The ‘dating game killer’ kept the ‘trophies’ that ultimately led to his downfall: spies

The recent release of a new film has brought the infamous case of serial killer Rodney Alcala back into the public eye, a former detective who helped put “the monster” behind bars for life, Fox News reported. Digital told about a pair of earrings that led to Alcala’s eventual downfall.

Dubbed Alcala. “Dating Game Killer” Because he appeared on the television show “The Dating Game” as Bachelor No. 1 at the time of his murder in 1978.

“One of our detectives went home from work, sat down with a newspaper and maybe a beer … the TV was on in the background and he heard Jim Lange from ‘The Dating Game’ mention Rodney Alcala,” Steven Mack, who Worked as a detective. For 18 years, told Fox News Digital.

“[Alcala] He reportedly had an IQ of 140. He thought he was the smartest and no one would connect him to the murders.”

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The Netflix film “Woman of the Hour,” released last month, is based on the details of Alcala’s case and her appearance on the dating show.

In 2003, Mack was a homicide detective with the Huntington Beach Police Department. In California and began to play an important role in the investigation of Alcala’s case.

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At the time, he was already familiar with the case, as he had worked as a patrol officer in 1979 when detectives were searching for a missing 12-year-old girl, Robin Samso, who was last seen cycling to her dance class. was seen riding on .

“Loved life, loved going to the beach, loved dancing, loved my family, loved my friends,” Mack said. “It really upset me on an emotional level because she was a 12-year-old.”

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When Mack began investigating, Alcala had already been sentenced to death twice for Samso’s murder – in 1980 and again in 1986 – but both sentences were overturned.

“What I knew was that Rodney Alcala was a convicted murderer. What I believed, what everyone else came to believe, is that he was a criminal. “Serial Killer” Mac said. “The DNA collected during my involvement proved it.”

During his investigation, Mack comes across evidence stored by previous investigators from inside a storage locker that belonged to Alcala decades ago.

“My first thought was, like most serial killers, he kept the trophies so he could go back and relive the situation, relive the murder,” he said. “He was a sexually deplorable serial killer. And those people like to relive their crimes.”

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Among the preserved evidence, Mack noticed a pair of rose-shaped earrings in a small satin pouch, thinking they might belong to one of Alcala’s victims.

“By examining the earrings, souvenirs he had from various cases, we were able to link DNA to one of the Los Angeles murder victims, which led to the case against him for L.A. strengthened and were able to join two prosecutions, Los Angeles and Orange County, in a trial.”

DNA found on the rose-shaped earrings was found to belong to 32-year-old Charlotte Lamb, who was murdered in Los Angeles in 1978.

“We finally had a forensic connection that was missing from before,” Matt Murphy, the lead prosecutor on Alcala’s case, told Fox News Digital.

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Alcala was sentenced to death in 2010 for five murders in California in the late 1970s, including that of 12-year-old Samsway. He was charged with the additional killings of Jill Barcomb, 18, Jill Parenteau, 21, Georgia Wickstead, 27, and Lamb, 32, after new DNA evidence linked him to the victims.

““No one believed he was actually going to be executed in the state of California,” Mack said.

In 2013, he was sentenced to an additional 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to two murders. New York.

“Once we had the DNA in the system, other agencies … New York PD and police agencies around the country started looking into their murders and their gene doses,” Mack explained. “They were able to link Alcala to their crimes.”

In 2016, he was again charged with the murder of a 28-year-old pregnant woman after DNA evidence linked him to the 1977 death. In Wyoming

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Alcala died of natural causes on July 24, 2021 while awaiting execution in California. He was 77 years old at the time of his death.

“He ended up … living a miserable life when he died in the prison hospital,” Mack said. “What happened to him was not enough. In my opinion he should have suffered more than the loss of freedom.”

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Mack believes the true number of victims may be higher than the number convicted.

“I don’t believe that the death of a suspect ends the family bond,” Mack added. “Closure would make them forget what happened to their loved ones, and they don’t.”

The former spy noted that he does not like to say Alcala’s name and prefers to use the term “monster” instead, stating that he “doesn’t deserve any recognition.”

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“It changed my own ability to go places with my kids,” Mack revealed, explaining how the case affected his own family and community.

“Huntington Beach is, you know, a safe place, and it destroyed that image for a lot of people.”