Tali Shapiro and Morgan Rowan survived Rodney Alcala’s brutal attacks. Shapiro, at 8, was saved by a bystander and police intervention. Rowan escaped at 16 when her friends broke in during the assault. Both women bravely testified against Alcala, later becoming close friends, supporting each other through recovery and healing.
Highlights
- Tali Shapiro and Morgan Rowan survived brutal attacks by Rodney Alcala.
- Shapiro was saved thanks to a bystander named Donald Haines, who alerted the police.
- Rowan escaped with the help of friends who intervened during the attack.
- Shapiro and Rowan are now close friends and support each other.
Rodney Alcala, also known as the “Dating Game Killer,” became infamous for his horrifying crimes in the 1970s.
Among his many victims, two young women managed to escape his brutality: Tali Shapiro and Morgan Rowan.
Their incredible stories highlight their resilience and bravery in the face of unspeakable violence.
Tali Shapiro’s Escape from Rodney Alcala
In 1968, 8-year-old Tali Shapiro encountered Alcala while walking to school in Los Angeles. Alcala lured Shapiro by claiming he knew her parents, leading her to trust him.
But after arriving at his apartment, he attacked her viciously. Thankfully, a bystander named Donald Haines witnessed the situation and alerted the police.
When officers arrived, they found Alcala naked and raging, while Tali was lying unresponsive in a pool of blood.
A metal bar pressed against her neck made them initially think she was dead. However, they heard faint breathing, and she was immediately rushed to the hospital.
Tali required over 27 stitches in her head from the brutal beating. Alcala escaped through the back door, but his ID left behind helped police identify him.
He was later captured but only served a brief 34 months for child molestation as Tali’s parents didn’t want her to testify.
Morgan Rowan’s Close Call with Rodney Alcala
Morgan Rowan first encountered Alcala in 1965 when she was 13. She found him “charismatic” and didn’t recognize the danger initially.
One night, at a teen nightclub, Alcala pulled her into an alley and attacked her. However, she managed to escape with the help of a club owner and his wife.
Three years later, Rowan ran into Alcala again on Sunset Strip. She was preparing to move to New York and had a going-away gathering with friends.
Alcala joined them and offered them marijuana, which he used as a distraction to drag Rowan into a bedroom. He tied her up, punched her, and cut her neck. When Rowan’s friends noticed her absence, they began banging on the door.
Her friend Mike broke into the window and confronted Alcala, who allowed Mike to take her, saving her life.
Rowan didn’t report the incident, and it wasn’t until she saw a newspaper article about Tali Shapiro’s attack that she realized the severity of what could have happened. She felt immense guilt for not acting sooner.
Where Are They Now?
In 2010, Tali Shapiro courageously testified against Alcala, fulfilling what she saw as her duty to seek justice. She refused to look at him during the trial and described his apology as making her “sick to [her] stomach.”
Shapiro later expressed relief when Alcala passed away in 2021, saying, “The planet is a better place without him.”
Morgan Rowan wrote a memoir titled Stolen from Sunset: A True Story of Surviving the Dating Game Killer, which was published in 2023.
After releasing the book, Rowan reached out to Shapiro on Facebook, apologizing for not reporting Alcala earlier. Shapiro assured her there was nothing to forgive.
The two survivors later met and became close friends, sharing a strong bond forged from their shared experiences.
Rodney Alcala, who had been sentenced to death in California, died in 2021 while awaiting execution.
His crimes, however, left lasting scars on many lives. Yet, thanks to their courage and resilience, survivors like Tali Shapiro and Morgan Rowan continue to inspire.
