'Dating Game' Serial Killer Rodney Alcala Reportedly Killed More Than 100 People and He Died While on Death Row

Rodney James Alcala, dubbed "The Dating Game Killer," became popular when he was introduced on "The Dating Game" TV show as "Bachelor No. 1."

He was known to be a successful photographer and had enjoyed skydiving and motorcycling during his spare time, Washington Post reported.

Rodney James Alcala had won the contest that was supposed to bring a date with him home. But after being chosen by the woman he was supposed to go on a date, she decided not to continue with it. The lady described the suspect as "creepy" after talking with him backstage.

Years after, he was known as the "Dating Game Killer." He was convicted for the murders of six women and a 12-year-old-girl, with some of the crimes committed before his TV appearance.

Investigators said his number of victims could be as many as 130. However, the real and exact count could never be known.

Rodney James Alcala's Crimes and Victims

Prosecutors said the "Dating Game Killer" stalked women and kept their earrings as trophies.

Orange County, California prosecutor Matt Murphy said at the time of trial that Rodney James Alcala hunts through Southern California for people to kill as he enjoys it, Associated Press reported.

The mother of 12-year-old Robin Samsoe had testified during Alcala's trial. She said her daughter, a victim, owned a pair of gold ball earrings that was found in the suspect's belongings.

The Dating Game Killer was seen wearing the earrings from his 1978 appearance on "The Dating Game" recorded on a video clip. This was a year before Samsoe died.

Rodney James Alcala had claimed that the earrings were his. He also denied the killings, citing inconsistencies in witness accounts and descriptions.

California prosecutors argued that the Dating Game Killer had gotten the earrings from at least two of his adult victims.

Prosecutors said two of the four women were posed nude after being killed.

A victim of Rodney James Alcala was raped with a claw hammer. The victims were also repeatedly strangled and resuscitated, prolonging their suffering.

Meanwhile, investigators noted that one victim's DNA was found on a rose-shaped earring in Alcala's possession. His DNA was also found in the victim's body.

Rodney James Alcala was sentenced to another 25 years on top of his life in prison in 2013. He pleaded guilty to two homicides in New York, WION reported

Bones were discovered in a remote location of southwest Wyoming after evidence linked him to the 1977 killing of a 28-year-old woman. The Dating Game Killer was then charged again in 2016.

The Dating Game Killer's Death

Rodney James Alcala died at a hospital near California's Corcoran state prison on Saturday, July 24, BBC News reported. Prison officials said the Dating Game Killer died of natural causes.

Rodney James Alcala was first handed the death penalty in Orange County in 1980 for the kidnap and murder of Samsoe in Los Angeles.

In the following years, investigators discovered forensic evidence linking him to the other California murders. In 2010, he was found guilty of killing Samsoe and four other women between 1977 and 1979.

Alcala was among the around 700 inmates on death row in California. But Governor Gavin Newsom had earlier ordered a suspension on executions in the state.

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Rodney Alcala, so-called 'Dating-Game Killer,' Dies in Prison Sartuday Morning - From CBS Los Angeles