When Cheryl Bradshaw appeared on the popular game show The Dating Game in 1978, she was charmed by bachelor number one, Rodney Alcala, and by the end of the episode, she’d chosen him to take her on a date. However, just minutes after the episode finished taping, Cheryl met bachelor number two in person backstage and was immediately uncomfortable and quickly contacted producers of the show to cancel the date. What Bradshaw didn’t know at the time was that, in doing so, she had narrowly avoided spending an evening in the company of one of America’s most notorious serial killers.
At the time of his appearance on The Dating Game in 1978, Alcala was a convicted sexual predator who had served time for sexual assault and had only avoided a charge of attempted murder on a technicality. After his arrest, investigators would learn that, by the time he appeared on the game show, he was also a killer. In the year that followed, Alcala would go on to murder several other women until he was finally caught and convicted for his crimes. At his trial, Rodney Alcala was found guilty of eight murders, among other crimes, but he is suspected of several other murders, perhaps as many as one hundred or more.
Thank you to the Incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research and Writing support!
References
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—. 1980. "Witness in Alcala trial admits lying." Los Angeles Times, March 26: 44.
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CBS News. 2024. "Rodney Alcala: The Killing Game." 48 Hours .
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—. 1979. "In search for girl's killer, time is the principal foe." Los Angeles Times, July 14: 22.
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Levenson , Michael, and Eduardo Medina. 2021. "'Dating Game killer,' who preyed on woman in 1970s, dies in prison." New York Times, July 26.
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The People v. Rodney James Alcala. 1984. 36 Cal. 3d 605 (Supreme Court of California, August 23).
Weinstein, Henry. 2003. "New trial, new charge in old cases." Los Angeles Times, June 28: 32.
Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)
Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)
Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley
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