Rodney Alcala cause of death: How did the Dating Game Killer die?

Rodney Alcala’s infamous crimes and eventual arrest make him the subject of fascination in Netflix’s Woman of the Hour – so, what was his cause of death in the end?

The ending of Woman of the Hour is a bittersweet one. Alcala is apprehended by police after brutally attacking a young hitchhiker. But as the closing subtitles tell us, Alcala was released shortly thereafter, and the murderer went on to kill at least twice more.

Rodney Alcala would land up in prison eventually, convicted of several murders (suspected of killing up to 130 people in total) and sent to death row. But did he ever actually see his death sentence out?

Here’s how Rodney Alcala, aka The Dating Game Killer, died.

Rodney Alcala died in prison

Although he had been sentenced to death, Alcala remained in prison until he died of unspecified “natural causes” at the age of 77 in 2021.

The official report form the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation says: “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.”

CBS

Alcala was an active serial killer from 1968-1979, and earned his moniker “The Dating Game Killer” after appearing on the hit dating show of the same name in 1978.

Despite his questionable answers, Alcala won the episode in question. However, the bachelorette, Cheryl, refused to go on a date with him, noting his “weird vibes.”

Alcala received his conviction in 1980 for the 1979 murder of Robin Samsoe, a 12-year-old girl who Alcala had taken on her way to ballet class. The conviction was reversed in 1984, but Alcala was re-trialed and given the death sentence once again in 1986.

The sentence was overturned again in 2003, and when given a new trial, Alcala was then indicted for four other women.

By 2016, Alcala had been charged with the murders of eight women; Robin Samsoe, Jill Barcomb, Georgia Wixted, Charlotte Lamb, Jill Parenteau, Cornelia Crilley, Ellen Jane Hover, and Christine Ruth Thornton.