How a 27-year-old teacher was wooed with cheeky one-liners by bachelor on TV dating show – but he hid the darkest secret

HE posed connected TV arsenic a bachelor looking for emotion – but arsenic a caller Netflix movie reveals, Rodney Alcala had a much sinister agenda.

We analyse the brutal and bloody communicative of 1 of America’s astir prolific serial killers.

On a TV amusement acceptable successful California successful 1978, the big of the wildly fashionable The Dating Game introduced 3 bachelors.

Hidden down a screen, they were trying to woo a pistillate contestant and triumph a glamorous date.

“He’s a skydiver, he’s besides into motorcycling and he’s besides a good photographer,” announced the host.

“Say hullo to Rodney Alcala!”

It was existent that bachelor fig 1 was a lensman with a good arts grade from UCLA.

However, what the host, the audience, and the bachelorette Cheryl Bradshaw didn’t know, was Alcala was besides a serial slayer who utilized his camera to lure pistillate victims to distant locations and execution them – and he’d already murdered 5 women.

In the months aft his crippled amusement appearance, helium would proceed his sidesplitting spree, and investigators would soon observe a retention portion afloat of hundreds of photos of women he’d persuaded to airs for him.

Many of them were presumed missing, but are present believed to person been imaginable prey for the serial killer.

And yet present helium was, hunting successful plain show for his next unfortunate connected prime-time television.

The communicative of Alcala’s sexually motivated murders and audacious targeting of victims has present been dramatised successful Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut, Woman Of The Hour, coming to Netflix connected October 18.

The histrion – who changeable to fame successful the Twilight films – besides stars arsenic Cheryl, and the movie volition archer the communicative of 1 of America’s astir prolific serial killers.

Alcala died successful infirmary successful 2021 earlier his decease condemnation could beryllium carried out, taking with him the existent tally of murders helium committed.

Cheryl Bradshaw, past 27, was a play teacher from California.

After a Q&A-style chat with each of the 3 bachelors down the screen, she chose Alcala – who’d charmed her with cheeky, innuendo-laden answers and a witty consciousness of humour.

However, aft the show, having spent clip unsocial with Alcala backstage, Cheryl approached contestant coordinator Ellen Metzger and, according to an interrogation Ellen gave successful 2021, Cheryl told her: “I can’t spell retired with this guy.

"There’s weird vibes that are coming disconnected of him. He’s precise strange. I americium not comfortable.”

It’s apt Cheryl’s instinct saved her beingness – but galore different women were little fortunate.

‘The level of sadism this antheral was visiting upon his victims was profoundly disturbing’

After increasing up successful Texas, Alcala’s household moved to LA, wherever helium excelled astatine schoolhouse and joined the subject astatine 17.

But his clip determination was marred with disciplinary problems and helium was discharged aft 3 years.

His chilling hunt for victims began successful 1968, erstwhile helium was 25, and helium fled California for New York aft a warrant for his apprehension had been issued for the rape and battle of an eight-year-old miss named Tali Shapiro, who helium had beaten with a alloy barroom and near for dead.

The FBI enactment Alcala connected their Most Wanted database successful 1969, but helium eluded seizure for years and stalked the streets of Manhattan, wherever helium recovered his archetypal execution unfortunate connected June 12, 1971.

Cornelia Crilley, a 23-year-old formation attendant was recovered strangled successful her ain apartment, her bra covering her look and a wound people connected her near breast.

“The level of sadism that this antheral was visiting upon his victims was profoundly disturbing,” says Matt Murphy, the territory lawyer who yet prosecuted Alcala successful 2010 and enactment him connected decease row.

Crime forensics was successful its infancy successful the aboriginal ’70s and NYPD detectives could lone trust connected fingerprinting, neighbourhood canvassing, bloodwork, and a rudimentary examination of suspects’ teeth to a mould taken of Cornelia’s bosom injury.

The execution went unsolved, leaving Alcala to statesman moving arsenic a counsellor astatine an arts campy for young girls successful New Hampshire, nether his caller alias, John Berger.

In August 1971, 2 girls who had been attending the campy saw Alcala’s Most Wanted poster successful a post office, starring to his apprehension and extradition to California for the brutal battle connected Tali Shapiro 3 years before.

Tali’s parents were reluctant to fto their daughter, who was inactive lone 12, testify, truthful alternatively of being charged with rape and attempted murder, Alcala was convicted of the lesser complaint of kid molestation.

“After what helium did to Tali Shapiro, the parole committee fto him spell aft conscionable 34 months. It was madness,” reveals Matt, who is besides the writer of The Book Of Murder: A Prosecutor’s Journey Through Love And Death.

But little than 2 months aft Alcala was released connected parole successful 1974, helium assaulted a 13-year-old miss named “Julie J” successful court records, which got him arrested again.

'My parent phoned, drew a heavy breath, past said the detective conscionable called...'

After his 2nd merchandise successful 1977, Alcala had lone been backmost successful Manhattan for a week erstwhile Ellen Hover, his 2nd victim, was unfortunate capable to transverse his path.

Her cousin, Sheila Weller, recalled successful an interrogation what she knew astir Ellen’s past movements.

She said: “He approached Ellen successful Manhattan with the connection of capturing her loveliness with his camera.

"He was ‘pressuring her to person luncheon with him,’ arsenic a adjacent person of hers remembers it.

"She went connected that luncheon day and ne'er came back.”

New York police detectives recovered the sanction “John Burger” scrawled connected Ellen’s table calendar for July 15, 1977, the time she went missing.

The 23-year-old was the girl of 1 of the astir celebrated nightclub owners successful Hollywood, and the god-daughter of Rat Packers Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jnr, truthful her disappearance surely did not spell unnoticed.

“Nightclub heiress goes missing,” screamed the city’s tabloids, posters of the missing pistillate were displayed each implicit the city, and Ellen’s household hired their ain backstage investigators.

“Eleven months later, my parent phoned, drew a heavy breath, past said: ‘The detective conscionable called. It’s the worst.’

"Ellen’s bones had been recovered astatine the aged Rockefeller property successful New York,” Sheila recalled.

The determination was a favourite photo-shoot spot for Alcala.

Ellen’s bones were truthful decomposed that constabulary had to usage dental records to place her body.

After Ellen’s murder, Alcala switched coasts to Los Angeles to proceed his sidesplitting spree.

In November 1977, helium killed 18-year-old Jill Barcomb, then, a period later, his adjacent unfortunate was crab caregiver Georgia Wixted, 27.

In June 1978, helium murdered 32-year-old ineligible caput Charlotte Lamb, earlier pausing his execution spree to look connected The Dating Game, taking vantage of the information that determination were nary inheritance checks made by the show’s producers.

‘We haven’t been capable to place each his victims’

After appearing connected TV, helium killed 15-year-old hitch-hiker Monique Hoyt successful February 1979, and machine programmer Jill Parenteau, 21, that June.

His humor lust astatine its peak, it was lone a week aft sidesplitting Jill, that Alcala killed Robin Samsoe.

“Robin was conscionable 12 years aged successful the summer of 1979,” says Matt.

“She was past seen heading disconnected to her ballet people connected her motorcycle by her friend.”

When her person was questioned by detectives, she revealed however a antheral had approached them connected the formation and asked if the girls would similar to airs for him truthful helium could instrumentality their picture.

A composite sketch was drawn up and circulated each implicit Southern California, wherever it was seen by 1 of Alcala’s aged parole officers who recognised him.

On July 24, they tracked Alcala down to his mother’s location and, aft questioning, they recovered nary 1 could relationship for his whereabouts astatine the clip Robin was abducted.

He was arrested and charged with kidnap.

Detectives learned, done a secretly recorded visitation league with his sister successful prison, that Alcala had rented a retention portion successful Seattle.

“Inside were hundreds of photographs of young women, girls, and boys successful positions of vulnerability.

"We identified astir fractional of them arsenic missing persons, and there’s conscionable nary mode helium fto each those radical live,” says Matt.

He adds: “I’m definite a batch of them are his victims and we conscionable haven’t been capable to place them all.

They besides recovered a silk pouch containing a fewer twelve pieces of jewellery – a trophy case.

"We were capable to genetically nexus 1 earring with 1 of his victims, Charlotte Lamb, and Robin Samsoe’s parent identified different set.”

Alcala’s proceedings for the abduction and execution of Robin Samsoe began successful February 1980 and lasted much than 2 months, with astir 50 witnesses testifying.

Alcala was recovered guilty, and a decease condemnation was passed.

However, it was ruled the assemblage should not person been informed astir his onslaught connected Tali Shapiro 12 years earlier erstwhile considering Robin’s case.

After a retrial, Alcala was convicted again and handed a decease sentence, but this clip helium appealed and successful 2001 different retrial was granted, based connected the information helium had not been capable to contiguous his ain evidence.

However, the delays would yet enactment against him.

Matt reveals: “Just earlier we went to trial, we received DNA hits that linked Alcala with the murders of Jill Barcomb, Georgia Wixted, Charlotte Lamb, and Jill Parenteau.

"So we decided to proceedings each 5 cases together.”

This time, Alcala decided to support himself, which meant helium would person the power to cross-examine witnesses, including parents and friends of his victims.

‘It’s estimated helium killed astir 100 people’

Matt recalls: “I deliberation helium believed helium was the smartest idiosyncratic successful the courtroom, and helium had a tendency to control.

He had a Mensa-level IQ, helium was a certified genius.”

But his defence was rambling and bizarre, arsenic helium asked questions of himself astir Robin’s execution successful the 3rd idiosyncratic and answered successful a deeper voice, trying to person the assemblage helium was elsewhere erstwhile the abduction happened.

When it came to the different 4 execution charges, helium told the assemblage helium didn’t retrieve sidesplitting them.

Unsurprisingly, the assemblage wasn’t convinced.

He was convicted connected each 5 counts of first-degree execution and sent backmost to decease enactment to await execution.

Meanwhile, acold lawsuit detectives had been moving connected the murders of Cornelia Crilley and Ellen Hover connected the East Coast, and with advances successful forensics, they were present capable to besides nexus these murders with Alcala, who was flown to Manhattan successful June 2012 to basal trial.

He entered a blameworthy plea, and it seemed that adjacent Alcala was present resigned to the information his horrific crimes had yet caught up with him.

He was returned to decease enactment successful California’s San Quentin prison, however, the decease punishment was suspended successful California successful 2019, and successful 2021, Alcala died of earthy causes, aged 77.

Even aft his palmy convictions, determination is inactive 1 happening that nags distant astatine Matt.

“We volition ne'er cognize his last tally, arsenic that died with him.

"But astatine the complaint helium was killing, it’s estimated helium murdered astir 100 people.

“We interviewed him towards the extremity of his days, asking him to assistance america place his victims for the families.

He could person brought immoderate consciousness of peace, but helium refused to bash it,” adds Matt.

“Rodney Alcala was evil until his dying day.”