Offender Record · OFF-2026-005
Rodney Alcala (photo from the Radford University biography)
Rodney James Alcala
Also known as John Berger, John Burger, Rodrigo Jacques Alcala Buquor
Sex
Male
Race
White
Height
15'3"
Born
1943
Custody
Deceased
States
CA, NH, TX, NY, WA, NC, MX
Distinguishing featuresCurly dark hair (which he chemically straightened and cut short to evade detection); later had long gray hair in a ponytail during later court appearances
Custody
Deceased at California State Prison, Corcoran
Custody record at the facility
Died July 24, 2021 of natural causes at hospital in Kings County, California
This record documents arrests, charges and convictions reported by courts, law enforcement agencies and news organizations. Every statement is tied to a cited source with an archived copy. A charge is an accusation, not proof of guilt; a person charged is presumed innocent unless convicted. Solve the Case does not allege that this person committed any offense beyond what the cited records state, and this record is not a suggestion that the person is connected to any unsolved case. How records are built, corrected and removed.
Summary of the record
Rodney Alcala was convicted of five murders in California in February 2010 and sentenced to death. He pleaded guilty to the 1971 murder of Cornelia Crilley and the 1977 murder of Ellen Hover in New York in December 2012, receiving 25 years to life. He was also charged with the 1977 murder of Christine Ruth Thornton in Wyoming in 2016. Alcala died of natural causes on July 24, 2021, at age 77 at a hospital near Corcoran State Prison in California while awaiting execution.
Documented Arrests, Charges and Convictions
Dispositions are shown exactly as the cited records report them. Pending charges are updated when a court acts; a record with no remaining conviction or pending charge is removed from the site.
Offense date Sep 25, 1968, Los Angeles, California
Rape and attempted murder of an 8-year-old child
Los Angeles Police Department · Los Angeles Superior Court · California Penal Code § 288 · Arrested Aug 11, 1971 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: 1 to 10 years, indeterminate sentencing with parole option; released after 34 months
An 8-year-old girl was lured into Alcala's car on Sunset Boulevard as she walked to school. A passerby followed them to Alcala's apartment on De Longpre Avenue and called police. When officers arrived, Alcala had beaten the victim with a steel bar and raped her. He escaped through a back door before arrest. The victim survived but required 32 days in a coma and lengthy recovery. Alcala pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of child molestation when the victim's family relocated to Mexico and refused to testify.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Alcala, Rodney; Rodney Alcala; 'Woman of the Hour' and the Horrifying Account of Rodney Alcala's First Victim, Tali Shapiro (archived); California Serial Killer Gets Prison For NYC Slayings
Offense date Jun 12, 1971, New York, New York
Murder of an adult female, 1971 (Cornelia Crilley)
New York Police Department · Manhattan Criminal Court · New York Penal Law § 125 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: 25 years to life (concurrent with California sentence), sentenced January 7, 2013
A 23-year-old Trans World Airlines flight attendant (Cornelia Crilley) was found raped and strangled in her Manhattan apartment (427 East 83rd Street) on June 12, 1971. She was strangled with her own nylon stockings. Believed to have met Alcala as she was moving into the apartment and accepted his help with furniture. Alcala used the alias 'John Berger' at the time. Case went unsolved until 2011 when evidence from California murder trial reopened it. Alcala pleaded guilty December 14, 2012.
Sources'Dating Game' Killer Rodney Alcala Pleads Guilty to Two NYC Murders; Imprisoned 'Dating Game Killer' gets more time in '70s deaths of 2 women; Tearful NY judge gives Calif. serial killer prison sentence for deaths of 2 women in 1970s
Offense date Oct 13, 1974, Huntington Beach, California
Kidnapping and providing marijuana to a 13-year-old
Huntington Beach Police Department · Los Angeles Superior Court · California Penal Code § 207, § 11359 · Arrested Oct 13, 1974 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: 2 years 6 months for violating parole and providing drugs to minor; released after 2 years
Alcala offered a 13-year-old girl a ride to school in Huntington Beach and instead drove her to a secluded area near bluffs. He forced her to smoke marijuana and attempted sexual assault before a park ranger smelled the marijuana and investigated, interrupting the assault. The victim survived.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Alcala, Rodney; Murder of Robin Samsoe
Offense date 1977, Wyoming, United States
Murder of an adult female, 1977 (Christine Ruth Thornton)
Wyoming District Attorney's Office · Wyoming District Court · Wyoming Statute § 6-2-101 · Charged (pending) Charged (pending) · Sentence: Charges dropped; Alcala was too ill to be extradited
Christine Ruth Thornton, age 28, of San Antonio, Texas, disappeared in 1977 and her remains were found in a remote area of southwest Wyoming in 1982. She was six months pregnant at the time of death. DNA evidence connected Alcala to the murder in 2016. Wyoming prosecutors charged Alcala with first-degree murder, but charges were dropped when a prosecutor determined Alcala was too ill to be extradited from California.
SourcesConvicted serial killer Rodney Alcala charged with murder in Wyoming cold case
Offense date Jul 15, 1977, New York, New York
Murder of an adult female, 1977 (Ellen Hover)
New York Police Department · Manhattan Criminal Court · New York Penal Law § 125 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: 25 years to life (concurrent with California sentence), sentenced January 7, 2013
A 23-year-old female (Ellen Hover) living in Manhattan disappeared on July 15, 1977. Her remains were found in 1978 in the woods on a suburban estate (Rockefeller Estate) in Westchester County, New York. She had been raped and strangled. Alcala was eyed in her death for decades but not charged until 2011 when DNA evidence connected him. He pleaded guilty December 14, 2012. Alcala told detectives in 2005, 'What took you so long?' when learning investigator was from New York.
Sources'Dating Game' Killer Rodney Alcala Pleads Guilty to Two NYC Murders; Imprisoned 'Dating Game Killer' gets more time in '70s deaths of 2 women; Tearful NY judge gives Calif. serial killer prison sentence for deaths of 2 women in 1970s
Offense date Nov 09, 1977, West Los Angeles, California
Murder of an adult female, 1977 (Jill Barcomb)
Los Angeles Police Department · Orange County Superior Court · California Penal Code § 187 · Arrested Jul 24, 1979 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Death (convicted and sentenced February 25, 2010, as part of 5-count conviction)
Body of an 18-year-old female (Jill Barcomb) was found in the Hollywood Hills area of West Los Angeles on November 9, 1977 (found date per document). She had been sexually assaulted, bludgeoned, and strangled with blue pants. Body was posed in sexually degrading position.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Alcala, Rodney; Alleged Huntington Beach serial killer's trial to take strange turn with 'Dating Game' evidence
Offense date Dec 16, 1977, Malibu, California
Murder of an adult female, 1977 (Georgia Wixted)
Los Angeles Police Department · Orange County Superior Court · California Penal Code § 187 · Arrested Jul 24, 1979 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Death (convicted and sentenced February 25, 2010, as part of 5-count conviction)
Body of a 27-year-old female (Georgia Wixted) was found in her apartment in Malibu on December 16, 1977. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Alcala, Rodney; Alleged Huntington Beach serial killer's trial to take strange turn with 'Dating Game' evidence
Offense date Jun 24, 1978, El Segundo, California
Murder of an adult female, 1978 (Charlotte Lamb)
Los Angeles Police Department · Orange County Superior Court · California Penal Code § 187 · Arrested Jul 24, 1979 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Death (convicted and sentenced February 25, 2010, as part of 5-count conviction)
Body of a 32-year-old female (Charlotte Lamb), a legal secretary, was found in the laundry room of the Illinois Court apartment complex in El Segundo, California on June 24, 1978. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Alcala, Rodney; Alleged Huntington Beach serial killer's trial to take strange turn with 'Dating Game' evidence
Offense date Jun 14, 1979, Burbank, California
Murder of an adult female, 1979 (Jill Parenteau)
Los Angeles Police Department · Orange County Superior Court · California Penal Code § 187 · Arrested Jul 24, 1979 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Death (convicted and sentenced February 25, 2010, as part of 5-count conviction)
Body of a 21-year-old female (Jill Parenteau) was found in her apartment in Burbank (Los Angeles County) on June 14, 1979. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Alcala, Rodney; Alleged Huntington Beach serial killer's trial to take strange turn with 'Dating Game' evidence
Offense date Jun 20, 1979, Huntington Beach, California
Murder and kidnapping of a 12-year-old child
Huntington Beach Police Department · Orange County Superior Court · California Penal Code § 187, § 207 · Arrested Jul 24, 1979 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Death (third conviction and sentencing: March 2010)
A 12-year-old girl was abducted on June 20, 1979, while riding her bicycle to ballet class in Huntington Beach. She was approached by Alcala who asked to photograph her. Her skeletal remains were found 12 days later approximately 50 miles north of Huntington Beach. Evidence included Robin Samsoe's earrings found in Alcala's storage locker in Seattle. Alcala was tried three times: convicted in 1980, conviction overturned in 1984; convicted again in 1986, conviction overturned in 2003; finally convicted in 2010 along with four other murders when DNA evidence linked them together.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Alcala, Rodney; Murder of Robin Samsoe; Serial killer Rodney Alcala's trail of murder; Alleged Huntington Beach serial killer's trial to take strange turn with 'Dating Game' evidence; People v. Alcala (1992)
Places Lived, Worked and Frequented
Each place and date range comes from a cited record. Dates marked approximate are as reported. Know a place that is missing? Use Edit record under the photo; a moderator reviews it before it appears.
CA
Los Angeles, California
approx. 1954 – 1960 · St. Alphonsus in East Los Angeles; Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Mary high school
Montebello, California
approx. 1960 – 1960 · Graduated from Montebello High School
San Francisco, California
approx. 1963 – 1964 · Hospital in San Francisco then transferred to Marine Corps base hospital in El Toro · army
Los Angeles, California
approx. 1964 – 1968 · California State University; UCLA School of Fine Arts and Architecture; graduated with BFA in 1968
Los Angeles, California
approx. 1968 – 1968 · De Longpre Avenue apartment; location of 1968 attack on 8-year-old victim
Los Angeles, California
approx. 1971 – Aug 1974 · Served 34 months for child molestation conviction in county facilities; indeterminate sentencing with parole option
Los Angeles, California
approx. Aug 1974 – Oct 1974 · Hired by photography company to take photos in stores throughout Los Angeles County
Monterey Park, California
approx. Aug 1974 – Oct 1974 · Paroled to Monterey Park; registered as sex offender with Monterey Park Police Department
Huntington Beach, California
Oct 13, 1974 – Oct 13, 1974 · Arrested for kidnapping 13-year-old and forcing her to smoke marijuana; park ranger discovered them
Chino, California
approx. Dec 1974 – Jun 1977 · Southern California reception center for new DOC inmates and parole violators; later California Men's Colony in San Luis Obispo
Los Angeles, California
approx. Sep 1977 – May 1979 · Hired as typesetter at Los Angeles Times newspaper
Orange, California
approx. Jul 24, 1979 – Feb 1980 · Orange County jail awaiting trial for Samsoe murder
San Quentin, California
approx. Feb 1980 – 2010 · California death row following 1980 conviction; maintained on death row through multiple trials and appeals
Corcoran, California
Jan 2013 – Jul 24, 2021 · California State Prison, Corcoran; death row; died July 24, 2021 at hospital in Kings County
MX
Mexico
approx. 1951 – 1954 · Family relocated to Mexico; maternal grandmother ill; grandmother died while there
NC
North Carolina
1961 – 1963 · U.S. Army paratrooper program; Fort Bragg; served as clerk for approximately 4 years · army
NH
Georges Mills, New Hampshire
approx. 1968 – 1971 · Arts and drama counselor at summer camp; employed three summers under alias 'John Berger'
Georges Mills, New Hampshire
Aug 11, 1971 – Aug 11, 1971 · Arrested by FBI agents at summer camp after campers recognized his wanted poster
NY
New York, New York
approx. 1968 – 1971 · Enrolled at NYU School of the Arts under alias 'John Berger'
Manhattan, New York
approx. 1971 – 1971 · Photographer, primarily of young women; worked as photographer under alias 'John Berger'
New York, New York
approx. Jun 1977 – Sep 1977 · Paroled and approved by parole officer to travel to New York to visit relatives
New York, New York
approx. Jun 2012 – Jan 2013 · Extradited from California to face charges in Manhattan for 1971 and 1977 murders
TX
San Antonio, Texas
approx. 1943 – 1951 · Birthplace and childhood residence with family
WA
Seattle, Washington
approx. Jul 1979 – Jul 1979 · Rented storage unit in Seattle; found to contain photographs and victim trophies
Seattle, Washington
Jul 24, 1979 – Jul 24, 1979 · Arrested for murder of Robin Samsoe; evidence found in storage locker
Known Vehicles
Vehicles and approximate dates of ownership or use, as reported in the cited records. A photo next to a vehicle is the vehicle itself as published.
1974 Blue Unknown Blue station wagon – Blue station wagon observed near scene of Robin Samsoe investigation; Alcala made abrupt U-turn and escaped detectives
approx. 1974 – 1979
Used to transport victims; carpets changed in June 1979 claiming gasoline spill
Photographs by Year
Rodney Alcala (photo from the Radford University biography)
Photo from en.wikipedia.org
Photo from abc7.com
Photo from www.cbsnews.com
alcala-wanted-poster.jpg
Rodney Alcala
alcala-christine-thornton.jpg
Timeline
Sep 25, 1968
Rape and attempted murder of an 8-year-old child (Los Angeles Police Department)
Jun 12, 1971
Murder of an adult female, 1971 (Cornelia Crilley) (New York Police Department)
Aug 11, 1971
Arrested: Rape and attempted murder of an 8-year-old child
May 19, 1972
Convicted: Rape and attempted murder of an 8-year-old child
Oct 13, 1974
Arrested: Kidnapping and providing marijuana to a 13-year-old
Oct 13, 1974
Kidnapping and providing marijuana to a 13-year-old (Huntington Beach Police Department)
Oct 26, 1974
Convicted: Kidnapping and providing marijuana to a 13-year-old
1977
Murder of an adult female, 1977 (Christine Ruth Thornton) (Wyoming District Attorney's Office)
Jul 15, 1977
Murder of an adult female, 1977 (Ellen Hover) (New York Police Department)
Nov 09, 1977
Murder of an adult female, 1977 (Jill Barcomb) (Los Angeles Police Department)
Dec 16, 1977
Murder of an adult female, 1977 (Georgia Wixted) (Los Angeles Police Department)
Jun 24, 1978
Murder of an adult female, 1978 (Charlotte Lamb) (Los Angeles Police Department)
Jun 14, 1979
Murder of an adult female, 1979 (Jill Parenteau) (Los Angeles Police Department)
Jun 20, 1979
Murder and kidnapping of a 12-year-old child (Huntington Beach Police Department)
Jul 24, 1979
Arrested: Murder and kidnapping of a 12-year-old child
Jul 24, 1979
Arrested: Murder of an adult female, 1977 (Jill Barcomb)
Jul 24, 1979
Arrested: Murder of an adult female, 1978 (Charlotte Lamb)
Jul 24, 1979
Arrested: Murder of an adult female, 1977 (Georgia Wixted)
Jul 24, 1979
Arrested: Murder of an adult female, 1979 (Jill Parenteau)
Feb 25, 2010
Convicted: Murder of an adult female, 1977 (Georgia Wixted)
Feb 25, 2010
Convicted: Murder of an adult female, 1978 (Charlotte Lamb)
Feb 25, 2010
Convicted: Murder of an adult female, 1979 (Jill Parenteau)
Feb 25, 2010
Convicted: Murder and kidnapping of a 12-year-old child
Feb 25, 2010
Convicted: Murder of an adult female, 1977 (Jill Barcomb)
Dec 14, 2012
Convicted: Murder of an adult female, 1971 (Cornelia Crilley)
Dec 14, 2012
Convicted: Murder of an adult female, 1977 (Ellen Hover)
2016
Charged (pending): Murder of an adult female, 1977 (Christine Ruth Thornton)
Sources
Solve the Case is never the original source. Each item below is the public record a statement on this page rests on, with an archived copy where one exists.
Other · Wikipedia ·
Rodney Alcala“Born Rodrigo Jacques Alcala Buquor; August 23, 1943 – July 24, 2021; sentenced to death in California for five murders committed between 1977 and 1979”
Other · Britannica ·
Rodney Alcala“In 1980 Alcala received the death sentence for the kidnapping and murder of 12-year-old Robin Samsoe; DNA evidence ultimately linked Alcala to the deaths of four women in California during the 1970s”
News report · Pajiba ·
'Woman of the Hour' and the Horrifying Account of Rodney Alcala's First Victim, Tali Shapiro“She was just eight years old in 1968 when 25-year-old Alcala approached her on her way to school and lured her to his apartment; there, Alcala raped Shapiro and was in the process of strangling her with a metal bar when a passerby alerted the police”
Other · Wikipedia ·
Murder of Robin Samsoe“On the afternoon of June 20, 1979, 12-year-old Robin Christine Samsoe was kidnapped and murdered by serial killer Rodney Alcala in Huntington Beach, California”
News report · CBS News ·
Serial killer Rodney Alcala's trail of murder“Rodney Alcala was arrested on July 24 and charged with the kidnap and murder of Robin Samsoe; jury convicted Alcala and sentenced him to death”
News report · CNN ·
'Dating Game Killer' dies of natural causes, prison officials say“Rodney James Alcala, 77, had been on the state's death row since being condemned in 2010 for the murders of four women and a 12-year-old girl”
Law enforcement release · California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation ·
Condemned Inmate Rodney Alcala Dies of Natural Causes“Condemned inmate Rodney James Alcala, 77, an Orange County man who was on California's death row, died of natural causes at 1:43 a.m. on July 24, 2021 at a hospital in Kings County”
News report · ABC7 Los Angeles ·
Convicted serial killer Rodney Alcala charged with murder in Wyoming cold case“Imprisoned serial killer Rodney Alcala has been charged with murder in connection to the 1977 killing of a 28-year-old woman whose remains were found in rural Wyoming”
News report · CBS News New York ·
California Serial Killer Gets Prison For NYC Slayings“Rodney Alcala was sentenced to 25 years to life Monday in a packed courtroom; the judge choked back tears as she gave him a concurrent 25 years to life sentence”
News report · Fox News ·
Tearful NY judge gives Calif. serial killer prison sentence for deaths of 2 women in 1970s“Crilley was found strangled with a stocking in her Manhattan apartment in 1971; Hover was living in Manhattan when she vanished in 1977. Her remains were found the next year in the woods on a suburban estate”
News report · CNN ·
Imprisoned 'Dating Game Killer' gets more time in '70s deaths of 2 women“Alcala, 69, pleaded guilty last December to the murder of Cornelia Crilley, who was killed in New York in June 1971, and the murder of Ellen Hover, whose body was found in Westchester County in 1977”
News report · DNAinfo ·
'Dating Game' Killer Rodney Alcala Pleads Guilty to Two NYC Murders“Alcala admitted that in 1971 he raped and strangled Crilley, a 23-year-old flight attendant, in her Upper East Side apartment; Alcala also said that in 1977 he killed Hover, another 23-year-old living in Manhattan”
Other · Radford University Psychology Department ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Alcala, Rodney“Timeline of Alcala's life events including birth, military service, arrests, and incarceration”
News report · NPR ·
Serial Killer Rodney Alcala's Photo Trove Found“Detectives made a chilling discovery: A collection of photos taken by serial killer Rodney Alcala; Detectives recovered hundreds of photos of young women apparently taken by Alcala before his 1979 arrest”
News report · LAist ·
Alleged Huntington Beach serial killer's trial to take strange turn with 'Dating Game' evidence“Alcala was arrested on July 24, 1979, in Seattle, where investigators found photos of the girls taken on the Huntington Beach pier in a storage locker”
Court record · California Supreme Court ·
People v. Alcala (1992)“At the initial trial in 1980, a jury found defendant Rodney James Alcala guilty of first degree murder, with a kidnapping-murder special circumstance, and other related offenses”
Discussion
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