Rodney Alcala was someone many people described as completely harmless, and unable to hurt a fly. But his past proved that he was capable of some strange things. After finishing high school, he became a soldier and was stationed at Fort Campbell in Kentucky but one weekend, he stole a car, robbed a man of his credit card, and headed for New York City. He even attacked someone along the way. He then fled to Myrtle Beach where he was arrested.
This just gives you a glimpse into the type of person Alcala really was. Read on to discover what happened to him after these incidents and what eventually led him to become a cold-blooded killer.
He Managed to Receive an Honorable Discharge
After his arrest, Alcala was then escorted by the military via train, but when they switched trains from Atlanta to Georgia, he managed to escape. Alcala fled to California to go stay with his family, but they weren’t too pleased to have him. After exposing himself to his very own sister, they tried to persuade him to turn himself in.
The written report stated, “Private Alcala stated he did not know if he wanted to have sexual relations with her, and that [he] is totally unsuitable for further military duty.” After a very dramatic series of events, Alcala was asked to pay a fine and then “honorably” discharged from the army. Whether anything about the above scenario is “honorable” is highly unlikely.
Rodney Alcala’s Very First Victim
The very first time the police became aware of Rodney Alcala was during the rescue of Tali Shapiro. In 1969, Tali was just eight years old and walking to school on her own when Alcala pulled up next to her. He told her that he wanted to lift her to school, but she retorted with “I told him I didn’t talk to strangers,” just the way she’d been taught to do.
Tali speaks of the experience, saying “That is when he told me he knew my parents. I really didn’t want to get into the car, but I was raised to respect my elders. I didn’t know to fear people.” Unfortunately for Tali, her experience with Alcala would change her life forever.
Tali Shapiro Had a Guardian Angel
Unknown to both Alcala and Tali Shapiro, the young girl had a guardian angel. The anonymous person in the car that was driving behind Alcala at the time, saw the strange interaction and decided to follow the car. He followed Alcala’s car that had no number plates to its final destination, which was the perpetrators’ apartment.
The informant called the police as soon as they could and asked the police to rush. They got there as quickly as they could. They knew that they needed to find the little girl as soon as possible, or their chances of finding her alive went down exponentially. As soon as they got to the apartment complex, they headed up to the apartment the informant pointed out. The case was now solely in their hands.
Getting Into Rodney Alcala’s Apartment
The police knocked but Alcala didn’t answer the door. It wasn’t until they threatened to knock the door down that he opened the door just a crack. The police told Rodney Alcala that they had to let him in, but of course, he tried to buy some time.
Alcala told the police that he was just in the shower and needed some time to put his clothes back on. But Officer Chris Camacho was having none of it. He told Alcala that he only had ten seconds before they knocked the door down. The police barged the door down but it seemed that those ten seconds were all that Alcala needed to flee out of the back door.
The Police Walked Into a Shocking Scene
When officers got into the apartment, they walked in on an incredibly shocking scene. Little Tali Shapiro was lying motionless in a pool of her own blood, with her little white shoes off to one side. There was a heavy rod lying across her neck, keeping her pinned down.
The officers first thought the little girl was dead, so they searched the apartment for the attacker before realizing he had left. They then found photo equipment and photographs of countless women. It was then that the officers heard a choking sound, and realized that Tali Shapiro was still alive, they had quite literally interrupted her murder. But she was in need of immediate medical attention.
Trying to Identify the Assailant
The policeman searched the apartment for anything they could find that would help them to identify the attacker. One of the officers noticed that some of the criminal’s photography equipment was labeled with the name ‘Rodney Alcala’, they had finally identified the assailant.
Upon some investigation, they found that Alcala was 25-years old and studying theater at UCLA. The policemen were shocked to find nothing about the man that would make anyone think that he could be a killer. Aquaintances of Rodney Alcala claimed that he was a passive and kind-natured person, not something you’d expect from a cold-blooded child killer.
A Decade Long Killing Spree
As it turns out, Tali Sapiro’s attack was just the start of a decade-long killing spree for Rodney Alcala. He went on to murder a multitude of other women. Just how many people were senselessly murdered by this man is still unknown.
The camera equipment that was found by the police was a tip-off as to the killer’s M.O (modus operandi). He would lure women and girls into his apartment by asking them if he could take their pictures for a magazine contest. Many girls were thrilled to have their picture taken and happily went along with him, to their detriment. But how did Rodney Alcala get away with a decade-long killing spree when the police knew who he was.
Where Was Rodney Alcala?
In 1969, Rodney Alcala made the FBI’s top ten most wanted list. Police were searching all over for him but were largely unsuccessful. This was because Rodney Alcala had disappeared to New York City and was going under the alias John Berger.
He had enrolled himself as a film student at N.Y University and managed to fly under the radar, escaping the watchful eye of the cops. Alcala managed to get away with living a normal life for a while, but his evil deads caught up with him in 1971.
What Was Rodney Alcala Doing in New York?
While Rodney Alcala was in New York, he was getting up to his usual tricks. But they wouldn’t be found out until years later. He strangled a 23-year old stewardess in her own apartment. It was clear that the Queen’s local had been raped before she was murdered, and there were even bite marks that appeared on her breasts.
Later on, there was another missing person tied to Rodney Alcala. Ellen Hover worked at Ciro’s in Hollywood and was reported missing on July the 15th, which was the day after the New York Blackout. It was filled with violence and looting. He wouldn’t be implicated in her murder until years later.
An Event That Changed Everything
In 1971, there were two girls who headed to town from their summer camp that was taking place in New Hampshire. They were going to the post office, and when they got there, they were in for a major surprise.
They saw a picture on the noticeboard of a man they recognized as their camp counselor. The man’s picture was posted on the board asking civilians to turn in the dangerous man if they saw him. They phoned the police immediately, saying that Rodney Alcala was the camp counselor for an all-girls summer camp. The police then extradited Alcala so that he could stand trial in California for his attack on Shapiro.
The Trial for the Attempted Murder of Tali Shapiro
There was one thing that stood in the way of Alcala and the death penalty. That was the fact that the Shapiro family had not just moved out of state, but relocated to a different country altogether. Tali’s parents wanted her to remain far away from the area where the traumatic incident took place.
They had their little girl’s best interests at heart and didn’t want her to relive her experiences. So she didn’t testify in court. Although Alcala was still found guilty and sentenced to jail time, the sentencing laws at the time made justice hard to find. Indefinite sentencing meant that convicted criminals could spend anywhere between one and 99 years in prison. That’s a large variation, his jail time could end up being a minor inconvenience, or a lifetime behind bars.
Using His Charisma to His Advantage
After being incarcerated, Alcala used his charisma and his theater training to his advantage. He managed to convince his wardens and parole officers that he was no longer a threat to society, and after a mere 34 months in prison, he was granted release from prison.
He was described by the wardens as a “model prisoner”, clearly his sweet charms had worked on not only his victims but on the police officials too. Unfortunately, what law enforcement didn’t know is that Alcala had every intention of going back to his previous ways.
Alcala Violated Parole Rather Quickly
It didn’t take long for Rodney Alcala to violate his parole and land back in police custody. In 1974, Rodney pulled up his car next to a 13-year old girl named Julie and convinced her to get in his car. He then took her to an area where there weren’t many people and forced her to smoke marijuana.
He then tried to kiss her, which is of course completely inappropriate for a 30-year-old man. Considering the fact that Alcala wasn’t allowed to be with a female minor because he was a registered sex offender, this was a huge violation of his parole.
The Parole Board Believed That Alcala Had Been Rehabilitated
The state of California believed that prison acted as rehabilitation for sex offenders in the ‘70s. Unfortunately, this wasn’t really the case. But because of this, he was yet again able to talk his way out of prison.
What some found even more shocking is that his parole officers not only let him out of prison but let him leave the state. He took the first opportunity he could to head to New York City on vacation. This would prove to be a terrible decision on the part of the parole officers.
Relocating Yet Again
Police had no idea what Rodney Alcala got up to in New York, but later they would come to regret letting him out of state. He was only there for a short period before making his way back to LA. He took a job as a typesetter at the Los Angeles Times. While there, he started writing about the famed Hillside Strangler case.
Because Alcala was a registered sex offender, the paper thought it would be a good idea to interview him for the story. It seemed that his employer wasn’t aware that Alcala was actually one of the main suspects in the case. Even during Alcala’s time working at the paper, his insatiable hunger for murder didn’t diminish.
Yet Another Victim of Rodney Alcala
Alcala’s next victim was 21 years old Jill Parenteau. Jill was a student at the time and she was working in data entry to pay for her studies. It’s not known how Alcala got into her apartment, but what is certain is that he was the perpetrator of this crime.
Jill was found in her own living room, in a compromised position. It was clear that she had been raped and then strangled, but no charges were filed for this horrific murder. Even although there was no evidence at the time, police knew that Alcala was the one responsible for the crime, it just took time to tie him to the scene of the crime. This was the beginning of yet another killing spree.
More Murderous Activity Ensued
Between 1977 and 1979, it seemed that Rodney Alcala was on a murder rampage. He committed four murders that police are aware of during this time. One was Jill Parenteau, another was a 19-year old girl who was found dead near the Hollywood sign. Her name was Jill Barcomb. But there were more.
Georgia Wixted was a cardiac care nurse who lived in Malibu and was a mere 27-years old. The fourth known victim during this time period was 32-year-old Charlotte Lamb, a secretary who lived in Santa Monica. All of these women were sexually assaulted and murdered. Three in their own apartments, and one in an apartment that neither Alcala nor the victim had any connection to. Although the use of DNA was only used years later, it would eventually tie Alcala to the crime.
Rodney Alcala Was on a Dating Show
In 1978, during the middle of one of Alcala’s killing sprees, he appeared on a dating game TV show. It was clear that the show didn’t do any background checks on their contestants or else Alcala would have never been allowed to play. The game entailed a female contestant asking questions to five male contestants who she couldn’t see.
The female contestant seemed charmed by Alcala and chose him to go on a date with. After meeting him, she phoned the owner of the show saying she didn’t feel comfortable going on a date with him. She said to the host, ”Ellen, I can’t go out with this guy. There are weird vibes that are coming off of him. He’s very strange. I am not comfortable. Is that going to be a problem?” This decision may have just saved her life.
Skating at Sunset Beach
The thing that ultimately led to Rodney Alcala being caught, was going roller skating at Sunset Beach. He starting pestering two girls, one of which was Lori Wurtz, a 17-year old who was there skating with her friend, Patty.
Wurtz said, “He was asking me all kinds of questions like where I’m from, my name, my age, and asking me to leave my friend on the beach.” But Wurtz wanted nothing to do with him. Feeling defeated, Rodney Alcala then went to Huntington Beach where he found his next victim. He denied ever going to Sunset Beach, but there were pictures of Wurtz on his camera that proved otherwise.
Who Was the Other Victim?
Seeing as Rodney Alcala left Sunset Beach, who was his Huntington Beach victim? Bridget Wilvert and Robin Samsoe were two 12-year old friends who headed to the beach before Robin had to go to work at the ballet studio. The two girls were having a cartwheel competition when Alcala approached them, asking if he could take photos of them.
Wilvert said no, and then an adult nearby chased Alcala off. Robin suddenly realized that she was running late for work, hopped on her bicycle, and headed straight for the ballet studio. But that was the last time anyone would see her alive. Luckily for the family of this victim, police had a little more to work with as there had been an eyewitness who knew her friend was being pestered by Rodney Alcala.
How the Police Found Their Perpetrator
Bridget Wilvert, Robin Samsoes' friend who was at the beach when Alcala kept approaching them, helped a sketch artist draw a composite of the man she had seen. The sketch was then broadcasted on many TV channels, which Alcala’s parole officers saw, immediately managing to recognize him.
Only twelve days after the young girl went missing, her remains were found in the Sierra Madres. Although her body had been badly scavenged by animals, they managed to identify her using her DNA samples from her teeth. By the time the little girl was found, Alcala had already headed back to Seattle.
Alcala Was Finally Arrested
Alcala was finally arrested for the murder of Robin Samsoe. At the time he was staying at his mother’s house in Monterey Park, California. While he was being held in jail, his sister came to visit him. He asked her to empty out his safety deposit box, but unbeknown to him the police were listening in on the conversation.
Of course, they went immediately to the safety deposit box and what they found was beyond their wildest dreams. There were thousands of photos being stored in the locker, mostly of women but there were also some boys, and almost all of them were in compromised positions and naked. There were also pieces of jewelry that police thought Alcala took off his victims as trophies.
Robin's Mother Recognized a Pair of Earrings
Robin Samsoe’s mother recognized the one pair of earrings, saying they were hers. Her daughter was wearing them on the day that she went missing. Alcala claimed that they were his, but what he didn’t know was that DNA tests had already been done, and they were a match for his victim.
The photos in the locker were numerous, but most of them couldn’t be released because of their graphic nature. In the end, around 120 out of the thousands of photos were released. This helped the police to identify nine of the women in the photos. Surprisingly, all of them were still alive, but one did claim that Rodney Alcala molested her. He had written addresses on the backs of the photos, it was as if he was keeping track.
Rodney Alcala on Trial
Rodney Alcala was sentenced to death many times for his numerous murders, but he kept appealing. Each time, receiving a definite death penalty. During his third appeal, he represented himself and played a song for the jury which was supposed to support his case but mentioned “wanting to see blood” which didn’t help win anyone over.
He was sentenced to death yet again. Tali Shapiro made an appearance at this trial, finally testifying against him for the things he did to her as a child. She put the final nail in his coffin. But after being on death row at a prison in California, Rodney Alcala eventually died from natural causes in 2021 at the age of 77. He managed to avoid the death penalty on several occasions but the Grim Reaper eventually came knocking.