The Darkest Game: Inside the Twisted Crimes of ‘The Dating Game Killer’ Rodney Alcala
In the summer of 1979, a charming and seemingly intelligent man appeared on national television as a contestant on The Dating Game. His name was Rodney Alcala. What the audience didn’t know was that behind his charismatic smile lurked a monster—one of the most prolific serial killers in American history.
Rodney Alcala’s reign of terror stretched across the United States, claiming the lives of numerous women and even a child. His story is one of deception, manipulation, and pure evil. Here’s how a cold case detective unraveled the twisted mind of a killer and finally put him behind bars for good.
The Case That Exposed a Monster
In 2003, Steven Mack, a homicide detective with the Huntington Beach Police Department, took on the daunting task of retrying Alcala, whose 1980 and 1986 convictions for the murder of 12-year-old Robin Samsoe had been overturned. Despite previously escaping justice twice, Alcala’s luck was about to run out.
Mack had something earlier investigators lacked—DNA testing. As he sifted through evidence stored for decades, he discovered two small rose earrings in a red satin pouch. Instinct told him these weren’t just trinkets—they belonged to one of Alcala’s victims. DNA analysis confirmed his suspicions: the earrings carried the genetic imprint of Charlotte Lamb, one of many women who had fallen prey to the sadistic killer.
With that breakthrough, a terrifying reality emerged—Alcala was no mere one-time offender. He was a seasoned predator who had murdered across multiple states, using his charm and intelligence to lure victims into his web.
The First Known Kill—And the Ones That Followed
Alcala’s documented killing spree began in 1971 in New York. Cornelia Crilley, a 23-year-old TWA flight attendant, was raped and strangled in her Manhattan apartment. The case went cold for decades until DNA evidence finally linked Alcala to her murder.
Six years later, in July 1977, aspiring music conductor Ellen Jane Hover disappeared from her Manhattan home. Her remains were found a year later on the Rockefeller estate in Westchester County, near an area where Alcala had been known to take photographs.
After murdering Hover, Alcala traveled west, continuing his carnage in California, Wyoming, and Washington. In November 1977, he brutally assaulted and murdered 18-year-old Jill Barcomb, a hopeful young actress who had moved to Los Angeles in pursuit of her dreams. Her face was crushed with a rock, a signature element in Alcala’s method of torture.
Just weeks later, he attacked Georgia Wixted, a 27-year-old pediatric nurse, in her home. She was found raped, strangled, and beaten.
Then came Charlotte Lamb, whose DNA was found on those haunting earrings in Alcala’s storage unit. The 32-year-old legal secretary had been strangled and left lifeless in the laundry room of an El Segundo apartment complex in June 1978.
By 1979, Alcala had also claimed the life of Jill Parenteau, a 21-year-old computer programmer from Burbank.
The Murder That Led to His Capture
The killing that ultimately exposed Alcala’s monstrous double life was that of Robin Samsoe, a 12-year-old girl from Huntington Beach. She was abducted while riding her bike to ballet class, her promising young life cut short in the most horrifying way. Her remains were found 12 days later in the Los Angeles National Forest.
Robin’s murder led to Alcala’s arrest and multiple trials, but it was only in 2010—more than 30 years after her death—that he was finally convicted beyond a shadow of a doubt. During that trial, he was linked to five other murders in California through DNA evidence.
The Unraveling of a Sadistic Predator
Even after his third conviction, Alcala’s crimes continued to surface. In 2011, he was extradited to New York, where he was charged with the murders of Cornelia Crilley and Ellen Jane Hover. Law enforcement matched his DNA to saliva samples preserved from Crilley’s body, while dental records confirmed that bite marks found on her skin were his. He pleaded guilty to both murders in 2012.
That same year, Seattle investigators began looking into his connection to two unsolved cases in the 1970s. Then in 2013, a shocking discovery emerged—a woman recognized her missing sister, Christine Ruth Thornton, in an online database of photographs taken by Alcala. Christine, 28 and pregnant at the time, had vanished in 1977. Her remains were found in a Wyoming desert four years later.
In 2016, Alcala was officially charged with Christine’s murder, but he never stood trial for the crime. In 2021, before justice could be fully served, Alcala died in prison from natural causes.
A Legacy of Horror—and Justice
Law enforcement officials believe Alcala may have killed over 100 people, making him one of the most dangerous serial killers in history. His high IQ and manipulative charm allowed him to evade capture for years, but in the end, the relentless efforts of investigators ensured that he never saw freedom again.
For Robin Samsoe’s family and the loved ones of his other victims, justice may never truly erase the pain he inflicted. However, knowing that he was finally held accountable offered some measure of peace.
“He absolutely thought he was smarter than everyone else,” said Detective Mack. “But we made sure the case was airtight so he had no chance at another appeal.”
Alcala may have evaded justice for years, but he could not escape forever. His final judgment, some believe, awaited him beyond the prison walls, in a place far worse than any courtroom could provide.
Because, as Mack chillingly put it, “He is now burning… in hell.”
