The 'Dating Game Killer' was found with 'trophies' that led to his downfall, according to a detective.

The infamous serial killer Rodney Alcala is back in the public eye due to the recent release of a new film, but a former detective who helped put him away for life shared with Planet Chronicle Digital that it was a pair of earrings that led to Alcala's ultimate downfall.

In 1978, during his murder spree, Alcala was known as the "Dating Game killer" because he was Bachelor No. 1 on the TV show "The Dating Game."

A detective who worked for 18 years went home from work, sat down with the newspaper and probably a beer, had the TV on in the background, and heard Jim Lange from ‘The Dating Game’ mention Rodney Alcala, according to Steven Mack, who shared this information with Planet Chronicle Digital.

"Alcala, reportedly with an IQ of 140, believed he was smarter than everyone else and that no one would link him to the murders."

The Netflix film "Woman of the Hour," which came out recently, is based on information from the Alcala case and his time on the dating show.

In 2003, a homicide detective named Mack from the Huntington Beach Police Department in California began to play a significant role in investigating the Alcala case.

In 1979, he was a patrol officer and had already worked on the case of a missing 12-year-old girl, Robin Samsoe, who was last seen riding a bicycle to her dance class.

""She was a 12-year-old child, and it really bothers me on an emotional level because she loved life, loved going to the beach, loved dancing, loved her family, and loved her friends," Mack said."

Alcala had already been sentenced to death in Samsoe's murder twice, in 1980 and again in 1986, but both convictions were overturned when Mack began investigating.

"I knew that Rodney Alcala was a convicted murderer, but what I believed, and what everyone else began to believe, was that he was a serial killer," Mack said. "The DNA collected during my involvement proved that."

Alcala's storage locker contained evidence from previous investigators that Mack examined during his investigation.

"Like most serial killers, he kept trophies to relive the circumstances and murder," he said. "He was a sexually sadistic serial killer who loved reliving their crimes."

In the preserved evidence, Mack discovered a pair of rose-shaped earrings in a small satin pouch, suspecting they could be linked to one of Alcala's victims.

"By analyzing the earrings and souvenirs that the suspect had kept from different cases, we were able to link DNA to one of the Los Angeles homicide victims, which strengthened the case against him in L.A. and allowed us to merge the two prosecutions in Los Angeles and Orange County into one trial."

The DNA on the rose-shaped earrings was identified as belonging to Charlotte Lamb, a 32-year-old woman who was murdered in Los Angeles in 1978.

"The forensic connection that was missing before was finally established, as stated by Matt Murphy, the lead prosecutor on Alcala's case, to Planet Chronicle Digital,".

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In 2010, Alcala was given the death penalty for five murders committed in California in the late 1970s, including the murder of 12-year-old Samsoe. He was also charged with the additional killings of 18-year-old Jill Barcomb, 21-year-old Jill Parenteau, 27-year-old Georgia Wixted, and 32-year-old Lamb, after new DNA evidence linked him to the victims.

"It was widely doubted that he would receive the death penalty in California," Mack stated.

In 2013, he was given an extra 25 years to life in prison after admitting to two murders in New York.

"After obtaining the DNA in the system, other agencies, including the New York PD and police departments nationwide, began investigating their homicides and Jane Doe's. They were able to link Alcala to the crimes."

In 2016, he was charged with the murder of a 28-year-old pregnant woman after DNA evidence linked him to her 1977 death in Wyoming.

On July 24, 2021, Alcala passed away at the age of 77 while awaiting execution in California due to natural causes.

""In my view, he should have experienced more suffering than just being imprisoned, as he ultimately died in a hospital," Mack stated."

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Mack believes the true victim count may be higher than the convicted number.

"I believe that the death of a suspect does not provide any family closure," Mack stated. "Family closure would be achieved by being able to forget what happened to their loved ones, and they do not."

The former detective stated that he avoids mentioning Alcala's name and instead refers to him as "the monster," as he believes Alcala doesn't deserve any recognition.

Mack shared how the case affected his family and community, specifically his children's ability to go places independently.

"For many people, the image of Huntington Beach as a safe place was destroyed."