ByBob D'Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
"Dating Game Killer" dead Rodney Alcala, known as the "Dating Game Killer," died Saturday in California. He was 77. (Michael Goulding/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)
ByBob D'Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
CORCORAN, Calif. — Rodney James Alcala, the infamous “Dating Game Killer” sentenced to death for the kidnapping and murder of a 12-year-old in 1979, died of natural causes Saturday in a California prison, officials said. He was 77.
Alcala died at 1:43 a.m. PDT in a hospital near Corcoran State Prison in Central California, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said in a news release.
Alcala got his nickname from appearing on the popular television dating show on Sept. 13, 1978, KCBS reported.
Rodney Alcala, serial killer who murdered Orange County girl, dies on death row https://t.co/6p8xEJeYrf
“The Dating Game” host Jim Lange introduced Alcala as a “successful photographer who got his start when his father found him in the darkroom at the age of 13, fully developed.”
Alcala was sentenced to death in Orange County for the murder of Robin Samsoe, but that decision was reversed in 1984 by the California Supreme Court, according to The Orange County Register. The decision was overturned on the grounds that the jury had been improperly informed of previous sex crimes committed by Alcala, the newspaper reported.
Granted a new trial, Alcala was sentenced to death a second time for Samsoe’s murder in 1986, the CDCR said in its news release.
A federal appeals court overturned that sentence in 2003, and Alcala was given a third trial, the CDCR said.
According to KCBS, an Orange County jury convicted Alcala in 2010 of five counts of first-degree murder and he was sentenced to death for the killing of Samsoe, along with the 1977 deaths of 18-year-old Jill Barcomb and 27-year-old Georgia Wixted; the 1978 death of 32-year-old Charlotte Lamb, and the 1979 death of 21-year-old Jill Parenteau.
In 2012, Alcala was extradited to New York after he was indicted for the 1971 murder of Cornelia Crilley and the 1977 murder of Ellen Jane Hover, the CDCR said in its news release. He pleaded guilty and in 2013 was sentenced in New York to 25 years to life.
In 2016, prosecutors in Wyoming charged Alcala with the murder of Christine Ruth Thornton, 28, who disappeared in 1978 when she was six months pregnant, the CDCR said. Her body was found in 1982.
Investigators linked Alcala to other murders in Los Angeles, San Francisco, upstate New York, New Hampshire and Seattle, according to the Register.
Authorities believe he was also responsible for about 100 other killings, the newspaper reported.
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(Photo by Ryan Miller/Getty Images) (Ryan Miller/Getty Images)
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Marvelous Marvin Hagler Marvelous Marvin Hagler, the undisputed middleweight boxing champion from 1980 to 1987, died, his wife said March 13. He was 66.. (Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
Roger Mudd Roger Mudd, a longtime political correspondent for CBS News who later moved to NBC, died March 9. He was 93. (NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)
Mark Pavelich Mark Pavelich, who set up the winning goal in the U.S. hockey team's "Miracle on Ice" victory against the Soviet Union in 1980. was found dead March 4 at a Minnesota treatment center. He was 63.. (Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images )
Reggae legend Bunny Wailer dead at 73 Bunny Wailer, the last standing member of the Bob Marley group, The Wailers, is pictured on stage in Paris the July 20, 2014. The reggae icon died Tuesday, March 2, 2021, at the age of 73. (Michael Bunel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Vernon Jordan FILE PHOTO: Vernon Jordan, former advisor to President Bill Clinton, introduces Clinton on the second day of the Civil Rights Summit at the LBJ Presidential Library April 9, 2014 in Austin, Texas. Jordan died March 1 at the age of 85. (Pool/Getty Images)
Prince Markie Dee Prince Markie Dee, a member of the Fat Boys hip-hop group, died Feb. 18. He was 52. (Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
Rush Limbaugh FILE PHOTO: Radio personality Rush Limbaugh reacts after First Lady Melania Trump gives him the Presidential Medal of Freedom during the State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives on February 04, 2020 in Washington, DC. He was 70. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Chick Corea Chick Corea, who pioneered jazz fusion as a composer and keyboardist, died Feb. 9. He was 79. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)
Larry Flynt Larry Flynt, the founder and publisher of Hustler magazine who was involved in several First Amendment battles, died Feb. 10. He was 78. (Dave Pickoff/Associated Press )
Marty Schottenheimer FILE - San Diego Chargers head coach Marty Schottenheimer answers a question at a news conference in San Diego, in this Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2007, file photo. Schottenheimer died Monday night, Feb. 8, 2021, at a hospice in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Denis Poroy/AP)
Supremes co-founder Mary Wilson dead at 76 Singer Mary Wilson, a co-founder of legendary Motown group The Supremes, died Feb. 8, 2021, at age 76, multiple news outlets are reporting. (WIll Jacks/WireImage/Getty Images)
Leon Spinks Leon Spinks, right, who stunned the boxing world when he defeated Muhammad Ali for the heavyweight title in February 1978, died Feb. 5. He was 67. (Associated Press )
Jim Weatherly Jim Weatherly, who wrote Gladys Knight & the Pips' biggest hits, including "Midnight Train to Georgia," died Feb. 3. He was 77. ( Ava Gandy/WireImage)
Christopher Plummer FILE PHOTO: Christopher Plummer attends the post-screening event for "Knives Out" hosted by Audi Canada, Lionsgate, Mongrel Media and MRC at Patria on September 07, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. The actor died at the age of 91. (ANDREW KELLY/Getty Images for Audi Canada)
Dianne Durham Dianne Durham, right, the first Black to win a USA Gymnastics national title, died Feb. 4 in Chicago. She was 52. (Lisa Genesen, Associated Press, file)
Actor Hal Holbrook dead at 95, report says Actor Hal Holbrook died Jan. 23 at age 95, according to The New York Times. (Walt Disney Television/ABC Photo Archives via Getty Images)
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Sophie Pop artist and producer Sophie, who was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2018, died in Greece on Jan. 30 at the age of 34. (Scott Dudelson/Getty Images for Coachella)
John Chaney Hall of Fame college basketball coach John Chaney, who led Temple University's basketball team to 17 NCAA tournament appearances in 24 years, died at the age of 89, the university announced Jan. 29. ( Joseph Labolito/WireImage)
Cloris Leachman Actress Cloris Leachman, whose eight-decade career included an Oscar-winning performance in "The Last Picture Show" and a role as the grim-faced Frau Blücher in “Young Frankenstein,” died Jan. 2. She was 94. (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP file)
Jimmie Rodgers Jimmie Rodgers, who scored his biggest hit with "Honeycomb" in 1957, died Jan. 18. He was 87. (Jim McCrary/Redfern)
Legendary talk show host Larry King dead at 87 FILE PHOTO: Legendary talk show host Larry King has died. He was 87. (Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)
Gregory Sierra Gregory Sierra, who played Sgt. Miguel “Chano” Amanguale on "Barney Miller," died Jan. 4. Sierra also starred on "Sanford and Son" and appeared in several other television shows. (Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Photo Archives/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images)
Bob Avian Tony Award-winning choreographer Bob Avian died in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Jan. 21. He was 83. (Shiho Fukada/Associated Press, File)
Mira Furlan Actress Mira Furlan, who starred in all 111 episodes of "Babylon 5" and also appeared in "Lost." died Jan. 20. She was 65. ( Michael Schwartz/WireImage)
Baseball legend Hank Aaron dead at 86 FILE PHOTO: Legendary baseball slugger Henry “Hank” Aaron has died. He was 86. (Tim Bradbury/Getty Images)
Don Sutton Hall of Fame pitcher Don Sutton, who won 324 games and pitched for six pennant winners during his 23-year major league baseball career, died Jan. 18. He was 75. ( Andrew Snook/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Harry Brant Harry Brant, the son of supermodel Stephanie Seymour and businessman Peter Brant, died Jan. 17 from an accidental overdose. He was 24. ( Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic)
Phil Spector has died at 81 FILE PHOTO: Music producer Phil Spector, known for his "Wall of Sound" and who was later convicted of murder, has died. He was 81. (Pool/Getty Images)
Sylvain Sylvain Sylvain Sylvain, a guitarist for the New York Dolls, a group that ushered in the punk rock era of the 1970s, died Jan. 13. He was 69. ( Matt Kent/WireImage)
Siegfried Fischbacher FILE PHOTO: Siegfried Fischbacher speaks during the 23rd annual Keep Memory Alive 'Power of Love Gala' benefit for the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health at MGM Grand Garden Arena on March 16, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Fischbacher died Jan. 15 at the age of 81. (Bryan Steffy/Getty Images for Keep Memory Ali)
Sheldon Adelson FILE - This Feb. 10, 2017 file photo, Chief Executive of Las Vegas Sands Corporation Sheldon Adelson shows at a business roundtable with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington. Adelson, the billionaire mogul and power broker who built a casino empire spanning from Las Vegas to China and became a singular force in domestic and international politics has died after a long illness, his wife said Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) (Andrew Harnik/AP)
Eve Branson FILE PHOTO: Richard Branson (L) and honoree Eve Branson attend the AltaMed Power Up, We Are The Future Gala at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 12, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. Richard Branson announced the death of his mother due to COVID-19. (Michael Kovac)
Nancy Bush Ellis FILE PHOTO: This Jan. 7, 1990, file photo shows President George H. W. Bush hiding behind his sister, Nancy Ellis, as he prepares for a jog along the C&O canal in the Georgetown section of Washington. A longtime Democrat who helped her Republican brother and nephew get elected president, died of complications of the coronavirus Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021, at an assisted living facility in Concord, Massachusetts. She was 94. (Marcy Nighswander/AP)
Actor John Reilly dead at 86 Actor John Reilly is pictured holding his daughter, Caitlyn Reilly, when she was a child. The longtime soap opera actor died in early January 2021 of an undisclosed cause. (Courtesy Caitlyn Reilly)
Tommy Lasorda FILE PHOTO: Tommy Lasorda of the Los Angeles Dodgers poses for a portrait during spring training photo day at Camelback Ranch on February 20, 2014 in Glendale, Arizona. The Dodgers announced Lasorda died at the age of 93. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Neil Sheehan Neil Sheehan, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author whose articles on the Pentagon Papers triggered a court battle, died Jan. 7. He was 84. (Frederic Reglain/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
Eric Jerome Dickey Bestselling author Eric Jerome Dickey died Jan. 3 in Los Angeles. He was 59. (Joseph Jones via Associated Press )
Tanya Roberts FILE PHOTO: Actress Tanya Roberts arrives at the gala premiere of "Criss Angel Believe" by Cirque du Soleil at the Luxor Resort & Casino October 31, 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The former Bond girl died Jan. 4 at the age of 65. Her death was confirmed after conflicting reports from her publicist and her companion. (Ethan Miller)
Gerry Marsden FILE PHOTO - In this April 25, 1964 file photo, Gerry Marsden leaps over his band, the Pacemakers. Gerry Marsden, the British singer and lead singer of Gerry and the Pacemakers, who was instrumental in turning a song from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “Carousel” into one of the great anthems in the world of football, has died. He was 78. (AP)
Paul Westphal Hall of Fame basketball coach Paul Westphal died Jan. 2, the Phoenix Suns announced. He was 70. (Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
Floyd Little Hall of Fame running back Floyd Little, who starred at Syracuse University and for the NFL's Denver Broncos, died Jan. 1. He was 78. ( Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
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