Photo: Huntington Beach Police Department / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
I will be honest: profiling Rodney Alcala is not something I take lightly, and admiration has no place here. What this case leaves me with is a deep unease about how easily charm and credentials can mask danger — a university-educated man who moved through 1970s America while committing terrible crimes. I include this entry not out of fascination with the killer, but because the victims deserve to be remembered, and the institutional failures that allowed him to continue deserve scrutiny. If there is any takeaway for readers, it is that vigilance and healthy skepticism toward polished surface impressions can genuinely save lives.
Overview
Rodney James Alcala (; born Rodrigo Jacques Alcala; August 23, 1943 – July 24, 2021), also known as John Berger and John Burger, was an American serial killer and convicted sex offender who was sentenced to death in California for five murders committed between 1977 and 1979. He pleaded guilty and received two sentences, both twenty-five years to life, for two further murders committed in New York State.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Rodney Alcala
- Name (Japanese)
- ロドニー・アルカラ
- Reading
- ろどにー・あるから
- Born
- August 23, 1943 – July 24, 2021
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Virgo / Goat
- Origin
- San Antonio, Texas, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- serial killer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- University of California, Los Angeles
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Serial killer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-11
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.