"Dating Game Killer" Rodney Alcala was a convicted serial killer sentenced to death for five murders in California. While he confessed to two more in New York, his victim count remains unknown with estimates reaching as high as 130. His crimes, committed between 1971 and 1979, often involved posing as a photographer to lure victims.
August 3, 1906: Birth of Raul Alcala Buquor
Raul Alcala Buquor, the father of Rodney Alcala, was born on August 3, 1906.
January 10, 1909: Birth of Anna Maria Gutierrez
Anna Maria Gutierrez, the mother of Rodney Alcala, was born on January 10, 1909.
August 23, 1943: Birth of Rodney Alcala
Rodney James Alcala, born Rodrigo Jacques Alcala Buquor, was born on August 23, 1943. This marks the beginning of the life of an individual who would later become infamous as a serial killer and sex offender.
1951: Family Moves to Mexico
In 1951, Rodney Alcala's father moved the family to Mexico, only to abandon them three years later.
1954: Move to Los Angeles
In 1954, Rodney Alcala's mother moved him and his siblings to suburban Los Angeles, marking a significant relocation in his early life.
1961: Joined the United States Army
In 1961, at the age of 17, Rodney Alcala joined the United States Army, serving as a clerk and aspiring to be a paratrooper.
January 8, 1962: Death of Raul Alcala Buquor
Raul Alcala Buquor, Rodney Alcala's father, passed away on January 8, 1962.
1964: Discharged from the Army
In 1964, Rodney Alcala was discharged from the United States Army on medical grounds after being diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder following a nervous breakdown.
July 1968: Alleged Attack on Morgan Rowan
In July 1968, Morgan Rowan was allegedly attacked by Alcala after he offered her a ride. She claimed he drove her to his apartment instead, where he assaulted her. Rowan was rescued by friends who intervened.
September 25, 1968: Assault on Tali Shapiro
On September 25, 1968, Rodney Alcala lured 8-year-old Tali Shapiro into his Hollywood apartment. She was found alive but in critical condition after being raped and beaten by Alcala.
June 12, 1971: Murder of Cornelia Crilley
On June 12, 1971, Rodney Alcala murdered Cornelia Crilley, a TWA flight attendant, in her Manhattan apartment. The case remained unsolved until 2011.
1971: Murder of Cornelia Crilley
Cornelia Crilley was tragically murdered in 1971. Rodney Alcala would later be linked to this crime.
1971: New York State Homicides
In 1971, Rodney Alcala committed homicides in New York State, leading to further charges and sentences.
1971: Escape and New Identity
In 1971, Rodney Alcala evaded arrest by moving to New York and taking on the alias 'John Berger,' where he worked at an arts camp and later at Blue Cross Blue Shield.
1971: FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
In early 1971, Rodney Alcala was added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. He was later arrested and extradited to California.
1974: First Parole
Rodney Alcala was paroled in 1974 after serving seventeen months for child molestation.
1976: Second Parole
In 1976, Rodney Alcala was paroled again after serving two years for assaulting a 13-year-old girl named Julie J.
June 1977: Disappearance of Christine Ruth Thornton
Christine Ruth Thornton was last seen hitchhiking in June 1977 after moving to San Antonio, Texas, with her lover and subsequently splitting up in Biloxi, Mississippi.
July 15, 1977: Disappearance of Ellen Jane Hover
On July 15, 1977, Ellen Jane Hover, daughter of nightclub owner Herman Hover, disappeared. Her datebook showed an appointment with 'John Berger,' one of Rodney Alcala's aliases.
October 9, 1977: Murder of Pamela Jean Lambson
On October 9, 1977, 19-year-old Pamela Jean Lambson disappeared after going to meet a man for a photography session at Fisherman's Wharf. Her body was found later near a hiking trail.
1977: Murder of Ellen Jane Hover
In 1977, Ellen Jane Hover was murdered. This crime would later be linked to Rodney Alcala.
1977: Crimes in California
In 1977, Rodney Alcala committed several murders in California. He was later sentenced to death for these crimes.
1977: Photographic Collection and Crimes
In 1977, Rodney Alcala was known to have a collection of more than 1,000 photographs of women, teenage girls, and boys. Some of these individuals were later identified as his victims.
1977: Discovery of Ellen Jane Hover's Remains
Later in 1977, Ellen Jane Hover's remains were discovered buried under heavy rocks near the Hudson River, linking her murder to Rodney Alcala.
1977: Murders of Jill Barcomb and Georgia Wixted
Tragically, in 1977, Jill Barcomb, an 18-year-old runaway from New York, was found dead in Los Angeles and Georgia Wixted, a 27-year-old woman, was murdered in her Malibu apartment. These cases would later be linked to Rodney Alcala.
1978: Murder of Charlotte Lamb
In 1978, 31-year-old Charlotte Lamb was tragically found murdered in the laundry room of her El Segundo apartment complex. Rodney Alcala would later be linked to this crime.
1978: Appearance on The Dating Game
In 1978, Rodney Alcala appeared on the television show The Dating Game, earning him the nickname 'The Dating Game Killer.' This appearance occurred during his ongoing murder spree.
1978: Alcala Works at the Los Angeles Times and Becomes a Person of Interest in the Hillside Strangler Case
In 1978, Rodney Alcala secured a job as a typesetter at the Los Angeles Times. During this time, he was interviewed by the task force investigating the Hillside Strangler murders, as he was a known sex offender. Although cleared as a suspect in that case, he was arrested and briefly served time for marijuana possession. Notably, Alcala used his photography hobby to lure young men and women, claiming he was a professional photographer. He shared these often explicit photos with colleagues, raising concerns.
1978: Alcala Appears on "The Dating Game"
In a chilling turn of events, Rodney Alcala appeared on the popular television show "The Dating Game" in 1978. He was introduced as a "successful photographer" with hobbies like skydiving and motorcycling. Alcala won the competition but the bachelorette, Cheryl Bradshaw, declined a date with him, finding him "creepy". This rejection is speculated to have fueled his violent tendencies.
1978: Alcala Represents Himself in Court and Presents "Dating Game" Footage
In his third trial, Rodney Alcala chose to represent himself. During his testimony, he claimed he was at Knott's Berry Farm during the time of Robin Samsoe's kidnapping. He presented footage from his 1978 appearance on "The Dating Game" to dispute evidence found in his possession.
July 1979: Alcala Arrested for Samsoe's Murder
Rodney Alcala was arrested in July 1979 and held without bail in connection with the murder of Robin Samsoe.
1979: Discovery of Victims' Belongings in Seattle
Investigators found jewelry belonging to two of Alcala's California victims in a storage locker he had rented in the Seattle area in 1979.
1979: Alcala Dies in Prison
Rodney Alcala died of natural causes in a California prison on July 24, 2021, the anniversary of his 1979 arrest.
1979: End of Alcala's Murder Spree
The period between 1977 and 1979 saw Rodney Alcala committing multiple murders, which eventually led to his capture and sentencing.
1979: Alcala Continues Photography Ruse
Throughout 1979, Rodney Alcala continued to take advantage of aspiring models, posing as a professional photographer to capture them in compromising positions. A woman who allowed Alcala to photograph her in 1979 stated, "He said he was a professional, so in my mind I was being a model for him." The portfolio included explicit photos of both men and women, many of whom remain unidentified, leading authorities to believe they may be additional victims.
1979: Murder of Jill Parenteau
In 1979, 21-year-old Jill Parenteau was killed in her Burbank apartment. DNA evidence would later connect Rodney Alcala to this crime.
May 1980: Alcala Found Guilty in First Trial
In May 1980, Rodney Alcala was found guilty in the murder of Robin Samsoe after standing trial.
1982: Discovery of Unidentified Body
In 1982, an unidentified body was found in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, along Interstate 80.
1984: Alcala's Conviction Overturned
The California Supreme Court overtuned Alcala's conviction in 1984 due to procedural errors in his trial.
May 1986: Alcala Convicted in Second Trial
In May 1986, Rodney Alcala faced a second trial for the murder of Robin Samsoe, and was again convicted.
1992: California Supreme Court Upholds Verdict
The California Supreme Court upheld Rodney Alcala's second murder conviction in 1992.
February 18, 1999: Death of Anna Maria Gutierrez
Anna Maria Gutierrez, Rodney Alcala's mother, passed away on February 18, 1999.
2001: Federal Court Overturns Alcala's Conviction
In 2001, a United States district court judge granted Alcala's habeas corpus petition, overturning his second murder conviction. This decision was based on technicalities surrounding witness testimony.
2003: Alcala's DNA Linked to Other Murders
As prosecutors prepared for a third trial against Alcala in 2003, DNA evidence linked him to the murders of four additional women in Los Angeles: Jill Barcomb (1977), Georgia Wixted (1977), Charlotte Lamb (1978), and Jill Parenteau (1979).
2003: Prosecution Seeks to Combine Charges
Prosecutors sought to combine the charges against Alcala from the Samsoe case with the four new murder cases linked to him by DNA evidence in 2003.
2003: Ninth Circuit Court Upholds Decision Overturning Conviction
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the lower court's decision to overturn Alcala's murder conviction in 2003.
2004: Additional DNA Match Links Alcala to Another Cold Case
In 2004, DNA evidence further solidified Rodney Alcala's connection to unsolved murders, linking him to another cold case.
2006: California Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Joint Trial
In 2006, the California Supreme Court ruled that Rodney Alcala could be tried in a single trial for the five murders he was accused of.
February 2010: Alcala's Third Trial Begins
February 2010 marked the beginning of Rodney Alcala's third trial, now facing charges for five murders.
March 2010: Alcala Convicted on All Five Counts and Sentenced to Death
In March 2010, after a compelling trial, the jury found Rodney Alcala guilty on all five counts of first-degree murder. He was subsequently sentenced to death for a third time.
March 2010: Police Release Alcala's Photographs
In March 2010, police released 120 photos taken by Alcala, seeking public help to identify potential victims. Over 900 photos were deemed too explicit for release.
2010: Alcala Named Person of Interest in Seattle Cases
Seattle police named Alcala as a person of interest in unsolved murders in Washington state in 2010, after discovering belongings of two California victims in a storage locker he rented in 1979.
2010: New York Authorities Drop Charges Due to Alcala's Death Sentence
With Rodney Alcala on death row in California, authorities in New York decided to drop their pursuit of additional charges against him in 2010.
2010: Thornton's Case Linked to Alcala Photos
Christine Ruth Thornton's case became the first alleged murder linked to the photographs of Alcala released in 2010.
January 2011: Alcala Indicted in New York for 1971 and 1977 Murders
Despite his death sentence in California, a Manhattan grand jury indicted Rodney Alcala for the murders of Cornelia Crilley (1971) and Ellen Hover (1977) in January 2011.
March 2011: Alcala Linked to Lambson Murder
In March 2011, investigators named Alcala as responsible for the October 9, 1977, murder of Pamela Jean Lambson. Despite lack of physical evidence, police claimed to have other evidence linking him to the crime.
2011: Cornelia Crilley Murder Solved
In 2011, the 1971 murder of Cornelia Crilley was finally solved, linking Rodney Alcala to the crime.
June 2012: Alcala Extradited to New York
In June 2012, Rodney Alcala was extradited from California to New York to face charges for the murders of Cornelia Crilley and Ellen Jane Hover.
December 2012: Alcala Pleads Guilty in New York
In December 2012, Rodney Alcala changed his plea to guilty for the murders of Cornelia Crilley and Ellen Jane Hover. His decision was motivated by a desire to return to California to appeal his death penalty sentence there.
January 7, 2013: Alcala Receives Additional Sentence in New York
On January 7, 2013, a judge in Manhattan sentenced Rodney Alcala to an additional 25 years to life imprisonment, adding to his existing death penalty sentence in California.
2013: Identification from Alcala's Photographs
In 2013, one of the photographs released by police in 2010 led to the identification of a potential victim connected to Alcala.
2013: Thornton's Sister Identifies Her in Photo
In 2013, Thornton's sister identified her in one of the photos released by Huntington Beach PD and NYPD, showing a woman on a motorcycle wearing a yellow shirt.
2015: Identification of Thornton's Remains
In 2015, DNA testing confirmed that the unidentified body found in 1982 was that of Christine Ruth Thornton.
September 2016: Alcala Charged with Thornton's Murder
In September 2016, Alcala was charged with the murder of Christine Ruth Thornton, who disappeared in June 1977.
2016: Charged for 1977 Murder
In 2016, Rodney Alcala was charged with the 1977 murder of a woman identified in one of his photographs. This added to his already extensive list of crimes.
December 3, 2017: "Dating Game Killer" Documentary Airs
"Dating Game Killer," a biographical film about Alcala, directed by Peter Medak, was broadcasted on Investigation Discovery on December 3, 2017.
July 24, 2021: Death of Rodney Alcala
Rodney Alcala died on July 24, 2021. His death marked the end of the life of one of America's most notorious serial killers and sex offenders.
2021: Morgan Rowan Comes Forward
Following Alcala's death in 2021, Morgan Rowan, aged 68, came forward with allegations that Alcala attacked her in July 1968. She contacted one of the original investigators on the Shapiro case, detailing her experience.
2021: "Rodney and Sheryl" Film Announced
Netflix announced a biographical film, "Rodney and Sheryl," in 2021, later renamed "Woman of the Hour." Directed by and starring Anna Kendrick, the film focuses on Alcala's appearance on "The Dating Game."
2021: Death of Rodney Alcala
Rodney Alcala died of unspecified natural causes in 2021. His death closed the chapter on one of America's most infamous serial killers.
November 3, 2022: Release of Alcala Documentary
A three-part television documentary about Alcala was released on November 3, 2022.