DNA testing brings justice after decades of despair

There could hardly be a better follow-up story to that recent post about the importance of forensic science. A recent story from WPXI (read it here) details the multiple murder convictions of a California serial killer. Rodney Alcala's first known crime was in 1968, when he abducted an 8 year-old girl on her way to school. He brutally beat her with a lead pipe and raped her repeatedly but was caught thanks to the quick action of a witness to the abduction. That witness likely saved the little girl's life, as Alcala's next victims were all murdered after being raped and tortured in various ways.

Although Alcala fled and remained a fugitive for 3 years, he was eventually caught. The girl was barely alive when found by police but did recover, at least physically. He served less than 3 years for the brutal crime, thus was a fugitive longer than a prisoner. Just weeks after being released, he kidnapped a 13 year old girl but even though the convicted child rapist was caught with the minor, he was only charged with violating probation and marijuana possession. After serving 2 years, he was permitted by his parole officer to travel to NYC, where he murdered a young woman within a week of his arrival.


By 1979, he had raped and murdered 6 young women (2 in NY, 4in LA) and a 12 year old girl, but was only a suspect in the child's homicide. He was twice tried and convicted of the child's murder but both verdicts were vacated on a technicality. The victims had been posed for pictures by Alcala, a photographer. All had been repeatedly strangled and resuscitated to prolong the torture, and one victim was raped with a claw hammer, according to WPXI.


He's been in prison for the last 30 years awaiting his third trial in the child's murder, but his crimes have haunted investigators for decades. In 2006, his DNA was run through the system and hit as a match in 4 cold cases. The evidence was subsequently used to convict Alcala of the 5 murders in LA, including his third conviction in the murder of the child. Investigators believe that he had other victims, but at least he's off the streets for good this time. For all of the details on the victims and this decades-long fight to bring him to justice, read this very informative article from the OC Weekly News here.


DNA evidence is such a valuable tool and has brought justice to so many people. Let's just hope that it will eventually be used, in the case of the WM3 to bring justice for all involved -- something that should have happened a long time ago.

('’)