Highlights
- Rodney Alcala may have had as many as 130 victims, though only eight have been confirmed.
- Police found hundreds of photographs of possible victims in a Seattle storage unit.
- Alcala’s crimes started in 1968 and ended with his arrest in 1979 after the murder of Robin Samsoe.
- Alcala had a criminal record, including the assault of an 8-year-old girl, long before his appearance on The Dating Game.
- The movie Woman of the Hour explores Alcala’s 1978 The Dating Game appearance and his known murders.
Rodney Alcala, the infamous “Dating Game Killer,” may have claimed as many as 130 victims, according to the movie Woman of the Hour.
Though his confirmed victim count stands at eight, the true scale of his crimes remains uncertain, with many potential victims still unidentified.
In 1979, police discovered a storage locker in Seattle belonging to Alcala, containing hundreds of photographs of unknown women and children.
This evidence fueled speculation that Alcala could be responsible for far more deaths than the ones for which he was convicted.
Retired detective Steve Hodel even referred to Alcala as a “killing machine,” believing the killer had many more victims than the confirmed cases suggest.
Also Read: Rodney Alcala Survivors: Where Are Tali Shapiro and Morgan Rowan Now?
How Many Victims Were Confirmed?
Despite the claim that Rodney Alcala had up to 130 victims, only eight have been confirmed. Alcala’s known crimes began in 1968 when he attacked 16-year-old Morgan Rowan, who survived after being rescued by her friends.
His final confirmed victim was Robin Christine Samsoe, a 12-year-old girl who disappeared in 1979 while heading home from ballet class. Her remains were found shortly after, leading to Alcala’s eventual arrest.
Also Read: Meet Daniel Zovatto, the Actor Behind Rodney Alcala in Woman of the Hour
What Led To Rodney Alcala’s Arrest?
Alcala’s arrest in 1979 came after several years of escaping justice despite a long list of prior offenses.
Before his 1978 appearance on The Dating Game, Alcala had already killed two women and had a criminal record for the brutal assault of 8-year-old Tali Shapiro in 1968.
He had even been on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in the early ’70s. However, the show’s producers failed to catch his violent history since they lacked the technology for background checks at the time.
