviction(s)Battery, kidnapping, murder, probation violation, providing cannabis to a minor, rape
Criminal penaltyDeath
Details
Victims7–100[1][2]
Span of crimes
1968–1979
CountryUnited States
State(s)California, possibly New York
Date apprehended
1979

Rodney James Alcala (born August 23, 1943) is a convicted rapist and serial killer who was sentenced to death in California in 2010 for five murders committed between 1977 and 1979, and is thought to be responsible for others. He is sometimes labeled the "Dating Game Killer" due to his 1978 appearance on the American television show The Dating Game in the very midst of his murder spree.[4] Alcala is also notable for exceptional demonstrations of cruelty: Prosecutors say he "toyed" with his victims, strangling them until they lost consciousness, then waiting until they revived, sometimes repeating this process several times before finally killing them.[5]

Investigators have found a collection of hundreds of photos of women and teenaged boys photographed by Alcala, and speculate that he could be responsible for many more murders in California.[5] He is also a suspect in at least two unsolved murders in New York.[6] Authorities have compared him to Ted Bundy,[5] and fear that, as evidence continues to mount, he may prove to be one of the most prolific serial killers in American history.[7]

Early life

Alcala was born Rodrigo Jacques Alcala-Buquor in San Antonio, Texas to Raoul Alcala Buquor and Anna Maria Gutierrez.[3] He and his sisters were raised by his mother in suburban Los Angeles. His father abandoned the family.

He joined the United States Army in 1960, where he served as a clerk. In 1964, after what was described as a "nervous breakdown", he was diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder by a military psychiatrist and discharged on medical grounds.[8]

Education

Alcala, who claims to have a "genius-level" IQ, graduated from the UCLA School of Fine Arts after his medical discharge from the Army, and later attended New York University using the alias "John Berger", where he studied film under Roman Polanski.[5]

Early criminal history

Alcala committed his first known crime in 1968: A motorist in Los Angeles witnessed him luring an eight-year-old girl named Tali Shapiro[9] into his Hollywood apartment and called police. The girl was found in the apartment raped and beaten with a steel bar, but Alcala escaped.[10] He fled to the east coast and enrolled in the NYU film school using the name "John Berger." During the summer months he also obtained a counseling job at a New Hampshire arts camp for children, using a slightly different alias, "John Burger."[5]

In 1971, after two campers noticed Alcala's FBI wanted poster at the post office and notified camp directors, he was arrested and extradited back to California. By then, however, Tali Shapiro's parents had relocated her family to Mexico, and refused to allow her to testify at Alcala's trial.[9] Unable to convict him of rape and attempted murder without their primary witness, prosecutors were forced to permit Alcala to plead guilty to a lesser charge. He was paroled after 34 months, in 1974, under the "indeterminate sentencing" program popular at the time, which allowed parole boards to release offenders as soon as they demonstrated evidence of "rehabilitation."

Less than two months later, Alcala was arrested for violating parole and providing marijuana to a 13-year old girl who claimed she had been kidnapped. Once again, he was paroled after serving two years of an "indeterminate sentence."[11]

In 1977, he was hired as a typesetter by the Los Angeles Times in the midst of their coverage of the Hillside Strangler murders.[12]

During this period Alcala also convinced dozens of young women that he was a professional fashion photographer, and photographed them for his "portfolio." Most of those photos remain unidentified, and police fear that some of the women may be additional victims (see below).

Samsoe murder and trials

Robin Samsoe, a 12-year-old girl from Huntington Beach, California disappeared somewhere between the beach and her ballet class on June 20, 1979. Her decomposing body was found 12 days later in the foothills of Los Angeles.[13] Police subsequently found her earrings in a Seattle locker rented by Alcala.[5]

In 1980 Alcala was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death for Samsoe's murder, but his conviction was overturned by the California Supreme Court because the Orange County Superior Court trial judge had allowed the jury to hear about the Tali Shapiro case, and Alcala's other rape and kidnapping convictions.[9] In 1986 he was convicted for a second time and again sentenced to death, but a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals panel overthrew his conviction once again, in part because a witness was not allowed to support Alcala's contention that the park ranger who found Samsoe's body had been "hypnotized by police investigators."[8][14]

Third (joined) trial

While preparing their third prosecution in 2003, Orange County investigators learned that Alcala's DNA, sampled under a new state law (over his objections), matched semen left at the rape-murder scenes of two women in Los Angeles. Another pair of earrings found in Alcala's storage locker matched the DNA of one of the two victims.[9] Additional evidence, including another cold case DNA match in 2004, led to Alcala's indictment for the murders of four additional women: Jill Barcomb, 18, killed in 1977 and originally thought to have been a victim of the Hillside Strangler; Georgia Wixted, 27, bludgeoned in her Malibu apartment in 1977; Charlotte Lamb, 31, raped and strangled in El Segundo in 1978; and Jill Parenteau, 21, killed in her Burbank apartment in 1979.[5]

In 2003, prosecutors entered a motion to join the Samsoe charges with those of the four newly-discovered victims. Alcala contested the motion. In 2006, the California Supreme Court ruled in the prosecution's favor,[9] and in 2009 Alcala stood trial once again. At the third trial Alcala, acting as his own attorney, told jurors, often in a rambling monotone, that he was at Knott's Berry Farm when Samsoe was kidnapped. (He offered no defense of any kind in the other four cases.)[13][15] As part of his closing argument, he played the portion of Arlo Guthrie's song "Alice's Restaurant" in which the protagonist tells a psychiatrist he wants to "kill."[16] He was convicted on all five counts. A surprise witness during the penalty phase of the trial was Tali Shapiro, Alcala's first known victim.[9] In March 2010, Alcala was sentenced to death for a third time.

Dating Game appearance

In 1978, Alcala — who had by then already killed at least two women — was accepted as a contestant on The Dating Game, despite being a convicted rapist and registered sex offender. Host Jim Lange introduced him as "...a successful photographer who got his start when his father found him in the darkroom at the age of 13, fully developed. Between takes you might find him skydiving or motorcycling." He won a date with "bachelorette" Cheryl Bradshaw, who subsequently refused to go out with him, according to published reports, because she found him "creepy."[4][5] Jed Mills, an actor who sat next to Alcala onstage as "Bachelor #2", later described him as a "very strange guy" with "bizarre opinions."[4] (The third contestant, Armand Chiami, has not publicly commented.)

Criminal profiler Pat Brown, noting that Alcala killed Robin Samsoe and at least two other women after his Dating Game appearance, speculated that Bradshaw's rejection might have been an exacerbating factor. "One wonders what that did in his mind," Brown said. "That is something he would not take too well. [Serial killers] don't understand the rejection. They think that something is wrong with that girl: 'She played me. She played hard to get.'"[4]

Current status

File:SanQuentinSP.jpg
San Quentin State Prison, where Alcala is located

Alcala has been incarcerated since his 1979 arrest for Samsoe's murder. While in prison he has written You, the Jury, a 1994 book in which he asserts his innocence in the Samsoe case and points to a different suspect. He has also filed two lawsuits against the California penal system for a slip-and-fall claim, and for failing to provide him a low-fat diet.[8]

New York officials have the option of filing additional charges against Alcala, who is the main suspect in the case of Ciro's Nightclub heiress Ellen Jane Hover, murdered in 1977 while Alcala was working in New York as a security guard.[17] He is also suspected in the murder of TWA flight attendant Cornelia "Michael" Crilley, which occurred in 1971 while Alcala was enrolled at NYU.[6]

Alcala, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation #C18300, remains on death row at San Quentin State Prison. [18]

Unidentified photographs

In April 2010, the Huntington Beach Police Department made public 120 of Alcala's photographs in an effort to identify some of the women and determine if any could be additional victims.[19] Anyone willing to provide information about any of the photos was asked to call Det. Patrick Ellis at (714) 536-5971.

In the first few weeks, approximately 20 women had come forward to identify themselves.[5]

Aliases

  • Rodney Alcala (legal name)
  • Rod Alcala
  • John Berger
  • John Burger

Timeline

year of event Event, victim name indicates date of crime Offense; offender status/Location Alias/Note
1961-64 US Army
1968 Graduated from UCLA
1968 Tali Shapiro, age 8 Rape, Battery; Pleaded guilty to assault, 1971/California
1968-71 Fugitive
1968–71 Enrolled at NYU Film School New York, NY John Berger
1970-71 Camp Counselor New Hampshire John Burger
1971 Cornelia Crilley, age 23 Murder; Suspected/New York
1971 FBI Ten Most Wanted List
1971–74 Incarcerated (Tali Shapiro conviction) California
1974 "Julie J.", age 13 Parole Violation, providing marijuana to minor; Convicted, 1974/California
1974-78 Ted Bundy Colorado/Florida/Idaho/Oregon/Utah, etc. for time-line comparison
1974-77 Incarcerated ("Julie J." conviction) California
1975-77 Son of Sam aka David Berkowitz New York City for time-line comparison
1977 Ellen Hover Murder; Suspected/New York John Berger
1977 Worked as Los Angeles Times typesetter California
1977-78 Hillside Strangler California for time-line comparison
1977 Jill Barcomb, age 18 Murder; Convicted, 2009/California
1977 Questioned by FBI regarding Hover California Rodney Alcala, John Berger
1977 Georgia Wixted, age 27 Murder; Convicted, 2009/California
1978 interviewed as part of Hillside Strangler investigation California
1978 Incarcerated (Possession-drugs) California
1978 Contestant, The Dating Game California
1978 Charlotte Lamb, age 32 Murder; Convicted, 2009/California
1979 Jill Parenteau, age 21 Murder; Convicted, 2009/California
1979 Robin Samsoe age 12 Murder; Convicted, 1980, 1986, 2009/California
1979 Arrested on suspicion of Samsoe murder California
1980 Conviction #1, sentenced to death for Samsoe murder California
1984 Conviction #1 overturned by California Supreme Court California
1986 Conviction #2, sentenced to death for Samsoe murder California
1994 You, the Jury "true crime" book, asserting his innocence
2001 Conviction #2 overturned by 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals California
2003 DNA collected, 4 additional murders discovered California
2003 Motion to join Samsoe case with 4 others proposed; contested by Alcala California
2006 Case join granted by California Supreme Court California
2009-10 Conviction #3, sentenced to death for murders of Samsoe, Parenteau, Lamb, Wixted, and Barcomb California

See also

References

  1. ^ David Gardner (2010-04-01). "Rodney Alcala sentenced to death_date for murders of four women and girl, 12 | Mail Online". Dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-04-05. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |birth_place= ignored (help)
  2. ^ "'100 victims' of serial killer Rodney Alcala". mirror.co.uk. 2009-08-11. Retrieved 2010-04-05.
  3. ^ a b http://files.usgwarchives.net/tx/bexar/vitals/births/1943/bexab43a.txt
  4. ^ a b c d "Convicted serial killer won on 'Dating Game'". CNN.com. 2010-03-10. Retrieved 2010-03-19.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Tresniowski A and Breuer H: "The Eye of a Killer: Police Discover a Chilling Cache of Photos". People Magazine, April 19, 2010, pp. 86-90. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
  6. ^ a b "serial killer true crime library * serial killer news * list of serial killers * serial murder * female serial killers * crime scene investigation * tueur en serie * omicidi seriali *". Crimezzz.net. Retrieved 2010-03-19.
  7. ^ "Hunt for girls in serial killer Rodney Alcala's photos | The Sun |Features". The Sun. 2010-03-13. Retrieved 2010-03-19.
  8. ^ a b c Rodney Alcala: The Fine Art of Killing (January 21, 2010). laweekly.com Retrieved 2010-07-26.
  9. ^ a b c d e f 48 Hours Mystery (September 25, 2010): "The Killing Game." CBSNews.com Retrieved 2010-09-26.
  10. ^ Finlay, Melissa (23 March 2010). "Rodney Alcala Case: Child rape, Tali S. and Corrine 'Michael' Crilley (photos, slideshow)". primewriter.com. Retrieved 13 March 2010.
  11. ^ Comments (13) By CHRISTINE PELISEK Thursday, Jan 21 2010 (2010-01-21). "Rodney Alcala's Murderous Romp Through Polite Society Brings Him to an Orange County Courtroom Again - Page 5 - News - Orange County". OC Weekly. Retrieved 2010-03-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ Comments (44) By Christine Pelisek Thursday, Jan 21 2010 (2010-01-21). "Rodney Alcala: The Fine Art of Killing - Page 4 - News - Los Angeles". LA Weekly. Retrieved 2010-03-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ a b Serial Killer Alcala Convicted on All Counts (February 25, 2010) abclocal.com Retrieved 2010-07-26.
  14. ^ Mail Foreign Service (2010-03-11). "Serial killer Rodney Alcala sentenced to death in California | Mail Online". London: Dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-03-19.
  15. ^ Esquivel, Paloma (2010-02-24). "As Rodney Alcala's third murder trial winds to a close, victim's brothers wait for closure, justice - Los Angeles Times - Page 4". Articles.latimes.com. Retrieved 2010-03-19.
  16. ^ Jury Recommends Death for Rodney Alcala (March 9, 2010) myfoxla.com Retrieved 2010-07-26.
  17. ^ Hamilton, Brad (2009-01-04). "California 'Devil' May Be Nyc'S Top Serial Killer". NYPOST.com. Retrieved 2010-03-19.
  18. ^ "State of California Public Offender Locator." California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Retrieved on November 27, 2010. "ALCALA, RODNEY JAMES C18300 67 06/25/1980 San Quentin."
  19. ^ Rodney Alcala Photo Identification. City of Huntington Beach Web site Retrieved 2010-07-26.

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