TIMELINE - Where was Alcala and when?

[JoeFromLB]

I've put this together from several sources (news reports, court documents, blogs, etc). There are some additional dates I'm still trying to pin down.

1961-64 US Army...clerk...discharged after diagnosis of anti-social personality disorder. There are reports he suffered a nervous breakdown before discharge.

1968 Graduated UCLA, Bachelor of Fine Arts

1968 (September 25) "Tali S." age 8, Hollywood (Rape, Battery; Convicted, March 1972. California)

1968-71 Fugitive - *known to be in New Hampshire (see media links)

1968-1971 enrolled at NYU, film studies with director Roman Polanski (New York)

1970-71 summer camp counselor (New Hampshire) alias John Burger (or Berger)

1971 (June 12) Cornelia Crilley, age 23 (Murder; Suspected. New York)

1971 FBI Ten Most Wanted List

1971-1974 (arrested August 12, 1971 in Concord, NH under the assumed
name of John Berger, convicted in California March 1972) incarcerated ("Tali S.")

1974 (August 3)...released on parole and required to register as a sex offender with Monterey Park police.

1974 (October 16) "Julie J." age 13, Huntington Beach, CA . Arrested. (Parole Violation, providing pot to minor; Convicted.)

1974-77 incarcerated ("Julie J.") California. Released on parole, June 1977. Parole agent allowed Alcala to travel to New York to “visit relatives”.

1977 (July 15) Ellen Hover (Murder; Suspected. New York) alias John Berger

1977 September, hired by Los Angeles Times, typesetter

1977 (November 10) Jill Barcomb age 18, Los Angeles (Murder; Convicted, 2010. California)

1977 (December 14) Questioned by FBI in Los Angeles regarding Hover

1977 (December 16) Georgia Wixted age 27, Los Angeles (Murder; Convicted, 2010. California)

1978 (March 22) interviewed at his mother’s home in Monterey Park as part of Hillside Strangler investigation. Found in possession of marijuana.
1978 (March 22) incarcerated (for a short time...approx 2 months) (Posession-drugs)

1978 (June 24) Charlotte Lamb age 32 (Murder; Convicted, 2010. California)

1978 summer "The Dating Game" TV game show contestant. Rod Alcala aka Bachelor Number One (show aired September 13, 1978)

1979 (February 12) "Monique H." age 15, Riverside County, CA (kidnapping, Rape, battery; Convicted...date uncertain, 1980?)
February 1979...following arrest, released on $10,000 bail by a Riverside judge pending trial.

1979 (June 14) Jill Parenteau age 21 (Murder; Convicted, 2010 California)

1979 (June 20) Robin Samsoe age 12 (Murder; Convicted, 2010 California.
First two convictions and death sentences were overturned.)

1979 (July 11) Rents storage locker in Seattle, WA and places photos, photographic equipment, motorcycle and other items there. Returns to Los Angeles three days later.

1979 (July 24) arrested in Monterey Park and incarcerated pending trial (Samsoe). Receipt for storage locker found in his mother's house. Police travel to Seattle and recover photos, etc.

1980 sentenced to death for the first time (Samsoe)

 

[Kimster]

Allow me to also thank Tut Med for creating the initial timeline! :blowkiss:

 

[Pink Panther]

The article below states that Alcala was in prison from October 1974 until June of 1977.

http://www.vindy.com/news/2010/mar/26/new-lead-fails-to-solve-mystery/

Based on the "Julie J" listing above (October 16th); he must have been arrested in late October. He got out in June, and on July 15th he is suspected of having killed Ellen Hover.

...Just trying to assist in cinching the timeline.

 

[indiana]

Do we know where he was when he was in the army?

 

[christine2448]

Do we know where he was when he was in the army?

Good question.

1961-64 US Army...clerk...discharged after diagnosis of anti-social personality disorder. There are reports he suffered a nervous breakdown before discharge.

My close friend is big on ancestory and they have alot of military info...I sent her a message to see if she can find anything...meanwhile, I'm doing some diggin myself. Trying to get back in the groove

 

[indiana]

Good question.



My close friend is big on ancestory and they have alot of military info...I sent her a message to see if she can find anything...meanwhile, I'm doing some diggin myself. Trying to get back in the groove

Great! Just thinking that with a dx of antisocial PD there may be some missing persons from wherever he was when he was in the army...

 

[JoeFromLB]

Good question.



My close friend is big on ancestory and they have alot of military info...I sent her a message to see if she can find anything...meanwhile, I'm doing some diggin myself. Trying to get back in the groove

Good luck on tracing his family history. He, his mother, and both sisters all have different last names.

Rodney Alcala
Anna Maria German, mother (died in 1999, according to Social Security Death Index)
Marie Christine De La Cerda, sister
Marie Troiano, sister

I haven't been able to find anything about his father.

 

[christine2448]

Yeah, Ancestory is no help either.

But I wasn't looking for family history...I was looking to see if we could find out where he was stationed from 61-64 as clerk in Army.

Still checkin into some other resources.

 

[Pink Panther]

Great! Just thinking that with a dx of antisocial PD there may be some missing persons from wherever he was when he was in the army...

I agree and find it very frustrating that there is no information available about this at all!

 

[Pink Panther]

I'm having trouble reconciling Roman Polanski being Alcala's teacher in New York. The timelines don't really match up with information as to where Polanski was at the time that Alcala was studying there. Is it possible that the media has confused this teaching experience with when he was at UCLA?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Polanski

 

[Earthbound Misfit I]

While looking through old newspaper archives I ran across something I thought was interesting. I don't have access to the complete articles so I can only post the little information there is available to me. It says that Alcala claims to have worked for Blue Shield in New York from 1969 to 1971. One of the records says that he went to New York after he graduated from UCLA.

Suspect Pleads Innocent To Kidnaping, Murder of Girl
[SIZE=-1]Pay-Per-View - Los Angeles Times - ProQuest Archiver[SIZE=-1] - Jul 27, 1979[/SIZE]
[/SIZE][SIZE=-1] In addition to murder and kidnap- ing, Alcala was charged with child molestation ... Alcala claimed he worked for Blue Shield in New York from 1969 to 1971, ... [/SIZE]

Suspect Held in Death of Huntington Beach Girl, 12
[SIZE=-1]Pay-Per-View - Los Angeles Times - ProQuest Archiver[SIZE=-1] - Jul 25, 1979[/SIZE]
[/SIZE][SIZE=-1] After Alcala's graduation from UCLA, he moved to New York where he was employed by Blue ... through dental charts and X rays as those of the missing girl. ... [/SIZE]

 

[Redbird]

I'm having trouble reconciling Roman Polanski being Alcala's teacher in New York. The timelines don't really match up with information as to where Polanski was at the time that Alcala was studying there. Is it possible that the media has confused this teaching experience with when he was at UCLA?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Polanski

The timeline for Acala doesn't jive at all. I have tried to put together a timeline for Polanski to compare. It was tedious and sort of sloppy so please bare with me.

Polanski met Sharon Tate in 1967 in London during the filming of The Fearless Vampire Killers. Polanski and Tate began a relationship during filming, and were married in London on January 20, 1968. He made Rosemary's Baby in New York in 1968 which premiered on June 12, presumably just as Alcala was graduating from UCLA. He returned to Europe for his next two films, the Magic Christian (December 1969 and Che in 1972). Was filming on a project in England when Sharon was murdered on Aug 9, 1969. After her funeral he returned to Europe and did not work until The Tragedy of Macbeth in 1971, filmed in England. Did not return to LA until he made Chinatown which premiered in the Summer of 1974. He returned to Paris in 1976. In 1977 he visited LA to shoot photos for Vogue magazine where he was alleged to have raped a 13 year old model at the home of Jack Nicholson. He was arrested on March 11, 1977, fled to France on Feburary 1, 1978, hours before he was to be formally sentenced.

Assuming Alcala graduated from UCLA in the summer of 1968, Polanski's Rosemary's Baby premiered on June 12, 1968, after which time RP returned to Europe. Any work Polanski did was in Europe until he made Chinatown, completed in the summer of 1974. Alcala was in prison from August 12, 1971 until August 3, 1974 after Chinatown was finished. Alcala was back in prison October 16, 1974 until June 1977. Polanski was arrested on March 11, 1977, fled the US on February 1, 1978 and has never returned.

So when could Alcala have worked for Roman Polanski? It has never been mentioned that Polanski did any teaching.

I think Alcala made this up and no one bothered to check it out.

 

[reasypeasy]

While looking through old newspaper archives I ran across something I thought was interesting. I don't have access to the complete articles so I can only post the little information there is available to me. It says that Alcala claims to have worked for Blue Shield in New York from 1969 to 1971. One of the records says that he went to New York after he graduated from UCLA.

Suspect Pleads Innocent To Kidnaping, Murder of Girl
[SIZE=-1]Pay-Per-View - Los Angeles Times - ProQuest Archiver[SIZE=-1] - Jul 27, 1979[/SIZE]
[/SIZE][SIZE=-1] In addition to murder and kidnap- ing, Alcala was charged with child molestation ... Alcala claimed he worked for Blue Shield in New York from 1969 to 1971, ... [/SIZE]

Suspect Held in Death of Huntington Beach Girl, 12
[SIZE=-1]Pay-Per-View - Los Angeles Times - ProQuest Archiver[SIZE=-1] - Jul 25, 1979[/SIZE]
[/SIZE][SIZE=-1] After Alcala's graduation from UCLA, he moved to New York where he was employed by Blue ... through dental charts and X rays as those of the missing girl. ... [/SIZE]

Blue Shield is a health coverage provider in the USA, isn't it? I wonder whether he worked in customer contact at Blue Shield. That would mean he'd see a lot of people and find out a lot about them, their addresses, employers, whether they have a spouse or dependent children, maybe even whether they had medical conditions that might make them less likely to fight back.

 

[Donjeta]

Very interesting, Redbird and Pink Panther!

Did you find out anything more specific about where in Europe Polanski was known to be? I'm just thinking about the photographs of the Danish girls and wondering if any of the other photos have been taken in Europe. Alcala might have been drinking coffee in the same corner bar that Polanski had once visited or half-accidentally stepped on his toe or something. He might have been fascinated by Polanski because of the murder of his beautiful wife.

ETA: just noticed the Wikipedia link. England, Paris, Gstaad, Italy, Rome...

 

[Pink Panther]

Redbird - That was a lot of work! Thanks for doing it. I agree with you; the timelines just don't seem to match up!

 

[Redbird]

Don't suppose there would be any way to find out if he did work for BC/BS. It is sort of mysterious how he supported himself. Do you suppose he did sell some of his nude pictures to sleazy "girly" magazines? If some of these girls were really nude models who did not become victims I'm sure they wouldn't want to come forward now and admit it.

 

[Billylee]

According to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodney_Alcala


He is a graduate of the UCLA School of Fine Arts, has attended New York University under the alias "John Berger", and has studied film under Roman Polanski. He is also a published "true crime" author (You, the Jury, 1994) and a former US Army clerk. In 1977 he was hired as a typesetter to aid the Los Angeles Times in their coverage of the Hillside Strangler murders, much to the consternation of local authorities. A Los Angeles prosecuting attorney has been quoted as stating '"They hired him, with his name, having kidnapped and raped an 8-year-old ...

So is Wikipedia incorrect about him studying under Polanski?

 

[Redbird]

The information and dates I got for Polanksi also came from Wikipedia. You have to take Wikipedia information with a grain of salt since they are written and submitted by ordinary people.

 

[Donjeta]

Supposing the Polanski stuff isn't true, what else in the timeline might be made up?

 

[reasypeasy]

Supposing the Polanski stuff isn't true, what else in the timeline might be made up?

I suspect there might be more exaggerations, lies of omission and half-truths than outright lies? Things like saying he was doing a job for years rather than months. The Polanski stuff might be an exaggeration too, maybe Polanski gave a lecture or two while Alcala was studying, and Alcala is representing it as something more?

That would be consistent with a lot of what we know about the patterns of his previous behavior versus how he represents it. He's a half arsed photographer but represents himself as better. He wants to photograph beautiful girls in extreme distress, he tells them he just wants to photograph them because they are beautiful. He would prefer not to remember certain things in court, so he finds himself having difficulty remembering them and thus pleads not guilty.