On Jan. 8, 2013, convicted serial murderer Rodney Alcala, who's been dubbed the “Dating Game Killer,” was sentenced to an additional 25 years in prison for the deaths of two women in the 1970s.
Alcala, 69, pleaded guilty to killing the New York women—Cornelia Crilley in 1971 and Ellen Hover in 1976.
He has been behind bars for more than three decades after being convicted and sentenced to death for the 1979 rape and murder of Huntington Beach, Calif. girl Robin Samsoe.
Alcala appealed the conviction in 1980 and won after the court determined jurors should not have been told of his prior sex crimes. In 1986 he was tried and convicted in the Samsoe case again, but a court overturned the conviction finding he was not allowed to present a witness during the trial that would have testified about nefarious police behavior.
Finally, on Mar. 9, 2010, Alcala was found guilty of the Samsoe rape and murder and four other killings that took place between 1977 and 1979.
He obtained the nickname of the “Dating Game Killer” because he appeared on the popular TV show in 1978 after being convicted and serving time for raping an eight year old girl a decade prior.
In 2010, police in Huntington Beach, in conjunction with authorities in New York City, released hundreds of photos believed to have been snapped by Alcala over 30 years ago, in the hope of identifying the individuals in the pictures.
Alcala has been compared to prolific serial killer Ted Bundy, and investigators believe he may have killed as many as 130 people in total.
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