Rodney Alcala, the "Dating Game Killer," dies of natural causes on death row

Serial killer Rodney Alcala died of natural causes Saturday while awaiting execution, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced. He was 77.

Alcala was nicknamed the "Dating Game Killer" because of his appearance on the show in 1978. He was chosen to be a contestant despite having already served two prison sentences — one for assaulting 8-year-old Tali Shapiro in 1968 and the other for assaulting a 13-year-old girl in 1974 — and being a registered sex offender. He was introduced on the program as a "photographer" and managed to win.   Alcala was originally sentenced to death in 1980 for the 1979 murder of 12-year-old Robin Samsoe. That conviction was overturned in 1984, and Alcala was granted a new trial. He was convicted and sentenced to death again in 1986. That conviction was again overturned in 2003 and Alcala was granted yet another trial.