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Kreller's Due Diligence Blog
Rodney Alcala: The Dating Game Killer
Wednesday, August 12, 2020
Know Who You’re Working With [Series]
We all encounter the problem of knowing who we’re working
with. Whether it’s our business partners, vendors, or clients, it’s difficult
to know anyone.
This piece is one of a series highlighting individuals
who, famously, were not who they said they were.
In today’s world, we can count ourselves lucky that there
are investigative resources that you can use to resolve this issue.
Kreller’s custom investigations will unearth
reputational markers and identify conflicting or damaging reports—beyond only
directly negative items or activity in a person or company’s history.
Without further ado…
Rodney Alcala: The Dating Game Killer
Rodney Alcala, sometimes known as “The Dating Game Killer”,
has seen an uptick in interest to his spree of murders spanning June 1968 to
1979. His moniker springs from his 1978 appearance on the television show The
Dating Game, in which he appeared as a
contestant—and won—in the midst of his murder spree. Luckily for the woman who
initially selected him, she famously rejected him for a date after meeting him
backstage.
Coupled with the extensive—and dark—nature of his rap sheet, his appearance on
the television screen leaves many who hear about him jarred. He hasn’t been in
their homes, per se, but he’s been present there—and not as a convicted serial
killer. He had served in the army, and graduated from the UCLA School of Fine
Arts… Later, he even studied film under Roman Polanski at NYU.
We now know the true nature of this
man. What is less known—and perhaps more unsettling—is that, by the time
he was evaluated as a contestant on the popular dating show, Rodney Alcala had
already accrued a number of red flags to his reputation.
He managed to be cleared for filming (and, according to the
rules of the show, for accompanying a young woman on a date), despite having
been discharged from the army due to a diagnosis of antisocial personality
disorder. He had previously been on the FBI’s list of
Ten Most Wanted Fugitives (in 1971), and convicted on child molestation and
assault charges—notably, one of these convictions was argued down from a
conviction of attempted rape and murder, simply because the primary witness’s
parents refused to allow her to testify at trial. He was charged with parole
violation and two drug offenses—one involving a minor. For these crimes, he was
incarcerated three times in the years leading up to his 1978 Dating Game appearance.
From what later investigations would show, all of these took
place during his bi-coastal assault and murder spree.
Online relationships are not what we’re accustomed to: we don’t get to assess a person in-person; we don’t get to know much about them
beyond standard database information and public records.
What’s more, even when you’re conducting checks on
potential associates, you may not get the information you need.
Reputational
checks are important—and not all background checks are created equal.
Our company is specialized in arming you with all of the
information you need—some of which isn’t widely available. We go a step beyond
providing basic information and seek to provide in-depth details, which
involves transparency of information in context.
Contact us today to see what we can do for you.
Do you know who you’re working with?
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