SANTA ANA, Calif., March 30 (UPI) -- Rodney Alcala, the "Dating Game" killer who murdered a 12-year-old girl and four women in the 1970s, was sentenced to death Tuesday by a California judge.
Judge Francisco Briseno followed the recommendation of the Orange County jury that found him guilty, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Alcala, 66, has been in custody since 1979, when he was charged with the murder of Robin Samsoe, who vanished on her way to ballet class. He was convicted and sentenced to die twice but won appeals both times.
After his second reversal, investigators linked Alcala to four unsolved killings in the 1970s, based on physical evidence including DNA. The victims were Jill Barcomb, 18, Georgia Wixted, 27, of Malibu, Charlotte Lamb, 32, of Santa Monica and Jill Parenteau, 21, of Burbank.
Alcala, a photographer, appeared on the "Dating Game" in 1978 and worked briefly as a typesetter at the Los Angeles Times. Investigators recently released photos found in his studio to determine if any of them show missing women.
Briseno, as he pronounced sentence, said Alcala's photographs show "sadistic sexual motives." He said evidence also showed he posed some of the women's bodies after killing them.
