SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — A California jury has recommended death for convicted serial killer Rodney Alcala in the 1970s slayings of four women and a 12-year-old girl.
The jury in Orange County returned its decision Tuesday afternoon, only hours after the 66-year-old urged the panel to spare his life.
Alcala was convicted last month of murdering 12-year-old Robin Samsoe and four Los Angeles County women in the late 1970s. The penalty phase of the trial began last week.
Alcala gave his own closing arguments Tuesday. He told jurors that if they recommend death instead of life in prison without parole, his case would be on appeal for another 15 to 20 years.
Earlier, a prosecutor called Alcala an “evil monster” who knows he’s done wrong and doesn’t care.
