Episode Details

In the late 1970s, a charming amateur photographer named Rodney Alcala appeared on the popular TV show The Dating Game, flashing a quick smile and winning a date with the bachelorette. What the audience didn't know was that the contestant lighting up their screens was already a serial killer. For years, Alcala had used his camera to lure women and children, charming them with compliments and the promise of a modeling shoot before turning violent. He slipped through the system again and again, serving short sentences and talking his way past parole boards while leaving a trail of victims across California and New York. In this episode of Murder: True Crime Stories, host Carter Roy traces the chilling double life of the Dating Game Killer, the manipulation and missed chances that let him keep killing for years, and the disturbing collection of photographs he left behind. Please note, this episode contains descriptions of sexual violence and child abuse and may not be suitable for all audiences.

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