'Dating Game' serial killer's rise to fame was key to his downfall, arresting officer reveals for first time

The antheral who arrested serial slayer Rodney Alcala, whose lawsuit inspired the caller Netflix peculiar "Woman of the Hour," elaborate the existent communicative down the fashionable movie and however Alcala's quality connected a 1970s dating amusement led authorities to his capture. 

Alcala has been dubbed the "Dating Game killer" due to the fact that helium appeared connected the tv amusement "The Dating Game" arsenic Bachelor No. 1 successful 1978 during his sidesplitting spree.

"He had a precise precocious IQ… but the occupation with a feline similar that, I think, is astir of his IQ isn't focused connected processing idiosyncratic relationships…and things similar that… it's each focused connected my adjacent unfortunate and however to exploit women and girls," Craig Robison, the pb detective successful Alcala's probe with the Huntington Beach police, told Fox News Digital successful his archetypal nationalist interrogation connected the case. "He would inactive beryllium doing it if we didn't drawback him."

Robison is besides a retired California prosecutor and judge. Since judges successful the authorities are not permitted to talk connected "pending" cases, helium has ne'er spoken publically astir the probe antecedently and was adjacent prohibited from testifying during the serial killer's 3rd trial. Robison said the lawsuit was considered "pending" from Alcala's apprehension up until helium died successful situation successful 2021. 

'DATING GAME KILLER' KEPT 'TROPHIES' THAT ULTIMATELY LED TO HIS DOWNFALL: DETECTIVE

Rodney Alcala has been dubbed the "Dating Game killer" due to the fact that helium appeared connected the tv amusement "The Dating Game" arsenic Bachelor No. 1 successful 1978 during his sidesplitting spree. (Prosecutor Matt Murphy)

While the Netflix movie shows Alcala winning "The Dating Game" show's contention and going connected a day with pistillate bachelorette Cheryl Bradshaw, galore whitethorn not cognize the existent communicative down their exchange. 

Robison revealed that Bradshaw ne'er really went connected a day with Alcala. 

"From the infinitesimal that she met him, helium benignant of creeped her out," helium said, adding that her "intuition" mightiness person saved her life.  

The erstwhile detective disclosed that helium met with Anna Kendrick, who played Bradshaw successful the film, to assistance her probe the serial killer's case. He said Kendrick was funny successful "what made [Alcala] tick." 

DNA LINKS CALIFORNIA MAN TO 1979 COLD CASE MURDER, YEARS AFTER PASSING LIE DETECTOR

Rodney Alcala talks with his researcher earlier being convicted successful Santa Ana, Calif. connected Feb. 25, 2010, of murdering a 12-year-old miss and 4 women successful the precocious 1970s. (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER)

Robison began investigating Alcala's lawsuit successful June 1979 aft the disappearance of 12-year-old Robin Samsoe, who was past seen riding a bicycle to her creation class.  

"Missing children successful her property category, sometimes are runaways, and truthful I deliberation that was astir apt the archetypal suspicion," helium said. "It started to feel…more similar thing whitethorn person happened to her."

On the time she disappeared, Samsoe had gone to the formation with her person Bridget Wilvurt earlier heading disconnected connected the motorcycle to class. The girls were approached by a antheral "dressed successful civilian clothes, not formation attire" with an "Afro-style hairdo and a camera," who asked to instrumentality their picture, Robison said. 

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12-year-old Robin Samsoe. Alcala was sentenced to decease successful 2010 for 5 murders successful California successful the precocious 1970s, including that of Samsoe, 18-year-old Jill Barcomb, 21-year-old Jill Parenteau, 27-year-old Georgia Wixted and 32-year-old Charlotte Lamb aft caller DNA grounds connected him to the victims. (Prosecutor Matt Murphy)

Detectives brought Wilvurt successful to beryllium with their sketch artist, and they released the composite drafting to the public. Robison said authorities besides acceptable up a extremity line, and they received a important telephone from a parole officer, who had seen the sketch and believed the antheral constabulary were looking for was Alcala – a convicted felon with a hefty rap sheet.

Detectives learned that successful 1968, a witnesser spotted Alcala driving disconnected with a young girl, followed them to an flat and called the police. Officers discovered 8-year-old Tali Shapiro, connected the verge of death, having been raped and beaten with a alloy bar. While Shapiro survived the attack, Alcala fled the country but was aboriginal caught and arrested, pleading blameworthy to kid molestation. 

He served conscionable 34 months earlier being paroled successful 1974, and helium was soon arrested again for marijuana possession portion with a 13-year-old miss and was imprisoned again until 1977. 

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Detectives brought Robin Samsoe's person Bridget Wilvurt successful to beryllium with their sketch artist, and they released this composite drafting to the public. (Prosecutor Matt Murphy)

Authorities learned that conscionable months earlier Samsoe disappeared, Alcala was arrested for the rape of a 15-year-old girl, who was hitchhiking successful Pasadena successful February 1979. The surviving teen convinced Alcala that she enjoyed the clip with him earlier yet bolting and alerting constabulary erstwhile helium pulled implicit astatine a state station. 

"For immoderate reason, helium didn't termination her and permission her retired there," Robison said. "She played to him successful a mode that alternatively of panicking and screaming and warring and resisting and getting murdered and strangled, she took a antithetic approach." 

Alcala was arrested for the rape, but helium was released connected bail. Robison said this lawsuit was inactive pending astatine the clip of Samsoe's disappearance successful June 1979. 

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Serial slayer Rodney Alcala, pictured successful this booking photo, died of earthy causes connected July 24, 2021, portion awaiting execution successful California. (Prosecutor Matt Murphy)

After helium learned of the hitchhiker's case, Robison retrieved the booking photograph from Alcala's arrest. That aforesaid day, 1 of the different detectives went location and noticed thing pivotal for the lawsuit airing connected tv – an occurrence of "The Dating Game" from the anterior year. 

"He's speechmaking the newspaper, and you perceive Jim Lange travel on... helium says, 'And present fto maine archer you a small spot astir your date…he's this, he's that, he's a photographer, he's each of these large things… conscionable your day – Rodney Alcala… there's the feline that we conscionable identified arsenic a imaginable suspect." Robison said. 

"If you judge successful divine guidance…that surely would beryllium a bully clue. The digit of God comes down and says, ‘Hey, you should look astatine this guy.’"

Detectives past brought Wilvurt backmost into the constabulary station, wherever they showed her the clip of Alcala successful the dating show. 

"When she saw the representation of this man, you could spot a implicit alteration successful her demeanor," Robison recalled. "It was similar her humor ran cold…'That's the feline that was astatine the beach,' she said." 

Police discovered Samsoe's remains successful aboriginal July 1979 successful a distant upland ravine, and weeks later, Robison arrested Alcala for her murder. 

"Craig Robison…at 27 years aged …of each the truly bully cops progressive successful this case…the youngest detective connected the archetypal homicide is the 1 that figured it retired and arrested Rodney Alcala," Matt Murphy, the pb authoritative connected Alcala's case, told Fox News Digital. 

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Rodney Alcala was arrested successful 1979 for the execution of 12-year-old Robin Samsoe. 

Robison and his squad soon discovered a retention locker that Alcala had opened in Seattle aft Samsoe's murder, wherever helium stored galore implicating items, including hundreds of photographs of women and jewelry. 

"He had boxes and boxes of worldly successful there," Robison said. "One of the things that I saw erstwhile we were doing our hunt was a small bag…yellow and reddish with a zipper connected it. …It's afloat of jewelry…there were these acceptable of earrings… had a golden station and a small golden shot connected them." 

His investigative squad showed the earrings to Samsoe’s mother, who helped authorities corroborate what they had already suspected – that the earrings belonged to her daughter, though they didn’t person the DNA to beryllium it astatine the time.

"He kept these small trinkets arsenic trophies of the things that he'd done, the murders helium committed implicit the people of his career," Robison added.

Alcala's "trophies" – jewelry recovered successful his Seattle retention unit. Robison described the yellowish and reddish pouch, successful which helium recovered a acceptable of earrings that Robin Samsoe's parent said belonged to her daughter.  (Prosecutor Matt Murphy)

"He kept these small trinkets arsenic trophies of the things that he'd done, the murders helium committed implicit the people of his career."

Alcala was sentenced to decease successful Samsoe’s execution doubly – in 1980 and again successful 1986 – but some convictions were overturned. 

The "trophies" Robison and his squad primitively recovered successful the retention locker connected Alcala to his crimes forensically decades later. In the precise aforesaid reddish and yellowish pouch wherever Samsoe's gold-ball earrings were found, different acceptable of rose-shaped earrings carried DNA belonging to a antithetic unfortunate – Charlotte Lamb, who was murdered successful 1978 successful Los Angeles.  

"We yet had the forensic transportation that arguably was missing before," Murphy told Fox News Digital. 

In 2010, Alcala was sentenced to decease for 5 murders in California successful the precocious 1970s, including that of 12-year-old Samsoe. He was charged successful the further killings of 18-year-old Jill Barcomb, 21-year-old Jill Parenteau, 27-year-old Georgia Wixted and 32-year-old Charlotte Lamb aft caller DNA grounds connected him to the victims.

"I'll beryllium convinced to the time I dice that we had capable grounds successful each three trials to convict him," Robison said. "All we succeeded successful doing successful the 3rd proceedings was establishing that, yes, helium is the serial slayer that we each knew that helium was before."

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Rodney Alcala died of earthy causes connected July 24, 2021, portion awaiting execution successful California. He was 77 astatine the clip of his death.  (AP Photo/David Handschuh, Pool, File)

In 2013, helium received an further 25 years to beingness aft pleading blameworthy to 2 slayings successful New York, and successful 2016, helium was charged again, this clip with the execution of a 28-year-old large pistillate aft DNA grounds connected him to her 1977 decease in Wyoming.

"Once we had the DNA successful the system, past different agencies … New York PD and constabulary agencies astir the state started looking into their homicides and their Jane Doe's," retired detective Steven Mack, who began investigating the lawsuit successful 2003 aft the archetypal 2 convictions were overturned, previously told Fox News Digital. "They were capable to link Alcala to their crimes."

Investigators person either suspected Alcala of oregon linked him to different murders successful Los Angeles and Marin County successful California; Seattle, Washington; New York; New Hampshire; and Arizona, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 

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In this March 30, 2010 record photo, convicted serial slayer Rodney Alcala listens arsenic victim-impact statements are work successful a Santa Ana, Calif. (AP)

Alcala died of earthy causes connected July 24, 2021, portion awaiting execution successful California. He was 77 astatine the clip of his death. 

Though it took implicit 30 years to condemnation Alcala for his crimes, helium remained incarcerated from the clip Robison arrested him successful 1979 up until his death. 

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"Huntington Beach backmost astatine the time, I deliberation possibly they had 150 constabulary officers, but it was a small, overmuch smaller assemblage than it is today…locals were capable to drawback this feline with each of this quality and enactment him down bars," Robison said. "That's what started his implicit undoing, was his apprehension that we made successful July of 1979."