Looking for something to stream after finishing The Menendez Brothers and Sweet Bobby? Netflix never keeps us waiting long for their next true crime documentary, series or movie, and next up is a story so chilling you won’t believe it’s based on a true story.
Woman of the Hour stars Anna Kendrick (who also directed the movie) as Cheryl Bradshaw, a drama teacher and aspiring actress who jumped at the chance to find love – and screen time – on TV series The Dating Game in 1978.
Cheryl sits with the host while her three potential matches are behind a screen, answering her questions in turn. In the movie, she eventually picks bachelor number three, Rodney Alcala, who described himself as a successful photographer and amateur skydiver.
Turns out, Rodney was actually a prolific serial killer around California and other American states, photographing his victims after murdering them.
So who was Rodney Alcala and how did he get caught? Here’s everything we know.
Who was Rodney Alcala?
Rodney Alcala was an American serial killer. Despite having already served time in prison for other crimes, including sexually assaulting and beating an eight-year-old girl in 1972, a lack of background checks meant Rodney appeared on TV show The Dating Game in 1978. He was picked by contestant Cheryl Bradshaw to be her date over two other contestants, earning him the nickname of the ‘Dating Game Killer’.
Rodney was born in Texas in 1943 but moved to Mexico with his family in 1951. In 1954, after his father abandoned the family, Rodney was moved to suburban Los Angeles. In 1961, he joined the United States army as a clerk, where his commanding officer noted that he was manipulative, vindictive and insubordinate, and he was disciplined on several occasions for assaulting young women. Rodney went AWOL in 1964, hitchhiking to his family home, where he was later diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder.
What crimes did Rodney Alcala commit?
Rodney Alcala was a serial rapist and murderer, and was also convicted of several other crimes including battery, kidnapping, violation of probation and providing cannabis to a minor.
While only convicted of killing six women and a 12-year-old girl, Rodney is thought to be responsible for around 130 deaths. Now that he’s dead, we may never know the true number of victims. At the time of his appearance on The Dating Game, Rodney had already been in prison for sexually assaulting and beating an eight-year-old girl, as well as the rape and murder of an air hostess, Cornelia Crilley, who he strangled with her own stockings. Rodney was later convicted of crimes including killing at least five people before the show’s filming.
Serial murder suspect Rodney Alcala enters the courtroom before the start of final arguments in his death penalty trial in Santa Ana (February 2010)
In 1978, the same year as the dating show, Rodney took hundreds of sexually explicit photos of children, teenagers, men and women, saying they were for his portfolio as a professional photographer. He would share these photos with his colleagues at the Los Angeles Times, a newspaper where he briefly worked, which they described as “weird”. It’s possible some of those who were taken advantage of by Rodney are cold case victims.
Several other women and girls were raped, beaten, mutilated and abused by Rodney up until 1979. Rodney’s crimes earned him the death sentence, as well as 25 years to life in prison for further crimes.
What did Rodney Alcala’s father do to him?
Rodney’s father leaving the family when Rodney was just 11 years old must have been a blow. Although there aren’t many details on their relationship, it’s suggested that his father, Raoul Alcala, couldn’t find work when the family moved to Mexico and left his wife, Anna Maria Gutierrez, and Rodney’s two sisters without income or a place to live.
Did Rodney Alcala really go on the Dating Game?
Yes – even though Rodney had already served in prison for rape and assault, a lack of background checks meant he made an appearance as a contestant on the series, shown on TV on 13 September 1978. Cheryl picked Rodney over two other men, but unlike in Woman of the Hour, he was bachelor number three (whereas in real life, he was bachelor number one).
Cheryl picked Rodney after asking the men a series of questions, including “I’m serving you for dinner. What are you called and what do you look like?” Rodney’s weird reply was “I’m called the banana and I look good,” adding “peel me.” Cheryl also asked “what’s your best time?” Rodney’s even more terrifying response was “night time, because that’s the only time there is… night time is when it gets really good.”
Although Rodney and Cheryl were scheduled to go on a tennis date after being matched, Cheryl called it off, telling contestant coordinator Ellen Metzger that she got “weird vibes” from Rodney. Her gut instinct probably saved her life.
Some of Rodney Alcala’s victims shown during one of his trials in court
How was Rodney Alcala caught?
Rodney’s first known assault involved abducting an eight-year-old girl, asking if she needed a ride as she walked to school. A witness saw this interaction and called the police, leading to a warrant for his arrest. Rodney fled the state but was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in early 1971. A few months later, two children recognised his photo on a poster, which led to him being extradited to California. He was sentenced to three years in prison for child molestation (rather than rape and attempted murder as his victim’s family didn’t want her to testify), then paroled after 17 months. Less than two months later, he was re-arrested for assaulting a 13-year-old girl.
In 1978, he was arrested for drug possession, and while suspected of other crimes could not be arrested with the evidence available. Rodney was caught of later crimes through DNA evidence, including blood and handprints, as well as finding items like earrings, taken from the victims, in Rodney’s storage locker. Eye witness testimony also connected Rodney to the victims.
Rodney was first found guilty for one murder in 1980 and sentenced to death, but the ruling was overturned in 1984 because jurors had been improperly informed of his sex crime history. In a 1986 retrial, he was again convicted and sentenced to death.
In 2001, his second conviction was overturned, but in the early 2000s new DNA evidence supported another trial in California, which saw him found guilty in 2010 and sentenced to death for a third time. Extradited to New York in 2012, he was indicted for further murders and sentenced to an additional 25 years to life in prison – the death penalty had not been an option in New York State since 2007.
When did Rodney Alcala die?
Despite being sentenced to death, Rodney died in prison on 24 July 2021. He is said to have died of natural causes.
Woman of the Hour is available to stream on Netflix from 18 October
Isabella is a freelance journalist who has written on young women’s issues, entertainment, TV and film, South Asian representation, mental health, dating and so much more. She has bylines in ELLE, Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, Prima, Digital Spy, Women’s Health, and Harper’s Bazaar, and was named 30 Under 30 by MediaWeek, PPA and We Are The City. She was also shortlisted for Workplace Hero at the Investing In Ethnicity Awards and Hero of the Year at the European Diversity Awards. Follow Isabella on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.