48 Hours Premiered ‘Rodney Alcala: The Killing Game’ on CBS (2018)


A photographer who was on “The Dating Game” became one of the nation’s deadliest serial killers. Eight years after “48 Hours”‘ first report, new victims emerge. Correspondent Peter Van Sant has the latest Saturday, Feb. 17 at 10/9c on CBS.

Rodney Alcala was born in San Antonio, Texas in 1943. His father abandoned the family when he was young. At 17, Alcala enlisted in the Army but there were problems, allegations of sexual misconduct, a nervous breakdown…the Army discharged him. “The military realized in 1963 that they had him, that he was a sexual deviant.” -Stefano Braccini, Former Cold Case Detective, NYPD (48 Hours)

Related Links:
Sneak peek: Rodney Alcala – The Killing Game
Former FBI profiler on the psychology of a sexual serial killer
48 Hours Mystery: The Killing Game (2010)
Serial Killer Rodney Alcala TV Gameshow Appearance
Rodney Alcala: On the trail of a serial killer
Serial Killer Rodney Alcala’s Photos Released: Can You ID Any Of These Women?
Judge Cries During Sentencing of Serial Killer Rodney Alcala
The Horrifying Story Of Rodney Alcala, The Serial Killer Who Won ‘The Dating Game’ During His Murder Spree
Decades-old photo links serial killer Rodney Alcala to yet another slaying, this one in Wyoming, prosecutors say
How a Serial Killer and Rapist Ended up on The Dating Game — and Was Chosen by the Girl
Flashback: Serial Killer Appears on ‘The Dating Game’ Mid-Spree
Rodney Alcala The Dating Game Killer: A Psychological Profile
The Haunting Photography of a Serial Killer
Rodney Alcala: The Killing Game (CBS Website)

Die for Me: The Terrifying True Story of the Charles Ng & Leonard Lake Torture Murders by Don Lasseter | Book Review (May 1, 2000)

Read “Die for Me” by Don Lasseter while camping this past weekend.

Description: “They killed for thrills… It began with a shoplifting arrest. it led to a search of a remote California hamlet called Wilseyville that yielded six bodies, 45 pounds of burned bone fragments, and a child’s liver. Then, horror-struck investigators made the most chilling discovery of all: the videotape that showed what Charles Ng and Leonard Lake did to their handcuffed female victims before snuffing them out. Here is the the terrifying story of one of the most notorious serial killer teams in American history – a pair of maniacs whose orgy of sex crimes, torture, and murder took the lives of at least sixteen victims. From Charles Ng’s strange Hong Kong childhood to his twisted friendship with co-conspirator Leonard Lake, DIE FOR ME is the graphic portrait of two monsters who walked among us – Lake, who took his own life, and Ng, who will die by lethal injection.”

Here’s my thoughts:

This book was a tough read because both of these guys were manipulative. They lured their victims after gaining their trust. It was nauseating but an educational read. California spent millions of taxpayer dollars prosecuting one of them because the military made a fatal mistake.

Get your copy here…

Die for Me: The Terrifying True Story of the Charles Ng & Leonard Lake Torture Murders https://www.amazon.com/dp/0786011076/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Ka6vFbV8QWWJ9

Marine Corps Veteran Charles Ng Sentenced to Death for Role in Murdering 11 Californians with Fellow Veteran Leonard Lake; Lake Died By Suicide at Arrest (June 30, 1999): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-63f

These serial killers were featured on Pandora’s Box: Unleashing Evil “Dungeon of Dread” (S1,E1) on Investigation Discovery: https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/tv-shows/pandoras-box-unleashing-evil/full-episodes/dungeon-of-dread

Related Links:
On This Day in History: A Killing Spree by Dual Killers Leonard Lake & Charles Ng is Put to an End in California (June 2, 1985)
Marine Corps Veteran Charles Ng Sentenced to Death for Role in Murdering 11 Californians with Fellow Veteran Leonard Lake; Lake Died By Suicide at Arrest (June 30, 1999)
Dungeon of Dread | Pandora’s Box: Unleashing Evil | Investigation Discovery (YouTube)
Dungeon of Dread | Pandora’s Box: Unleashing Evil | Investigation Discovery (website)
Dungeon of Dread | Pandora’s Box: Unleashing Evil | Investigation Discovery (Amazon)
Die For Me: The Terrifying Story of Charles Ng/Leonard Lake Torture Murders by Don Lasseter