Rodney Alcala: The Dating Game Killer

Know Who You’re Working With [Series]

We all encounter the problem of knowing who we’re working with. Whether it’s our business partners, vendors, or clients, it’s difficult to know anyone. This piece is one of a series highlighting individuals who, famously, were not who they said they were.

In today’s world, we can count ourselves lucky that there are investigative resources that you can use to resolve this issue. 

Kreller’s custom investigations will unearth reputational markers and identify conflicting or damaging reports—beyond only directly negative items or activity in a person or company’s history. Without further ado…  

Rodney Alcala: The Dating Game Killer

Rodney Alcala, sometimes known as “The Dating Game Killer”, has seen an uptick in interest to his spree of murders spanning June 1968 to 1979. His moniker springs from his 1978 appearance on the television show The Dating Game, in which he appeared as a contestant—and won—in the midst of his murder spree. Luckily for the woman who initially selected him, she famously rejected him for a date after meeting him backstage.

Coupled with the extensive—and dark—nature of his rap sheet, his appearance on the television screen leaves many who hear about him jarred. He hasn’t been in their homes, per se, but he’s been present there—and not as a convicted serial killer. He had served in the army, and graduated from the UCLA School of Fine Arts… Later, he even studied film under Roman Polanski at NYU.  

We now know the true nature of this man. What is less known—and perhaps more unsettling—is that, by the time he was evaluated as a contestant on the popular dating show, Rodney Alcala had already accrued a number of red flags to his reputation.  

He managed to be cleared for filming (and, according to the rules of the show, for accompanying a young woman on a date), despite having been discharged from the army due to a diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder. He had previously been on the FBI’s list of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives (in 1971), and convicted on child molestation and assault charges—notably, one of these convictions was argued down from a conviction of attempted rape and murder, simply because the primary witness’s parents refused to allow her to testify at trial. He was charged with parole violation and two drug offenses—one involving a minor. For these crimes, he was incarcerated three times in the years leading up to his 1978 Dating Game appearance.

From what later investigations would show, all of these took place during his bi-coastal assault and murder spree.

Online relationships are not what we’re accustomed to: we don’t get to assess a person in-person; we don’t get to know much about them beyond standard database information and public records.

What’s more, even when you’re conducting checks on potential associates, you may not get the information you need.

Reputational checks are important—and not all background checks are created equal. Our company is specialized in arming you with all of the information you need—some of which isn’t widely available. We go a step beyond providing basic information and seek to provide in-depth details, which involves transparency of information in context. Contact us today to see what we can do for you.   

Do you know who you’re working with?