I SURVIVED A SERIAL KILLER: The Dating Game Killer

Summary

Cold Case Files — “I Survived a Serial Killer: The Dating Game Killer”

Original air date: May 30, 2026
Host: Marisa Pinson
Podcast: Cold Case Files (A&E / PodcastOne)

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Episode Overview

This powerful episode delves into the chilling story of serial killer Rodney Alcala, infamously dubbed “The Dating Game Killer.” The show interweaves harrowing firsthand survivor accounts, expert analysis, law enforcement testimony, and the arc of investigation and justice. It traces Alcala’s decades-long crime spree, the impact on his victims and their families, and finally, the bittersweet closure that forensic breakthroughs and determined detective work brought years later. The core focus is on the survivors—Morgan Rowan and Tali Shapiro—who share the trauma they endured and their paths forward.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introduction & Warnings

• [01:22] Host issues a content warning: “This episode contains stories involving violence against children. Listener discretion is advised.”

Survivor Story #1: Morgan Rowan

• [02:34] Morgan, at 16, recalls meeting Rodney Alcala at a Sunset Strip party in 1968. “He had a big presence.”
• [03:49] Alcala suddenly grabs Morgan and traps her in his bedroom, using a metal bar to lock the door.
  • “He wrapped my hair around his wrist and took his belt off and he pushed it into my throat and I couldn't breathe… he just lifted me by my hair and punched me in the stomach. And I could feel my ribs breaking.” — Morgan Rowan [03:49]
• Her friends try to rescue her, eventually breaking the window:
  • “He was just standing there naked from the waist down with my blood all over his shirt and he said, take her.” — Morgan Rowan [06:12]
• Morgan escapes, receives help from a friend and a nurse, but is unwilling to talk to police at the time. Later, guilt overwhelms her after learning Alcala attacked another young girl.

Survivor Story #2: Tali Shapiro

• [08:11] Tali’s account: Aged 8 in 1968, she was lured into Alcala’s car on her way to school.
  • “I'm trying to blow him off as best an 8 year old little girl can and she says, my parents told me never to accept rides from strangers and he says I'm not a stranger, I know your parents.” — Tali Shapiro [10:37]
• A passerby reports the odd pairing. Officer Chris Camacho intervenes:
  • “As I'm waiting I hear moaning. So that split second I kicked the door in.” — Officer Chris Camacho [11:47]
  • Officer finds Tali brutalized but alive; Alcala escapes out the back.
• Alcala is eventually identified but not apprehended for years.

Escalation of Crimes and Challenges for Investigators

• [05:15–14:03]
  • Other brutal Alcala crimes detailed: Jill Barcombe, Georgia Wickstead, Charlotte Lamb—all murdered in the late 1970s, showing Alcala’s violent signature: sexual assault, torture, posing victims.
  • “The killer loved getting his hands bloody. He was clearly getting off on the torture aspect and bringing as much pain to the victim as possible.” — Expert [05:33]
  • “The fact that posing was done in almost all of the murders is a definite good linkage point… But even if those crime signatures were strong, we weren't thinking so much serial killer in those days. So these cases were treated as standalones.” — Expert [12:58]
• Frustrations for survivors and police as cases go unsolved or are handled piecemeal due to lack of forensic linkage.

Alcala’s Arrest, Recidivism & Infamous TV Appearance

• [15:08–16:08] Alcala escapes apprehension by assuming an alias and fleeing to New York. He is found years later through observant summer camp teens.
  • Prosecutors are unable to secure Tali’s testimony; Alcala gets a plea deal and serves only 34 months before parole in 1974.
  • “Had I known it, I certainly would have contacted his parole officer and said, you know, you keep an eye on this guy because he's going to reoffend. He's going to do it again.” — Expert [16:17]
• [16:27] While on parole, Alcala appears on national TV’s “The Dating Game.”
  • “The arrogance to actually go on television in front of the whole country looking for more women.” — Morgan Rowan [16:56]

The Case of Robin Samsoe

• [17:12–18:33] In 1979, 12-year-old Robin Samsoe disappears and is found murdered.
• Witness accounts and a composite sketch lead investigators to Alcala. His appearance on “The Dating Game” airs during the renewed investigation, confirming investigators’ suspicions.
• Police discover a Seattle storage locker with jewelry belonging to Samsoe and likely other victims.
  • “They found a little silk pouch that contained jewelry that Robin Samso's mother identified as belonging to her daughter.” — Narrator/Investigator [21:24]

Judicial Struggles and Final Conviction

• [21:34–23:10]
  • Multiple convictions and appeals: “There was originally a conviction. It was overturned… So twice convicted, twice sentenced to death, and then twice reversed, he remained in prison.” — Narrator/Investigator [21:44-22:07]
  • Emotional toll on the victims’ families: “He gets all this consideration, what about my family?” — Morgan Rowan [22:14]

Forensic Breakthroughs & Justice Served

• [22:19–23:29] In 2003, Alcala’s DNA is matched to multiple unsolved murders. His final trial in 2010 includes the testimony of both Morgan Rowan and, crucially in the penalty phase, Tali Shapiro.
  • “He should be put down. I don't think he should breathe another day, honestly.” — Tali Shapiro [23:19]
  • “It was like Tali Shapiro. It was wonderful. It was just wonderful.” — Morgan Rowan [23:29]
  • Alcala sentenced to death; he dies in prison in 2021 of natural causes.

Reflections on Survival and Evil

• [24:07–24:23] After Alcala’s death:
  • “When Rod died, I cried. I cried for the evil he's brought into this world. I cried for Tali's lost childhood.” — Morgan Rowan [24:07]
  • “He didn't win, but unfortunately, a lot of people lost. So that's horrific.” — Tali Shapiro [24:17]
  • “It took me a long time to realize that when evil touches you, it changes you, but it doesn't own you. Evil will never own you.” — Morgan Rowan [24:23]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Morgan Rowan on Survival:

  • “I was fighting pretty hard, but I could feel my ribs breaking.” [02:57]
  • “It took me a long time to realize that when evil touches you, it changes you, but it doesn't own you. Evil will never own you.” [24:23]

• Tali Shapiro on Trauma and Justice:

  • “My parents didn't talk about it. And I never knew what had happened to me.” [14:03]
  • “He should be put down. I don't think he should breathe another day, honestly.” [23:19]
  • “He didn't win, but unfortunately, a lot of people lost. So that's horrific.” [24:17]

• Officer Chris Camacho on the Rescue:

  • “As I'm waiting I hear moaning. So that split second I kicked the door in.” [11:47]
  • “She wasn't breathing, she wasn't moving. I thought she was dead.” [12:11]

• On Systemic Failures:

  • “Regardless of whether she wanted to pursue it or not. The officer had plenty of information and it should have been reported and it wasn't.” — Expert [07:22]
  • “Had I known it, I certainly would have contacted his parole officer and said, you know, you keep an eye on this guy because he's going to reoffend. He's going to do it again.” — Expert [16:17]

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Important Segment Timestamps

• Introduction and Content Warning — [01:22]
• Morgan Rowan’s Attack and Escape — [02:34–06:47]
• Tali Shapiro’s Abduction and Rescue — [08:11–14:03]
• Serial Murders/Investigation Details — [05:15–15:08]
• Alcala’s TV Appearance and Recidivism — [16:27–17:12]
• Robin Samsoe Case — [17:12–18:33]
• Forensic Breakthrough & Final Trial — [22:19–23:29]
• Victim Reflections and Closure — [24:07–24:23]

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Final Reflections

This episode offers an unflinching look at the predatory violence of Rodney Alcala, the pain suffered by survivors and their families, and the relentless work required to achieve justice—sometimes decades later. The voices of Morgan Rowan and Tali Shapiro, and the insight from officers and experts, highlight not only the horror and heartbreak of serial crime but also the profound strength and resilience of survivors. The narrative closes with the hard-won truth: “When evil touches you, it changes you, but it doesn’t own you.”

Transcript

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This episode contains stories involving violence against children. Listener discretion is advised.

[Morgan Rowan (Survivor)]

Please welcome Rodney Alcala. Rod, welcome.

[Narrator/Investigator]

He goes on a dating game show, and he's murdering all these young women, and he's getting away with it.

[Expert/Commentator]

You really get a feel of how psychopathic he was.

[Tali Shapiro (Survivor)]

After walking through the front door, my head was cracked open.

[Officer Chris Camacho]

I hear moaning. So that split second, I kicked the door in.

[Expert/Commentator]

We got to find this guy before the next child becomes a murder victim.

[Morgan Rowan (Survivor)]

He appeared out of nowhere and grabbed me. I was fighting pretty hard, but I could feel my ribs breaking.

[Expert/Commentator]

The killer loved getting his hands bloody.

[Morgan Rowan (Survivor)]

He was just standing there with my blood all over his shirt, and I just needed to run.

[Expert/Commentator]

Did you turn around?

[Narrator/Investigator]

Until now,

[Narrator/Host]

real people who faced death and live to tell how this is. I survived a serial killer.

[Morgan Rowan (Survivor)]

My name is Morgan Rowan, and I survived a serial killer. It was summer, late August, 1968. I was 16. I was going to be moving away to New York in four nights. And we were in Hollywood on Sunset Strip. There were hundreds of people walking around on the street singing or dancing or whatever. You would just talk to anybody. That night, we drove down to a house.

[Narrator/Host]

Steve Hodel is a retired LAPD homicide detective.

[Expert/Commentator]

To a party. It's a pot party. There's a bunch of People there.

[Morgan Rowan (Survivor)]

It was loud, loud music, people talking, smoking pot. Then one of my friends said to me, hey, that's Rod Ocala. It was his house and everybody knew him on Sunset Strip. He had a big presence.

[Narrator/Host]

Matt Murphy is a former Orange County Senior deputy district attorney.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Rodney Ocala is a handsome guy. He's a student at UCLA getting his degree in film. He was socially successful. And if you're a predator like Rodney Alcala, opportunity abounds.

[Morgan Rowan (Survivor)]

At one point, I walked away from my friends just for a moment, and he just kind of appeared out of nowhere and grabbed me and threw me into his bedroom. I turned around, kind of staggered to my feet, and he was holding a metal bar. He dropped that into some brackets on the back of his door so that you couldn't open his door. He wrapped my hair around his wrist and took his belt off and he pushed it into my throat and I couldn't breathe. I don't or can't remember much of the rape other than his face really close to mine and how animal he looked, rather than human. I was fighting pretty hard, but he just lifted me by my hair and punched me in the stomach. And I could feel my ribs breaking. He seemed to really enjoy punching me repeatedly against my broken ribs.

[Expert/Commentator]

You really get a feel of how sadistic and how psychopathic he was.

[Morgan Rowan (Survivor)]

My friends realized that I was missing. Friends started pounding on the door, but they couldn't get past the metal bar. That really angered him. So he put his hands around my neck. Everything got kind of black. Felt like I was falling down a well.

[Narrator/Investigator]

On November 10, 1977, 18 year old Jill Barcombe was found murdered on a fire road up in the Hollywood Hills. She'd been beaten, strangled, raped, posed in a provocative position. And a bloody rock was found next to her head that had clearly been used to smash in her face.

[Expert/Commentator]

The killer loved getting his hands bloody. He was clearly getting off on the torture aspect and bringing as much pain to the victim as possible.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Almost exactly A month later, 27 year old pediatric nurse named Georgia Wickstead was found murdered in her apartment. She had been beaten, she had been strangled, she'd been raped. She was murdered with a hammer. An incredibly brutal, bloody crime scene. But just like Jill Barcombe, there were no witnesses, there were no fingerprints, and the leads very quickly hit a dead end.

[Morgan Rowan (Survivor)]

I was praying for it to be over, praying because I knew that I was going to die. But suddenly there was a whole lot of commotion, glass breaking. My friends had broken his bedroom window and I could feel air, cool air. Everybody ran into the room and he was just standing there naked from the waist down with my blood all over his shirt and he said, take her,

[Expert/Commentator]

and he says to her friends, I've had my way with her. I'm through with her as if she's a possession, an object.

[Morgan Rowan (Survivor)]

I just needed to run and I was wearing nothing but the pieces of a blouse and I ran down the street and then my friends caught up with me and said we have to keep running. My friend took me home with him and his neighbor was a nurse and he helped me cough the blood out of my lungs and then they taped my ribs for me. A police officer appeared, I'm not sure who called and I really didn't want to talk to him because I didn't want my parents to know. I wasn't cooperative at all and he left.

[Expert/Commentator]

Regardless of whether she wanted to pursue it or not. The officer had plenty of information and it should have been reported and it wasn't.

[Morgan Rowan (Survivor)]

We moved to New York and I started school pretty quickly after that. We were in New York for about a month and I got a letter from the girl that had been with me that night and a newspaper clipping fell out and it said that Rod Alcala had raped and almost killed an eight year old girl. That was more painful than anything. I just fell to my knees and begged her to forgive me. It was my fault. I hadn't stopped him, but I had no name to track. I didn't even know she lived.

[Tali Shapiro (Survivor)]

My name is Tali Shapiro and I survived a serial killer.

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[Tali Shapiro (Survivor)]

In 1968 we were living at the Chateau Marmont off of sunset and on September 25th I woke up. I got myself out the door and proceeded to walk to school.

[Narrator/Investigator]

She's walking down the street and a man pulls over and says, hey, do you want a ride to school?

[Tali Shapiro (Survivor)]

I'm trying to blow him off as best an 8 year old little girl

[Narrator/Investigator]

can and she says, my parents told me never to accept rides from strangers and he says I'm not a stranger, I know your parents.

[Tali Shapiro (Survivor)]

And he looked young, like somebody my parents knew. So I did get in the car even though I was hesitant.

[Narrator/Investigator]

There's a good Samaritan who sees this and it doesn't look right. He follows this car and as we

[Tali Shapiro (Survivor)]

were driving this guy mentioned that he wanted to swing by his place and show me this beautiful poster. At which time my hairs on my arms stood up and I wanted to jump out of the car.

[Expert/Commentator]

That citizen sees this little girl and this long haired hippie looking guy walking into a house and he says this looks a little strange to me.

[Narrator/Investigator]

So he goes to a payphone and calls it in.

[Tali Shapiro (Survivor)]

Pretty much after walking through the front door. I don't recollect anything.

[Narrator/Host]

Chris Camacho is a retired LAPD patrol officer.

[Officer Chris Camacho]

I received a radio message about a possible kidnapping to a resident on Delongpre, so two officers came to assist me and I started knocking on the door. As I'm waiting I hear moaning. So that split second I kicked the door in. And as I entered the residence, on the kitchen floor is this little girl, spread eagle.

[Narrator/Investigator]

And there's more blood coming out of that little 8 year old girl than should exist in an 8 year old.

[Officer Chris Camacho]

She had a metal bar across her neck which weighed about five pounds. She wasn't breathing, she wasn't moving. I thought she was dead. Thoughts went through my mind. Who could do this to a little girl? What kind of a person is capable of that?

[Narrator/Investigator]

Ten years after Tally Shapiro was kidnapped and raped, 32 year old Charlotte Lamb was found in an apartment complex in El Segundo, California. She was found naked. The only thing that existed from her clothing was a single shoe, and the lace had been used to strangle her. She had been raped. She had been tortured. And just like Jill Barcombe, just like Georgia Wickstead, she was found posed in a sexually provocative position.

[Expert/Commentator]

The fact that posing was done in almost all of the murders is a definite good linkage point. But even if those crime signatures were strong, we weren't thinking so much serial killer in those days. So these cases were treated as standalones.

[Narrator/Investigator]

And the leads quickly went cold.

[Officer Chris Camacho]

I thought she was dead, but I couldn't leave that little girl with that bar across her neck. And I removed the bar, set it to the side. And then Tally was gasping for air. Oh, my God. She's alive. So everything then shifted into a different mode.

[Narrator/Investigator]

At that moment, this man who apparently lives there, he flees out the back naked. Officer Camacho, he's got this horrible decision. Chase the bad guy or save the little girl.

[Officer Chris Camacho]

I wanted to catch him. I desperately wanted to catch him. But the decision was to save this little girl's life.

[Expert/Commentator]

Ambulance gets her to the hospital and she was initially quite critical.

[Narrator/Investigator]

She's in a coma for weeks.

[Tali Shapiro (Survivor)]

And when I did regain consciousness, I did recover enough to go back to school. But my parents didn't talk about it. And I never knew what had happened to me.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Officer Camacho did see the assailant. So the first thing the police wanted to do is figure out who this guy is.

[Officer Chris Camacho]

As we went into the living room, we noticed a wallet laying on one of the end tables. We pulled the ID out and I ID'd that person, Rodney James Acala. But once he had escaped out that back door, we had no luck in tracking him down.

[Expert/Commentator]

We couldn't find him anywhere. We tried everything and we go down and meet with the FBI and we got him on the most wanted list. So it goes out to every Podunk town across the nation. We gotta find this guy and get him off the streets before the next child becomes a murder victim. We gotta get this guy. But he managed to evade arrest for years.

[Narrator/Investigator]

And what happened was he had moved to New York. He'd assumed an alias, John Berger. But he gets a job at a summer camp in New Hampshire.

[Expert/Commentator]

In August of 1971, I get a phone call from a FBI agent back east and he says, a couple of teenage girls up in New Hampshire are in the post office, and they look up on the wall and they say, hey, there's our counselor, Mr. Berger.

[Narrator/Investigator]

And that's how he got caught. Rodney Alcala was extradited back to California and immediately charged with kidnapping, rape, child molestation, and torture.

[Expert/Commentator]

A trial date was set, but the big problem was that the victim, Tallie, was in Mexico. Her parents said, we're not coming back. We don't want her testifying. So it put the district attorney's office in a tough spot. And rather than take a chance on losing it and him being released completely, they took a plea agreement to child molestation.

[Narrator/Investigator]

In August of 1974, after only 34 months in state prison, the parole board released this man into the wild, into society.

[Expert/Commentator]

Had I known it, I certainly would have contacted his parole officer and said, you know, you keep an eye on this guy because he's going to reoffend. He's going to do it again.

[Narrator/Investigator]

In September of 1978, Rodney Ocala is on parole. He is a convicted sex offender, and he goes on a dating game show from Hollywood.

[Expert/Commentator]

The dating capital of the world hits the dating game.

[Narrator/Investigator]

It's chilling.

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Bachelor number one.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Yes.

[VRBO Advertiser/Promoter]

What's your best time?

[Narrator/Investigator]

The best time is at night. Night time. Nighttime's when it really gets good.

[Morgan Rowan (Survivor)]

The arrogance to actually go on television in front of the whole country looking for more women. Come on over here. He didn't care what anybody thought.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Approximately a year after this dating game appearance, 12 year old Marvin Samsoe was on the beach with her friend. And she was approached by a young man who claimed to be a photographer. One of the moms in the neighborhood saw this because it looked creepy, and approached this man who kind of scurried off down the beach.

[Expert/Commentator]

A short time later, Robin borrowed a friend's bicycle and she was going to a class.

[Narrator/Investigator]

The operating theory is that this man came up and offered her a ride to the ballet lesson. She actually got into his car voluntarily so she wouldn't be late, and she was never seen alive again. On July 2, a forest worker found A tennis shoe that belonged to Robin Samsoe and human skull. Robin Samsoe's friend, who actually saw this photographer approach and say, I want to take your picture, met with a forensic

[Expert/Commentator]

sketch artist, and they actually did a composite drawing of the suspect. And this composite drawing was circulated. A parole officer said, hey, you know, I got a parolee. His name is Rodney James Alcala. He fits this crime signature. You might want to check him out.

[Narrator/Investigator]

And right after getting the tip, one of these Huntington beach detectives turns on the tv. And that was the day that the Dating Game episode aired again.

[VRBO Advertiser/Promoter]

I'll take one.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Number one. That's your number one. All right.

[Morgan Rowan (Survivor)]

Congratulations. You did it with the one answer.

[Narrator/Investigator]

And sure enough, it looks like the sketch. Rodney Alcala was arrested soon after that. Did you phone Robin? Robin?

[Expert/Commentator]

After Alcala was arrested, they found some receipts for a storage bin in Seattle.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Police get a search warrant for the storage locker. They immediately fly to Seattle. They opened up the door, and they were shocked by what they found inside.

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[Expert/Commentator]

After Alcala was arrested, they did a search warrant on that storage facility and

[Narrator/Investigator]

they found a little silk pouch that contained jewelry that Robin Samso's mother identified as belonging to her daughter.

[Officer Chris Camacho]

Rodney James Alcala appeared today in Orange

[Expert/Commentator]

County Superior Court to stand trial for

[Personal Development School Narrator]

the murder of 12 year old Robin Samsoe.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Rodney Ocala was tried in 1980.

[Expert/Commentator]

There was originally a conviction. It was overturned.

[Narrator/Investigator]

There's been a gross miscarriage of justice for being found guilty of something that I didn't do. It was reversed and then tried again in 1986. But it got up to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal and it was reversed again. So twice convicted, twice sentenced to death, and then twice reversed, he remained in prison.

[Expert/Commentator]

But it was a huge circus. All of these victims, parents and family, loved ones were put through.

[Morgan Rowan (Survivor)]

He gets all this consideration, what about my family?

[Narrator/Investigator]

But in 2003, forensic science caught up to Rodney Alcala.

[Expert/Commentator]

They obtained Alcala's DNA, which was something that was unheard of in my day, and they put it into the database

[Narrator/Investigator]

and that database is then compared to unsolved murders over the years. And when they did that, bingo. Rodney Alcohol's DNA turns up in three of the four Los Angeles murders. Georgia Wickstead, Charlotte Lamb and Jill Barkham. Originally, we were going to try him on Robin Samsoe alone. So the case just got stronger and stronger as we went. So in January 2010, Rodney Alcala's third trial is finally up. And of course the jury heard about all these other horrific crimes.

[Morgan Rowan (Survivor)]

We, the jury, fix the degree thereof. Murder in the first degree.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Once he's convicted in California for death penalty cases, you go into what's called the penalty phase. And we really wanted to bring in Tally Shapiro. It sort of closed the loop.

[Tali Shapiro (Survivor)]

He should be put down. I don't think he should breathe another day, honestly. So I just think my willingness to be there and to be present said enough.

[Morgan Rowan (Survivor)]

As I watched on the news, they showed the brave 8 year old survivor and oh my God, she had a name, you know, and it was like Tali Shapiro. It was wonderful. It was just wonderful. The penalty to be imposed upon defendant

[VRBO Advertiser/Promoter]

Rodney James Alcala to be death.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Yeah, but Rodney Alcala died on July 24, 2021, in prison.

[Narrator/Host]

All right, here's a look at some

[Personal Development School Narrator]

other top stories this morning.

[Narrator/Host]

Convicted serial killer Rodney Alcala died in prison of natural causes at the age of 77.

[Morgan Rowan (Survivor)]

When Rod died, I cried. I cried for the evil he's brought into this world. I cried for Tali's lost childhood.

[Tali Shapiro (Survivor)]

He didn't win, but unfortunately, a lot of people lost. So that's horrific.

[Morgan Rowan (Survivor)]

It took me a long time to realize that when evil touches you, it changes you, but it doesn't own you. Evil will never own you.

[Officer Chris Camacho]

At first I didn't think it was real.

[Narrator/Investigator]

I woke up to this blinding light

[Personal Development School Narrator]

and I was transported to another place.

[Narrator/Investigator]

Pluto tv.

[Personal Development School Narrator]

Then I heard a voice.

[Expert/Commentator]

Come with me if you want to live.

[Narrator/Investigator]

There were thousands of movies and shows and they were all free. Truth is that it's just so Beautiful on Pluto TV. Free streaming of Terminator 2, Fringe Arrow, the 100 and the X Files may cause excitement, loss of sleep and sudden belief in extraterrestrials. No credit cards or alien encounters necessary. Pluto TV Stream now pay. Never.

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[Narrator/Host]

I just booked my VRBO because there was a sweet wine fridge.

[VRBO Advertiser]

We all have our reasons. If you know you verbo terms app, see vrbo.com trust for details.

[VRBO Advertiser/Promoter]

You know what they say. Early bird gets the ultimate vacation home. Book early and save over $120 with VRBO because early gets you closer to the action. Whether it's waves lapping at the shore or snoozing in a hammock that overlooks, well, whatever you want it to so you can all enjoy the payoff come summer with Verpo's early booking deals. Rise and shine. Average savings $141. Select homes only.

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