Who Was Rodney Alcala? Inside the Serial Killer’s Crimes and Cameo on a Popular Show

Netflix's 'Woman of the Hour' is based on the true story of Rodney Alcala, a seemingly ordinary contestant on a '70s TV dating show who was secretly a serial killer

In the 1970s, serial killer Rodney Alcala made an appearance on a popular TV show at the time called The Dating Game .

Despite having already begun his murder spree, the San Antonio-born veteran competed as one of three bachelors rivaling for bachelorette Cheryl Bradshaw's attention. His charm — the same tool he used to lure his victims — won him the date, though Bradshaw had no idea she was interacting with a killer.

The events of this chilling episode are reimagined in Netflix's Woman of the Hour (2024) — directed by and starring Anna Kendrick — with juxtaposed scenes of Alcala's murders and Bradshaw's experiences as an aspiring actress and existing as a woman in the '70s building tension along the way.

From his small-screen stint to his many convictions, here's everything to know about one of America's most notorious serial killers, Rodney Alcala.

Who was Rodney Alcala?

Born Rodrigo Jacques Alcala-Buquor on Aug. 23, 1943, the notorious killer spent his early years in Mexico before he and his family moved to Los Angeles when he was 8.

At 17, Alcala enlisted in the Army but was discharged in 1964 following a nervous breakdown and allegations of sexual misconduct, per CBS News .

He graduated in 1968 from the University of California, Los Angeles with a fine arts degree, but soon after his first attack, fled to New York University — where he attended a class with Roman Polanski under the alias "John Berger."

Related: A Witness Saw 'Warning Signs' in Man's Behavior with a Young Girl. He Called 911 to Save Her from Serial Killer

What TV show was Rodney Alcala on?

Alcala appeared on a 1978 episode of The Dating Game, the popular competition series where three eligible bachelors vied for a date with a bachelorette — eventually earning him the moniker, "The Dating Game Killer."

The ABC program was heavy on innuendo. Host Jim Lange introduced Alcala as a "successful photographer who got his start when his father found him in the darkroom at the age of 13, fully developed."

Throughout the episode, Alcala enthusiastically responds to the bachelorette's suggestive questions: likening himself to a banana, saying that nighttime is when he "really gets good" and acting out the part of a dirty old man.

Though Alcala ended up being the most eligible suitor, bachelorette Bradshaw sensed something was wrong. After the show, she ultimately refused the date,  telling contestant coordinator Ellen Metzger , " 'I can't go out with this guy. There's weird vibes that are coming off of him. He's very strange. I am not comfortable.' "

What did Rodney Alcala do?

Alcala was selected by the show because he was tall, handsome and charming. Producers did not conduct a background check, so they didn't know he had also already murdered at least two women in Southern California. 

Previously, he had served 34 months in prison for the brutal rape and beating of an 8-year-old girl, Tali Shapiro . He had briefly been put on the FBI's Most Wanted list as well.

By the time of his 1979 arrest, Alcala had killed at least seven women, but authorities believe the body count could be much higher.

Prosecutors said Alcala was a cruel killer who toyed with his victims. He would beat or strangle them until they lost consciousness. When they woke up, he would repeat the process before finally killing them.

Related: 2 Women Who Survived the Same Serial Killer Speak Out: 'I Didn't Pray to Live, I Prayed to Die'

What was Rodney Alcaca convicted for?

In 1980, Alcala was sentenced to death for 12-year-old Robin Samsoe's murder; the judgment was reversed in 1984, though, and he was granted a new trial. He was sentenced to death again in 1986, only for that judgment to be overturned in 2003.

However, Orange County prosecutors soon discovered Alcala's DNA matched evidence connected to four other women murdered between 1977 and 1979: Jill Barcomb, 18; Jill Parenteau, 21; Georgia Wixted, 27; and Charlotte Lamb, 32.

In 2010, an Orange County jury convicted Alcala on five counts of first-degree murder, for which he was sentenced to death yet again.

Following his conviction, Alcala faced more murder charges in other states. In New York, he was sentenced to 25 years to life in 2012 for the 1970s murders of 23-year-old women Cornelia Crilley and Ellen Jane Hover . In 2016, Wyoming prosecutors charged him with killing Christine Ruth Thornton , a 28-year-old woman who was six months pregnant when she died in 1977.

Authorities continued active investigations into Alcala's suspected connection to several unsolved murders in states like Washington, New Hampshire and Arizona.

Where is Rodney Alcala now?

On July 24, 2021, the serial killer and sex offender died of natural causes at age 77 while on death row in California. Though the true death toll remains unknown, authorities believe Alcala may have killed up to 130 people, according to the Associated Press .

Since his death, Alcala's crimes have continued to capture public scrutiny — featuring in the 2022 Sky Original docuseries Dating Death , a 2024 episode of People Magazine Investigates: Surviving a Serial Killer and the 2024 thriller Woman of the Hour .

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