CORNELIA Crilley was a Trans World Airlines flight attendant who was murdered by Rodney Alcala. 

Rodney was known as the Dating Game Killer because of his appearance on the show of the same name, in an outing dramatized on Netflix’s Woman of the Hour. 

Rodney was nicknamed The Dating Game Killer, because of an appearance on a show of the same name

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Rodney was nicknamed The Dating Game Killer, because of an appearance on a show of the same nameCredit: AP: Associated press
Cornelia was just 23-years-old when she was murdered by Rodney Alcala

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Cornelia was just 23-years-old when she was murdered by Rodney AlcalaCredit: CBS News

Tragic murder

Not much is known about Cornelia’s early life, before she was killed by Rodney on June 21, 1971.

She was living in Manhattan at the time, while working as a flight attendant for Trans World Airlines.

Cornelia had reportedly accepted Rodney’s offer of help in moving some furniture, before he strangled her to death. 

Unfortunately, Cornelia’s murder went unsolved until 2011 and it was only then that Rodney was revealed to be the man who killed her.

Cornelia was his third confirmed victim, in a crime spree that began in 1968. 

Rodney had attacked 16-year-old Morgan Rowan and 8-year-old Tali Shaprio, but both victims were rescued before he could kill them. 

Tali was saved by Donald Haines, a salesman who grew suspicious when he saw Rodney lure the 8-year-old into his car. 

The Dating Game Killer

Rodney’s crime spree was brought to a temporary halt, when he was jailed for child molestation in 1971. 

However, since Tali’s parents didn’t want her to take the stand, it made it difficult to charge Rodney with rape or attempted murder. 

The killer later murdered a 27-year-old nurse named Georgia Wixted and an 18-year-old girl named Jill Barcombe, amongst several other victims. 

He appeared on The Dating Game in 1978, where he tried to charm a bachelorette named Cheryl Bradshaw into choosing him as a date.

Cheryl eventually did pick Rodney, but chose not to go on the date after he made several sinister jokes. 

Eventually, Rodney was brought to justice after murdering a 12-year-old girl named Robin Samsoe.

The police circulated a sketch of the suspect which was recognised as Rodney by his old parole officer, who had been assigned to him after his attack on Tali.

He was arrested in 1979 and sentenced to death in 1980. 

However, the sentence was overturned in 1984 and he spent the rest of his life in prison, before dying in 2021. 

The Netflix film Woman of the Hour dramatizes Rodney's appearance on The Dating Game

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The Netflix film Woman of the Hour dramatizes Rodney’s appearance on The Dating GameCredit: Alarmy

Woman of the Hour

Rodney’s horrifying crime spree was dramatized in Netflix’s Woman of the Hour. 

The film, which particularly focuses on Rodney’s appearance on the Dating Game, was directed by Anna Kendrick, who also stars in the movie as Cheryl Bradshaw.

Woman of the Hour made its Netflix debut on October 16, 2024, and is available for streaming.

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