“Unmasking a Monster: How a Charismatic Killer Fooled a Nation on TV While His Dark Legacy of 130 Victims Lurks Behind the Screen”
In 2012, Alcala was extradited to New York after he was charged with two further murders from 1971 and 1977. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced in New York to 25 years to life when he appeared in court.
Alcala became retrospectively known as the Dating Game Killer because of his television appearance in the midst of his killings.
In September 1978, Alcala had taken part in The Dating Game, a US TV show similar in format to the UK’s Blind Date. The show saw a single woman ask questions to three potential partners who could be seen by the audience, but not by her.
The show would conclude with the woman selecting one of the men to date, based on their answers.
In the episode he appeared in, Alcala was chosen by Cheryl Bradshaw at the end of the show.