AFTER 30 years of legal battles in the matter, an Orange County jury has convicted accused serial killer Rodney Alcala on five counts of murder. The case became popularly the Dating Game killer case as Alcala had once been the number one bachelor on the show. Over the years, it has seen convictions, death sentences and verdicts overturned regarding Rodney Alcala.

Rodney Alcala was tried twice for the kidnapping and murder of Robin Samsoe, 12. The first case, saw Rodney Alcala convicted by Orange County Superior Court Judge Philip E Schwab with a death sentence for the murder of Robin Samsoe, 12. However, this was overturned by the state Supreme Court on August 23, 1984. The ruling stated that the jury had been improperly told about Alcala’s prior sex crimes.

He was again convicted for the murder of Robin Samsoe on June 20, 1986, by the Orange County Superior Court. His death sentence was upheld by the California Supreme Court on December 31, 1992. However, a federal appllate court overturned this sentence on April 2, 2001, ruling that the judge had precluded the defense from presenting evidence “material to significant issues.”

The case this time, had prosecution charging Rodney Alcala for five murders that happened between 1977 to 1979, including the Robin Samsoe murder. The other four murders were of:

Jill Barcomb, 18, whose body had been found sexually assaulted, bludgeoned and strangled with a pair of pants on November 10, 1977, in Hollywood Hills.

Georgia Wixted, 27, who had been found sexually assaulted, strangled and beaten to death on December 16, 1977 at her home in Malibu.

Charlotte Lamb, 32, a legal secretary, who had been found sexually assaulted and strangled with a shoelace at an El Seguendo apartment complex on June 24, 1978.

Jill Parenteau, 21 who had been found strangled at her Burbank apartment on June 14, 1979.

In this 2010 case, Rodney Alcala, now 66, had represented himself as his own attorney, while the prosecution had linked him to the four murders on the basis of DNA, blood and fingerprints. In the Samsoe case, there was no such evidence linking him. In his defense, he had concentrated on this case and ignored the other four.

The jury reached its decision on the case in less than two days.