Serial murder, also known as serial killing, is the unlawful homicide of two or more people by the same person at different times. While criminal agencies and organizations such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) use this definition, the general public finds it difficult to distinguish between killing categories (Keatley et al., 2021). Serial killers, in many cases, are offenders who kill with no rationale for their acts. However, criminologists have noted that most serial killers derive pleasure from their victims, some of which are sexually motivated. One such serial killer is Rodney Alcala, also known as the “Dating Game Killer.”
Rodney’s Background
Rodney Alcala was born in San Antonio, Texas, in 1943, to Mexican parents. His father moved his family to Mexico when Rodney was eight years old and abandoned them three years later. His mother, Anna Maria Gutierrez, later moved him and his sister to Los Angeles, United States (Kelly, 2021). Rodney’s life seemed to take shape despite his father abandoning them as he joined the army at the tender age of 17 as a clerk. However, he was later discharged from the army after a nervous breakdown due to mental issues; soon after leaving the army, Rodney became unpredictable and willingly decided to sink into the life of crime (Kelly, 2021).
Rodney’s Criminal History
It is worth noting, like many serial killers in history, Rodney also had a signature, his were beating, biting, and strangling – it is recorded that he choked his victims to the point of unconsciousness, continuing the process every time his victims came up. These are the same techniques he used in his first attempt to kill; Tali Shapiro, an eight-year-old girl he lured to his apartment in 1968, managed to escape, barely surviving rape and beating. Rodney later adopted a new alias, John Berger, and fled to New York for fear of being arrested (Kelly, 2021). Unfortunately, he was identified as Shapiro’s rape suspect in 1971 but charged on an assault case since Shapiro’s parents forbade their daughter from testifying (Kelly, 2021).
Upon serving his time, Rodney was linked to the murder of a college student, Elaine Hover, the goddaughter of Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin. Rodney later got a job as a typesetter at Los Angeles Times in 1978, which he did during the day, but lured girls at night to his photography studio, which nobody ever heard of. A year later, after appearing at the Dating Game, which was a TV show, 17-year-old Liane Leedom, managed to walk away from a photoshoot with Rodney, where she was taken through a portfolio of women who fell victims to his creepy activities, most of these women were never to be seen, or heard of (Kelly, 2021).
The breakthrough case that brought Rodney to the book was the murder of 12-year-old Robin Samsoe, who was reported missing on June 20, 1979, as she was on her way to a ballet class. This case brought forth many women who were, at one time, victims of Rodney; they all revealed chilling and horrifying moments with the predator. After a long journey in the corridors of courts, Rodney was finally sentenced to death for the third time in March 2010. He died of natural causes on July 24, 2021, at 77 years of age, while on death row (Kelly, 2021).
Biological Influences
Rodney always felt alone and unloved; perhaps this is the picture people depict from his early life when his father walked away from their lives. However, the valid account of him leaving the army due to mental issues affirms that Rodney was not mentally fit; his actions depicted someone who has Anti-Social Personality Disorder since he had no regard for other people and ignored the rights the feelings of his victims. However, whether serial killers are born or made is confusing; it is essential to note that certain behaviors may be acquired or born. This does not necessarily mean that a child who genetically shows violent conduct ends up being a criminal. However, genetics and environmental factors shape a person’s behavior (Clarke, 2018). Rodney seemed to have developed criminal behaviors due to a traumatic notion that he is unwanted and not loved, but he was not necessarily born a bad person; at least, there is little account or record of his childhood behavior.
Nature vs. Nurture
Nature and nurture are determinant factors to a serial killer’s mind; some individuals are genetically prone to violence, right from childhood to adulthood (Clarke, 2018). Others nurture certain violent behaviors through stages of their lives; Rodney’s criminal behavior is nurtured and influenced by external factors such as neglect from his father and the rejection from the army due to mental issues; these factors might have probably given him the notion that he is unloved and unwanted.
References
Clarke, R. V. (2018). Regulating crime: the birth of the idea, its nurture, and the implications for contemporary criminology. The ANNALS of the American academy of political and social science, 679(1), 20-35.
Keatley, D. A., Golightly, H., Shephard, R., Yaksic, E., & Reid, S. (2021). Using behavior sequence analysis to map serial killers’ life histories. Journal of interpersonal violence, 36(5-6), 2906-2928.
Kelly, E. (2021, July 30). The Horrifying Story of Rodney Alcala, the Serial Killer Who Won ‘The Dating Game’ During His Murder Spree. Retrieved from https://allthatsinteresting.com/rodney-alcala-dating-game-killer
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