"The Dating Game Killer" Rodney Alcala Dies of Natural Causes While Awaiting Execution in California
The serial torturer Rodney Alcala also known as the "The Dating Game Killer" died while waiting for his execution in California, at 77 years old. ABC News reported that the death of Alcala was confirmed by the authorities on Saturday.
It can be recalled that Alcala was given the title as he appeared as a winning contestant of the television game show "The Dating Game" in 1978.
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Officials from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation confirmed that Alcala met his deathbed at a hospital in San Joaquin Valley, California, NBC News reported. The outlet further noted that Alcala died at around 1:43 a.m. His cause of death was claimed to be of natural causes.
Associated Press reported that the California death row is located at San Quentin State Prison near San Francisco. However, Alcala was housed in a prison at Corcoran, where "The Dating Game Killer" received medical care and treatment around the clock. The outlet further noted that the prison where Alcala was booked was 200 miles away from the state prison of San Quentin.
California Serial Killer Rodney Alcala and His Death Sentence
It can be recalled that "The Dating Game Killer" was sentenced to death in 2010 for five slayings that all happened in California between 1977 and 1979. Alcala was reported to kill at least five individuals, including the 12-year-old Robin Samsoe in 1979.
ABC News underscored that Alcala was twice served with a death sentence for murdering Samsoe in 1980 and 1986. However, the said sentences were overturned in appeals, granting new trials.
Alcala's death sentence came after he represented himself in Orange County court. Matt Murphy, the prosecutor of the Orange County in California described "The Dating Game Killer" as a guy who hunts through Southern California "looking for people to kill because he enjoyed it.
The California Serial Killer's execution was postponed because of the moratorium on the death penalty introduced in the state in 2019.
California Serial Killer Rodney Alcala and His Victims
Apart from the 12-year-old Samsoe, several other individuals were reported as victims of "The Dating Game Killer."
In 1977, an 18-year-old and 27-year-old were murdered by Alcala. Authorities identified the victims as Jill Barcomb and Georgia Wixted, respectively. In 1978, the serial killer victimized the 32-year-old Charlotte Lamb, and in 1979, Alcala killed Jill Parenteau who was 21 years old at that time.
Alcala also pleaded guilty to the killings of women in New York, identified as Cornelia Crilley, and Jane Hover. The said killings happened in 1971 and 1977. In 2016, he was also charged by prosecutors in Wyoming for murdering Christine Ruth Thornton who disappeared in 1978 while she was six months pregnant.
Investigators noted that "The Dating Game Killer," who was known to be a successful photographer, would lure women and girls by asking them on the street and offer to take their pictures before attacking them. In 2010, authorities released photos of unidentified individuals, as well as pieces of jewelry believed to be trophies of some of his victims.
Before Rodney Alcala's death, "The Dating Game Killer" did not disclose if there were other victims. However, investigators noted that his true victim counts may never be known.
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This article is owned by Latin Post
Written By: Joshua Summers
WATCH: Rodney Alcala, So-Called 'Dating-Game Killer,' Dies in Prison Sartuday Morning - From CBS Los Angeles
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