SERIAL KILLER: The Dating Game Killer Pt. 2

Rodney Alcala thought he was smarter than the police, the jury, and even the justice system. In Part 2, we follow the unraveling of "The Dating Game" Killer, from a failed attempt at self-defense to the discovery of a chilling trophy stash that linked him to more murders than anyone could have imagined. Killer Minds is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. For ad-free listening and early access to episodes, subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Don’t miss out on all things Killer Minds! Instagram: @Crimehouse https://www.instagram.com/crimehouse/ TikTok: @Crimehouse https://www.tiktok.com/@crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios https://www.facebook.com/crimehousestudios X: @crimehousemedia https://x.com/crimehousemedia YouTube: @crimehousestudios https://www.youtube.com/@crimehousestudios

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:01Vanessa Richardson?

  Hi, everyone. Before today's episode, there's another show I want to tell you about. It's called What the Fact with Connor Tomlinson from Netflix's Love on the Spectrum and Carter Roy. Every week, they take three unbelievable true facts from history and tell you the full story behind them. Plus, Connor's infectious energy that'll make you realize history is the most fascinating thing on earth. Follow What the Fact wherever you listen, or subscribe on YouTube at What the Fact Pod.

• 0:36Speaker 01

  This is Crime House.

• 0:42Vanessa Richardson?

  You've probably heard the saying, "Don't fly too close to the sun." It's meant to be a warning against being overly confident or having too much pride. It's advice Rodney Alcala should have listened to. In the 1970s, Rodney was in the midst of a decades-long murder spree. Throughout that time, he managed to wriggle his way out of facing justice multiple times. He didn't think he would ever have to face the music, but eventually, he slipped up, and he wasn't prepared for an avalanche of his secrets to come crashing down.

• 1:33Vanessa Richardson?

  The human mind is powerful. It shapes how we think, feel, love, and hate, but sometimes it drives people to commit the unthinkable. This is Killer Minds, a Crime House original. I'm Vanessa Richardson.

• 1:48Tristin Engels?

  And I'm Dr. Tristin Engels. Every Monday and Thursday, we uncover the darkest minds in history, analyzing what makes a killer.

• 1:57Vanessa Richardson?

  Crime House is made possible by you. Please rate, review, and follow Killer Minds. To enhance your listening experience with ad-free, early access to each two-part series and bonus content, subscribe to Crime House Plus on Apple Podcasts. Before we get started, be advised, this episode contains descriptions of kidnapping, sexual assault, child abuse, and murder.

• 2:22Vanessa Richardson?

  Today, we continue our deep dive into Rodney Alcala, also known as the Dating Game Killer. In the late 1970s, Rodney appeared on a popular TV dating show and charmed the audience with his quick wit and easygoing smile. But no one knew that the man lighting up their screens was a violent and sadistic murderer.

• 2:46Tristin Engels?

  As Vanessa goes through this story, I'll be talking about things like why violent offenders sometimes crave an audience, possible reasons for a serial killer's sudden sense of guilt, and the line between confidence and delusion.

• 3:00Vanessa Richardson?

  And as always, we'll be asking the question, what makes a killer?

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• 3:55Vanessa Richardson?

  In the late 1970s, Rodney Alcala was riding a high. He was in the midst of a years-long crime spree and had committed multiple violent crimes without getting caught. He'd moved back and forth between LA and New York, sometimes using a fake name so that law enforcement could never fully pin him down, which meant he was free to keep hunting down women and girls in both cities. By the spring of 1978, 34-year-old Rodney had served some prison time for assaulting underage girls, but he'd managed to get away with all six murders he'd committed so far. However, he hadn't gotten away completely clean.

• 4:38Vanessa Richardson?

  Rodney was an active suspect for his latest victim, 23-year-old Ellen Hoover. In July of 1977, Ellen had gone missing in New York. Investigators had found Rodney's alias, John Berger, written on Ellen's calendar the day she disappeared. Rodney admitted that he knew Ellen. He said he once brought her to a wooded area of upstate New York for a photo shoot, but beyond that, he didn't know what happened to her. In reality, Rodney murdered Ellen that day, but detectives still hadn't found her body, so even though they suspected she was dead, she was officially considered a missing person. And there wasn't any concrete evidence connecting Rodney to Ellen's disappearance either.

• 5:23Vanessa Richardson?

  So, they let him go, leaving Rodney free to return to LA. Then, in the summer of 1978, about a year after Ellen went missing, there was a huge break in her case. New York detectives spoke with someone who knew Rodney. That person helped narrow down where he'd done his supposed photo shoot with Ellen. On June 15th, while searching that area, authorities stumbled upon skeletal remains. Eventually, they confirmed that the remains were Ellen's, but they were so badly decomposed, investigators couldn't tell how she died or tie anything back to Rodney.

• 6:05Vanessa Richardson?

  So even though detectives heavily suspected that Rodney was responsible for Ellen's death, they couldn't do anything about it. Soon, the case went cold, just like all the others. But it wasn't forgotten. Since Ellen's father was a celebrity club owner, the discovery of her remains made headlines. So did the fact that police had no leads, which made Rodney's confidence skyrocket even higher. Now, for the sixth time, he'd murdered someone and skirted the law. In his mind, there was nothing he couldn't do. But Rodney was getting tired of flying under the radar. He wanted to step out from the shadows and into the spotlight.

• 6:48Vanessa Richardson?

  So he went to a casting call for a popular game show known as The Dating Game.

• 6:55Tristin Engels?

  So considering Rodney's pattern of behavior up to this point, there are several motivations for why he would go on The Dating Game. First, Rodney is an opportunistic predator. He identifies situations that grant access to potential victims and acts maybe even impulsively when he sees an opportunity. A show like The Dating Game represents a similar type of opportunity, but on a much larger scale. The show has social legitimacy, it's a structured environment, and it has public visibility. And all of this can create an illusion of safety, making it easier for participants and the audience to trust him, maybe even like him. This is consistent, if you think about it, with his broader pattern of grooming,

• 7:39Tristin Engels?

  which is building trust, appearing harmless, and exploiting social norms to manipulate and isolate potential victims. And if he won, he would win an isolated date with a contestant, one that he would likely feel entitled to. And second, appearing on television likely satisfied his need for attention, admiration, and validation. He's been described as intelligent, charming, and conventionally attractive, and these traits helped him attract targets. And now he's escalated to a much wider audience. And if he's chosen, like I imagine he expects to be, it would likely reinforce his ego, his confidence or sense of superiority and invincibility. The show gave him a stage, not only to influence the female contestant,

• 8:23Tristin Engels?

  but also to manipulate the perceptions of the audience and production staff. And lastly, it likely provided a thrill. He knew millions could see him. He knew he was already under suspicion from law enforcement. And he has sadistic tendencies. And individuals with these tendencies often derive pleasure from exerting psychological control or creating tension in others. And of course, he's not overtly controlling anyone on the show, but the situation allowed him to covertly flaunt his freedom, manipulate perceptions, and make comments that might have created tension for some, and experience a sense of power and dominance, all of which can be gratifying for someone with a history of compulsive and predatory behavior like Rodney.

• 9:06Vanessa Richardson?

  On The Dating Game, three single men competed for a date with a woman in front of a live studio audience. The bachelorette was separated from the men by a wall onstage. She asked them a series of questions, and since she couldn't see them, she picked her date based on their responses. It's almost like an early version of Love is Blind. Even though the bachelorette couldn't see them, the audience could, so the producers were always on the lookout for handsome contestants. Rodney caught their eyes as soon as he walked through the door. Throughout his audition, they became even more interested. The show was known for laughs, flirting, and plenty of sexual innuendo, all of which Rodney brought to the table. The producers knew the audience would love him.

• 9:51Vanessa Richardson?

  It didn't matter that Rodney had a criminal record. The show didn't perform background checks, so they had no idea who he actually was. Plus, Rodney still had his job as a typesetter at the L.A. Times, which gave the producers even more reason to deem him a great catch. Rodney probably couldn't wait to flaunt his charm and good looks on national television. The thought of winning people over all while hiding his evil secrets likely gave him a huge sense of power, as you mentioned, Dr. Engels. He felt so untouchable, he even used his real name. In September of 1978, Rodney went to the studio to film. He and the two other bachelors met in a backstage lounge, waiting to go on.

• 10:36Vanessa Richardson?

  During that time, they made small talk about their dating lives. One of the contestants mentioned that he was shy and didn't have a lot of luck getting ladies. In response, the other contestant, a man named Jed Mills, said that he had a pretty easy time. That's when Rodney, probably viewing Jed as his main competition, stood up, towered over Jed, and said, quote, "I always get my girl."

• 11:03Vanessa Richardson?

  Rodney's behavior struck Jed as irrational and aggressive. And then, once they went onstage, Rodney became a completely different person. When The Bachelorette, a woman named Cheryl Bradshaw, asked Rodney questions, he was charming and charismatic. At one point Cheryl asked him what his favorite time of day was. Rodney said nighttime because, quote, "that's when it really gets good." The audience ate it up, completely unaware of the sinister truth Rodney was hiding.

• 11:37Tristin Engels?

  So that response may have sounded playful or flirty to the audience, especially if it's not uncommon for that show. But knowing his history and his personality, it's very likely more than just an innocent innuendo. On the surface, it seems like a sexual reference. And while I think that's true in part, it's also possibly a reference to his violent tendencies as well. Rodney didn't attack exclusively at night, but many of his confirmed attacks were in controlled settings or at night. And nighttime can be symbolic of control because it offers concealment and strategic advantages. So in a predatory context, this comment likely served several functions. He was once again possibly testing boundaries with the audience and Cheryl.

• 12:22Tristin Engels?

  He was possibly signaling through a veiled reference to his predatory behavior. And in terms of sadistic tendencies, this could have caused tension for some viewers. It certainly made me recoil when you said it. And it could have been his attempt to manipulate by normalizing transgressions through playful framing.

• 12:39Vanessa Richardson?

  Do you think that could be his way of intentionally flaunting his freedom and maybe even toying with the police at that point?

• 12:46Tristin Engels?

  Absolutely. Again, every time he skirted serious punishment with authorities, it's reinforcing this behavior even more, subsequently causing him to become more emboldened, confident, and entitled. And he used his real name. And he put himself out there publicly while knowing he was under suspicion. And that's because he likely believed that he was untouchable, especially in that moment. And given how much he's gotten away with, why wouldn't he? Toying with authorities definitely fits with what we know about his personality, which is a combination of grandiosity, sadism, thrill-seeking, and manipulative cunning. And this was fun for him in more ways than one. It's been truly shocking just how much he's gotten away with.

• 13:29Tristin Engels?

  And I had no idea it was this much and this egregious.

• 13:33Vanessa Richardson?

  Rodney's response was chilling, but since no one knew the truth about him, it came off as edgy and flirtatious. It may have been a big motivating factor in Cheryl eventually naming him as the winner. The audience clapped and cheered when Cheryl said his name. Rodney beamed, stepping around the barrier and gave her a hug. Then, the lights went down, the audience filed out, and the pair went backstage to get to know each other a little better. But as they talked, Cheryl started to see Rodney's true colors. We don't know the details of their conversation, but it sounds like she saw the same side of him that Jed did before the show.

• 14:14Vanessa Richardson?

  Rodney wasn't at all funny or charming like he'd been onstage. A couple of days later, Cheryl went to the studio and told producers she didn't want to go on the date. It seems like Rodney never got Cheryl's contact information, thank goodness, so they never saw each other again. It's possible that the blow to Rodney's ego threw him off his game, because for the next five months, he didn't carry out any attacks that we know of. But then, on February 13, 1979, his behavior became even more shocking. That day, Rodney was driving around LA in his yellow station wagon when he pulled up next to a young girl, 15-year-old Monique Hoyt.

• 14:59Vanessa Richardson?

  He told her he needed a model for a photography contest and that she was so pretty, she could help him win. Monique was flattered. She'd recently run away from home, so this was the perfect confidence booster. And Rodney seemed legit. His car was full of camera equipment. She told him she was game. Monique climbed into the car and they introduced themselves, with Rodney using his real name. He told Monique that he needed to grab some more equipment from his mom's house before they started shooting. On the way there, they chatted, and Monique liked Rodney's fun, easygoing nature.

• 15:38Vanessa Richardson?

  When they got to the house, Rodney said it had gotten too late to take any good photos. He invited Monique to stay the night, so they could take pictures the next day. Monique felt safe with Rodney. Plus, she had nowhere else to go, so she stayed. We don't know if anything happened that night, but the next morning, Monique still felt comfortable enough to let Rodney drive her about eighty miles outside of L.A. into the mountains. Once there, Rodney grabbed all his gear, then led Monique into the woods. Eventually, they found a spot, and Rodney started shooting. Things were going well, until Rodney asked Monique if she wanted to pose nude. His tone was completely casual. He made it seem like a normal thing to do.

• 16:23Vanessa Richardson?

  But Monique wasn't so sure. Sensing her hesitation, Rodney tried to lighten the mood. He told Monique to make silly faces instead. Monique went along with it, and started having a good time again. Then Rodney told her to lift her shirt over her head. She thought it was all in good fun, so she did it. As Monique pulled her shirt over her eyes, Rodney picked up a tree branch and slammed it into her skull. A little while later, Monique woke up. They were still in the woods. When Rodney noticed she was awake, he pinned her down and sexually assaulted her.

• 17:04Vanessa Richardson?

  Afterward, he choked her with his bare hands until she passed out again. When Monique woke up the second time, she tried to move. She wanted to get away before Rodney could do anything again, but her wrists and ankles were bound with rope. She was terrified. But then, she heard Rodney crying. Slowly, she turned her head to look at him. He was lying on the ground next to her, sobbing uncontrollably.

• 17:33Tristin Engels?

  Rodney's emotional reaction in this moment can be interpreted in several ways, given what we know about his psychological profile. First, it's important to understand that emotion in individuals with antisocial personality disorder or those with psychopathic traits does not always reflect empathy, guilt, or remorse in the conventional sense. For someone like Rodney, these tears could reflect overwhelming internal tension or dysregulated affect. If you consider that he went five months without harming anyone after significant escalation, that is five months of psychological pressure building to a possible breaking point in someone like him. So crying after an attack like this is actually consistent with patterns seen in sexual

• 18:17Tristin Engels?

  sadists or individuals with severe antisocial traits. It's also possible that he was genuinely trying not to engage in his violent and compulsive behaviors for risk management, but quickly realized he couldn't control these behaviors because they controlled him. And for someone who needs to feel powerful and in control, this could have created confusion and frustration and a sense of powerlessness. And feeling powerless is not something someone like Rodney would be tolerant of. So crying might have been a response to that frustration. Another perspective is that this reaction may be instrumental or manipulative. Offenders like Rodney can sometimes display vulnerability to elicit a response from their

• 19:01Tristin Engels?

  victim, especially if in that moment, they're seeking nurturance or comfort, which very well might have been the case, given the blow to his ego after the dating show, his five-month hiatus, and the fact that Monique spent the night with him and he didn't harm her then. He may have had a heightened need for validation following this blow to his ego. If we remember, he was raised primarily by his mother, and he was close to his grandmother. So women might have been symbolic of connection. And when Monique showed nurturance toward Rodney after violently assaulting her, he responded to that. This isn't a reflection of his capacity for empathy or his guilt, though. If anything, it was self-serving.

• 19:45Tristin Engels?

  She provided something he may have needed in that moment, and he sought to prolong it, which thankfully ended up working in her favor.

• 19:54Vanessa Richardson?

  So Monique at that moment was shocked. Before this, she'd only seen Rodney's confidence and then his ruthlessness. But his tears gave her an idea. If she couldn't run away from him, maybe she could outsmart him. So she rolled over, touched Rodney's arm, and asked him if he was okay. He didn't respond. So then she said that she wanted to stay with him and asked if they could go back to his house. Rodney wiped his eyes and untied Monique. They walked back to his car in silence. As Rodney drove, Monique used all her willpower not to show any fear, but her mind was racing.

• 20:38Vanessa Richardson?

  Once they were back in the city, Rodney stopped at a gas station and told Monique he had to use the men's room. In a pleasant voice, she said she'd wait in the car. As soon as Rodney shut the bathroom door, Monique bolted. She screamed for help, saying she'd been kidnapped. People nearby ran to her aid while others called the police. But at some point, while people's backs were turned, Rodney came out of the bathroom, realized what was happening, and drove off. He went back to his mother's house to lie low, probably hoping Monique wouldn't remember where it was. She didn't need to. All it took was his name, and he'd given it to her in full. The police recognized it immediately.

• 21:21Vanessa Richardson?

  He was the man who'd almost killed Tali Shapiro in 1968 and kidnapped Julie Johnson in 1973. Officers arrested Rodney at his mother's house that same day. He was charged with assault, rape, and intent to commit great bodily harm. His bail was set at $10,000, which his mother paid. Rodney's trial date was set for about six months later in September. Until then, he was a free man. You might think Rodney would have stayed out of trouble, but as long as he had his freedom, he was dangerous. And as he awaited his day in court, Rodney struck again.

• 22:12Speaker 04

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• 23:13Vanessa Richardson?

  In March of 1979, 35-year-old Rodney Alcala made bail after kidnapping and sexually assaulting 15-year-old Monique Hoyt. His trial date was set for September, about six months later. In the meantime, Rodney quit his job at the LA Times. He probably figured they would hear about his arrest and fire him anyway. It doesn't seem like he was sad to lose his job. Being unemployed gave him more time to seek out his next victim. And on June 14, 1979, he found her. That day, 21-year-old Jill Parento was found dead in her home.

• 23:54Vanessa Richardson?

  Jill's body had been posed in a sexually suggestive way. When the police arrived, they also saw evidence of strangulation and sexual assault, including male bodily fluids found on her body.

• 24:09Vanessa Richardson?

  Unfortunately, like Rodney's previous victims, DNA technology was still too new for detectives to match the sample to a suspect, which meant detectives had to investigate Jill's murder without any useful clues from the crime scene. As they launched their investigation, Rodney continued prowling the streets, and just six days later, he spotted his next target. On June 20th, 12-year-old Robin Samso went missing in Huntington Beach, about 40 miles south of LA, somewhere Rodney had prowled before. That evening, Robin was supposed to go to her weekly ballet class. She never showed up.

• 24:52Tristin Engels?

  So I cannot understand how he was granted bail with his criminal background and the documented pattern of sexual deviance and violence. He committed crimes while on parole, and he's shown us he has a complete disregard for rules and laws. And I think it's clear, based on his history, and history is the best predictor of future violence, that allowing him back into society was a risk to the public and that he would harm again. And here we are, totally avoidable and preventable crimes. Unfortunately, this contributes to why he would strike again so soon after his release. Time and again, the legal system failed to stop him. He was given lenient prison terms for extremely violent crimes. There were parole oversight gaps.

• 25:35Tristin Engels?

  He was granted the ability to move freely while on parole, and now he was granted bail. As I've outlined, all of this has reinforced feelings of invincibility and entitlement and confidence. And being granted bail likely was interpreted by him as more proof that he could act without meaningful repercussions. Also, individuals with severe antisocial personality disorder or psychopathy often have an impaired capacity to regulate impulses. That five months of inactivity may have caused internal tension and a compulsion to reassert power and control over a vulnerable target. And lastly, his offenses are tied not only to sexual compulsion, but also to a need to assert dominance and regain control,

• 26:20Tristin Engels?

  and especially after interactions that challenge him. And a temporary legal setback, like his arrest and the bail hearing, can heighten the urge to reclaim control. This is the first time that we know of that Rodney only went a few days between attacks. Why do you think that is? It's definitely a notable escalation. I think there are a combination of things that explain this. Rodney is intelligent. He was just released on bail and he has some awareness regarding what the future holds for him legally. I believe that he expects on some level to be convicted because at least when a victim has survived an attack from him, or because, you know, someone intervened or witnessed it, he has been convicted and

• 27:03Tristin Engels?

  he had been incarcerated. So this escalation could be driven by a sense of urgency, almost as if he wants to maximize the time he has by offending in rapid succession. And this is consistent with risk-taking, impulsive and thrill-seeking behavior. And not to mention, he's under legal stress and that can exacerbate and intensify behaviors commonly seen in antisocial personality disorder, which could have also contributed to this escalation.

• 27:33Vanessa Richardson?

  The night Robin went missing, employees from her ballet studio called her family and said she never came to class. Robin's family members immediately went searching for her in the neighborhood, but there were no signs of her. Around 11:00 PM that night, they spoke with Huntington Beach Police, who issued a county-wide missing person alert and launched an official search. The next day, officers spoke with neighbors, including Robin's friend Bridgette, the last person who saw Robin. Bridgette said that on the day of the 20th, she and Robin were hanging out at the beach when a man approached them with a camera and asked to take their pictures. He said it was for a photography

• 28:13Vanessa Richardson?

  contest. The girls agreed, but when he started snapping photos, Bridgette's neighbor, who was nearby, saw what was happening. She approached them and asked what was going on. As soon as she did, the man walked away. The neighbor warned the girls about talking to strangers, then brought them back to Bridgette's house. Robin stayed over until that evening, when she left for ballet. Bridgette gave police a description of the man from the beach. She told a sketch artist that he had defined cheekbones and long curly dark hair. Detectives didn't immediately link the description to Rodney, which gave him time to act. The next day Rodney saw the sketch all over the local news.

• 28:58Vanessa Richardson?

  He cut his hair to disguise himself. He also replaced the carpeting in his station wagon. After that, he laid low at his mom's house. As far as we know, this was the first time he made a serious effort to evade detection.

• 29:14Tristin Engels?

  This is definitely a shift in his behavior because previously Rodney felt so untouchable. And even when he was a suspect and Ellen's disappearance went on that dating show, almost taunting police and taunting his freedom. And now he's taking these deliberate steps to disguise himself and hide evidence. So what's different? I think this shift reflects several factors. He's under direct police scrutiny. There are eyewitnesses and his face is being broadcasted everywhere as a suspect and he's not living under an alias. He may have realized that the stakes were higher and his confidence alone no longer guaranteed safety. So he does what many offenders like him do. They go into self-preservation mode. It's also worth considering that psychologically, the adrenaline and thrill

• 29:59Tristin Engels?

  that he historically derives from eluding capture may have been a motivating factor for this behavior too. But now it had to be paired with tangible risk management. And as distorted as it is, these precautions can still unfortunately allow someone like Rodney to feel a sense of superiority because he likely believes that disguising himself and hiding any evidence of his crimes is him somehow outsmarting the authorities still.

• 30:28Vanessa Richardson?

  While Rodney holed up at his mom's house, the search for Robin Samso continued. On July 2, 1979, 12 days after Robin went missing, two park rangers stumbled upon a set of bones in the Angeles National Forest, about 50 miles from Huntington Beach. Soon, dental records proved that the remains belonged to Robin. Later, while analyzing the crime scene, investigators found blood splatter on the ground and on some nearby rocks, as well as tufts of blond hair that looked like Robin's. Finally, underneath some brush, they uncovered a bloodied kitchen knife. That was enough for them to determine that they were searching for a killer.

• 31:14Vanessa Richardson?

  Detectives still only had the composite sketch of a possible suspect. They didn't know they were looking for Rodney, a convicted criminal currently awaiting his third trial, so they kept circulating the sketch in the news. Their persistence paid off. Eventually, Rodney's parole officer saw it and notified investigators. With Rodney's history of kidnapping and assaulting underage girls, investigators had reason to think he'd kidnapped and killed Robin. But before they could arrest him, they needed to be sure he was the man Robin had met on the beach. They spoke to Bridget again and showed her a photo lineup with Rodney's picture in it. Without hesitation, Bridget pointed at Rodney's photo.

• 32:00Vanessa Richardson?

  Within 24 hours, police obtained an arrest warrant. Detectives went to Rodney's mother's house that same day. When they got there, he was lying in bed.

• 32:12Tristin Engels?

  On the surface, staying at his mom's house during this time might seem reckless. I mean, he's staying somewhere where he could be easily located by law enforcement. But this fits with a pattern we've seen throughout with his behavior, and that's a combination of overconfidence, opportunism, and a sense of invincibility. It's probable that Rodney continued to believe, even now, that his charm, careful manipulation... And past history of evading serious consequences would continue to protect him. Staying at home also suggested comfort in familiar surroundings. And this could have provided him with a psychological anchor where he feels in control still. And in a way, he's exposing himself to danger, but also he's doing it in a controlled

• 32:56Tristin Engels?

  setting that reinforces his sense of power and autonomy, which is consistent with his pattern of toying with risk and with authority.

• 33:06Vanessa Richardson?

  Even though Rodney was literally caught lying down, he wasn't surprised to see the police. He didn't even stand up until they told him to. Once he did, they cuffed him and brought him down to the station. But before they left, one of the officers noticed a receipt on Rodney's bedside table. It was for a storage locker in Seattle, about 1,000 miles away from LA. The officer thought it was suspicious that Rodney had a storage locker so far away, but they didn't have a warrant to search the home, so the officer couldn't take the receipt. Instead, he pulled out his notebook and wrote down the address to the locker.

• 33:46Vanessa Richardson?

  At the station, officers interviewed Rodney for hours, but he wouldn't admit to anything. At some point, he asked to speak with his sister alone. The investigators allowed it. Since they couldn't get through to Rodney, maybe his sister could. She also lived in LA, so it didn't take her long to arrive. Once she was there, officers left the room so the two could talk. Then, the officers gathered around a screen to watch the live footage from the interrogation room. They expected Rodney to confess something to his sister. However, the two often switched back and forth between Spanish and English, so the detectives, who weren't bilingual, couldn't catch everything.

• 34:28Vanessa Richardson?

  For all they knew, Rodney was confessing to everything on tape, and they were missing it. But then Rodney slipped up.

• 34:38Vanessa Richardson?

  Maybe he didn't realize that the detectives could hear him because at some point, he said to his sister in English, quote, "At least they don't know about the storage locker in Seattle." It was exactly what investigators needed to obtain a search warrant for the locker. 12 hours later, they were in Seattle, warrant in hand. Inside the locker, they discovered more than they ever expected. What they saw made them realize that Rodney wasn't just a child predator. He could be a full-blown serial killer.

• 35:20Vanessa Richardson?

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• 36:03Vanessa Richardson?

  By partnering directly with ethical manufacturers and cutting out traditional middlemen, Quince offers luxury products at prices 50 to 80% less than high-end competitors. Give the gift of quality this holiday season. Download the Quince app for app-exclusive offers, or go to quince.com. Get free shipping on your order and 365-day returns, now available in Canada and the UK, too. And when Quince asks where you heard about them, let them know it was serial killers and murderous minds. It's the best way to support the show.

• 36:36Speaker 01

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• 37:22Speaker 01

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• 37:36Speaker 07

  Can't switch off at night? Give your curious mind somewhere peaceful to wander. I'm Simon Mettacks, host of Sleepy History. Join me for lost cities and ancient mysteries, told slowly and calmly to help you drift off. And if you miss the ending, oh, that's rather the idea. Find Sleepy History in your podcast app and try an episode tonight.

• 38:08Vanessa Richardson?

  In July of 1979, Huntington Beach police officers flew to Seattle, Washington, to search a storage locker that belonged to 35-year-old Rodney Alcala. When they opened the locker, they saw that it was filled with shoeboxes. Officers removed one and opened it. Inside, there were dozens of photographs of women and children. Some were posed, and others were taken out on the streets or at the beach. It was disturbing, but not criminal. But as they kept looking, they soon found a horde of nude photographs, also of women and children. Officers counted almost 2,000 photographs total, and it only got worse.

• 38:52Vanessa Richardson?

  They also found boxes of film slides, including one with Tali Shapiro's name on it that alluded to her sexual assault. Then, one of the officers spotted something strange: a small, red pouch with several pairs of earrings inside.

• 39:10Tristin Engels?

  This is actually a pretty typical finding for a serial killer, and that is they often keep trophies. Trophies serve as tangible reminders of the victim and the act itself. They usually are personal items that carry intimate value in some way, like earrings. Clinically, these items function as psychological tools that allow the offender to relive the event, prolong gratification, and maintain a connection to the victim, effectively delaying but not eliminating the urge to commit another offense. Over time, the novelty or satisfaction of the existing trophies diminishes, which subsequently leads to escalating behaviors both in frequency and severity.

• 39:50Tristin Engels?

  And many serial sexual offenders develop compulsions around collecting, too. They keep personal items, and that satisfies obsessive tendencies, which feeds a cycle of fixation. And this is not a surprising finding, though it is surprising that they are being stored so far away from him. Generally, trophies are stored in convenient places that are easily accessible so that the offender can relive the crime quickly and frequently. So I think he relocated them recently for risk management, since he was in self-preservation mode, he was changing his appearance, and he was hiding evidence, not to mention the receipt that was recently found.

• 40:31Tristin Engels?

  I just can't imagine that he would store them so far away if it wasn't for fear of them being discovered.

• 40:39Vanessa Richardson?

  Even if they didn't have the full picture yet, this discovery sent a chill down the officer's spines. But it wasn't just the thought of him keeping trophies that bothered them. It was also the fact that Rodney had only ever been convicted of assaulting three girls. Robin Samso would make four. And there were more pairs of earrings than that. These discoveries raised unsettling questions about all the things Rodney had actually done. However, these officers were investigating Robin's death, so they had to focus on finding a way to connect Rodney to her. They brought all their findings back to the Huntington Beach Police Station and asked Robin's mother to come down.

• 41:21Vanessa Richardson?

  They showed her all of the earrings, and one pair immediately caught her eye. They were hers. Robin had borrowed them the day she went missing. This heartbreaking realization was enough for prosecutors to link Rodney to Robin's murder. On July 26, 1979, almost a month after Robin's remains were found, Rodney was charged with multiple crimes, including kidnapping and murder. If he was found guilty of murder, he'd face the death penalty. Rodney pleaded not guilty to all charges, and a trial date was set for March 1980. During the trial, prosecutors explained everything Rodney did to Tali and Julie,

• 42:06Vanessa Richardson?

  as well as the charges against him from Onique. They also detailed Rodney's suspected involvement in the unsolved murder of Ellen Hoover from New York. The truth about Rodney's evil nature was hard for the jury to ignore, and on April 30, 1980, they found him guilty of the forced kidnapping and first-degree murder of Robin Samso. On June 20, he was sentenced to death.

• 42:36Vanessa Richardson?

  However, receiving the death sentence meant the trial went into an automatic appeal phase, so Rodney's defense geared up for the retrial. In the meantime, Rodney was also found guilty of rape in Monique Hoyt's case, and he was sentenced to nine years in prison. But he would be behind bars much longer because the retrial for Robin's murder led to a series of appeals that lasted 12 years.

• 43:04Tristin Engels?

  So Rodney had 12 years, then, to learn, plan, and reflect on how to manipulate the system even more. This drown-out legal process can amplify an offender like Rodney's sense of control and entitlement. Even behind bars, this could have made Rodney feel a sense of power over time, consequence, and the people waiting for justice. It likely fueled his ego as well. And for victims and their families, each year of delay extended the trauma and denied them the closure that they desperately deserved. And this was magnified even more by Rodney's long history of successfully evading any meaningful consequences. Knowing that someone with such a documented pattern of predatory and violent behavior could repeatedly slip

• 43:49Tristin Engels?

  through the cracks or get leniency adds to the level of frustration, fear, and distrust that is already there, not just in the individual, not just in Rodney, but in the system that is meant to protect them.

• 44:05Vanessa Richardson?

  In 1992, Rodney finally received news from the California Supreme Court on his latest appeal. His death sentence was upheld. But Rodney wouldn't give up that easily. Since the judicial process wouldn't work in his favor, Rodney turned to one of his oldest tricks: smooth-talking. In 1994, he wrote a book titled "You, the Jury." He filled the pages with supposed evidence that he never harmed Robin Samso. In March of 2001, it seemed to pay off. In a completely unexpected move, the state Supreme Court reversed their decision. The case was going back to trial, and Rodney Alcala might be let free.

• 44:52Vanessa Richardson?

  Both sides geared up for yet another round in court, but there were more shocking revelations to come. By then, DNA technology had advanced quite a bit. As a result, the state of California passed a new law. It allowed authorities to obtain DNA samples from death row inmates in order to try and solve cold cases. That meant Rodney had to submit to a mouth swab. Once authorities had his DNA sample, it was entered into a database of unsolved murders.

• 45:26Vanessa Richardson?

  Over the next few years, Rodney's DNA was matched to bodily fluids found on the bodies of four murdered women: Jill Barkum, Georgia Wickstead, Charlotte Lamb, and Jill Parento, all of whom had died in LA between 1977 and 1979. It had taken a while, but their loved ones could finally seek justice because a grand jury decided that Rodney could be tried for all of the murders, including Robyn's, at the same time. Rodney, as usual, played it cool. He pleaded not guilty to all the charges. He even convinced the judge to let him act as his own defense,

• 46:09Vanessa Richardson?

  since he'd studied law while in prison. When the trial began in January of 2010, Rodney examined himself, using different voices to act as both defense attorney and witness.

• 46:24Tristin Engels?

  So it's possible that Rodney, once again, overestimated his intelligence or competence. I mean, throughout his criminal history, he's demonstrated overconfidence and arrogance using charm, crafted personas, or psychological manipulation to gain the trust of others and exploit or harm them. So representing himself may have been an extension of that overconfidence because he saw himself as smarter or more capable than anyone else in the room. But truly, I think this was just another game show to him. It was a chance to control the narrative and command attention. He was performing, which provided psychological gratification through attention, defiance, and by toying with the system. It's also possible that this behavior may serve a tactical purpose.

• 47:09Tristin Engels?

  By representing himself, he gets to present as analytical. And rational, at least in his mind, and in control, which could be his way of subtly attempting to influence perceptions of his culpability, sow doubt, or at least delay judgment. Ted Bundy did something very similar and even delayed his execution. He represented himself, and when he was convicted, he suddenly started to provide details of his crimes little by little to law enforcement. And because of that, they kept delaying his execution date so that they could continue to elicit more information from him. Rodney's decision to represent himself like this was more about ego, spectacle, and control than it was about any realistic legal strategy.

• 47:53Tristin Engels?

  He unfortunately got one last chance to grandstand with a full audience, and he took it and went all out.

• 48:01Vanessa Richardson?

  Whatever Rodney was thinking, it didn't matter because the jury saw him for who he was: a violent, sadistic killer. They found him guilty of five counts of first-degree murder and one count each of kidnapping, torture, and rape. On March 9, 2010, he was once again sentenced to death. This time, there was no way out of it. At the same time, the closing of this chapter opened up a whole new set of convictions. Once the trial wrapped up in California, New York authorities wanted to see if they could link Rodney to any of their unsolved murders. And they did.

• 48:43Vanessa Richardson?

  Forensic evidence eventually showed that Rodney had murdered Cornelia Crilly, the flight attendant who was found dead in her apartment. At the same time, New York authorities still believed Rodney was responsible for Ellen Hoover's death. But even with the new DNA evidence, nothing connected Rodney to Ellen. Prosecutors charged him with her murder anyway. This time, Rodney didn't try to act innocent. He pleaded guilty to both murders. And in 2012, he was found guilty and sentenced to a minimum of 25 years before being sent back to California. Every victim's family could finally have peace,

• 49:28Vanessa Richardson?

  knowing that Rodney could never hurt anyone again. And authorities hoped that other families could have closure too. They released some of Rodney's photographs to the public in hopes that people might be able to identify victims in other cold cases. Sometime around 2015, they got a hit. A woman came forward and said that her sister, Christine Thornton, was in one of the photos. Christine had gone missing in 1977 while visiting Wyoming. She was six months pregnant at the time. Her remains, as well as the remains of her unborn child, were found a few years after she disappeared. In the photo, Christine was wearing the same clothes

• 50:13Vanessa Richardson?

  that were found among her remains. Next to her was a yellow station wagon that looked a lot like Rodney's. By the time Christine's sister came forward, Rodney had been moved to a medical facility. It's not clear what he was suffering from, but when two Wyoming detectives came to question him, he couldn't sit up or speak. Because of this, Wyoming authorities didn't think it was worth extraditing Rodney. They were fine with letting him wither away in prison. A few years later, in July of 2021, 77-year-old Rodney died of natural causes. His trail of violence caused scars that will never heal.

• 50:58Vanessa Richardson?

  But in the fight for justice, some people formed lifelong bonds. For decades, Morgan Rowan lived with extreme guilt over the fact that she never reported Rodney's two separate assaults against her when she was just a teenager. She felt that if she had said something, maybe Rodney never could have hurt Tali Shapiro. But after Rodney's final trial, the two women connected and Tali told Morgan that he was the only one to blame. To this day, Tali and Morgan remain friends. These survivors, as well as all the other witnesses, family members, and dedicated law enforcement in this case,

• 51:40Vanessa Richardson?

  showed Rodney what happens when you fly too close to the sun. You get burned.

• 52:03Vanessa Richardson?

  Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next time for a deep dive into the mind of another murderer.

• 52:10Tristin Engels?

  Killer Minds is a Crime House original powered by Pave Studios. Here at Crime House, we want to thank each and every one of you for your support. If you like what you heard today, reach out on all social media at @CrimeHouse. And don't forget to rate, review, and follow Killer Minds wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback truly makes a difference.

• 52:31Vanessa Richardson?

  And to enhance your listening experience, subscribe to Crime House Plus on Apple Podcasts. You'll get every episode of Killer Minds ad-free, along with early access to each thrilling two-part series and exciting bonus content. Killer Minds is hosted by me, Vanessa Richardson, and Dr. Tristin Engels, and is a Crime House original powered by Pave Studios. This episode was brought to life by the Killer Minds team: Max Cutler, Ron Shapiro, Alex Benedon, Lori Marinelli, Natalie Pritzowski, Sarah Camp, Kate Murdock, Sarah Bachelor, Hania Said, and Carrie Murphy. Thank you for listening.

• 53:19Speaker 08

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• 53:49Vanessa Richardson?

  If you're looking for your next podcast, check out What the Fact with Connor Tomlinson from Netflix's Love on the Spectrum and Carter Roy. Every week, they take three unbelievable true facts from history and tell you the full story behind them. Follow What the Fact wherever you listen or subscribe on YouTube at What the Fact Pod.