Defendant Acts as His Own Attorney in Murder Case
Rodney Alcala faces the death penalty for the third time in the killing of an O.C. girl. This time, he is also accused of killing four L.A. County women.
Rodney Alcala is acting as his own attorney as he is tried in the deaths of an Orange County girl and four Los Angeles County women. Death penalty cases are universally considered the most difficult in all of criminal defense; this is akin to performing surgery on yourself. He should get a criminal defense attorney.
Rodney Alcala sat before an Orange County jury Tuesday and took the panel through a long-ago murder case, trying his utmost to sound like a polished defense attorney.
But he’s hardly that. The shaggy-haired man has been locked up for 30 years, and he’s back in court facing the death penalty for the third time in the killing of 12-year-old Robin Samsoe of Huntington Beach.
Now, though, Alcala is charged not only in Samsoe’s death but also in the rape and murder of four Los Angeles County women. Starting in 2001, while Alcala’s second conviction was going through the appeals process, Los Angeles County investigators discovered DNA evidence they say links Alcala to women who were killed in the late 1970s. Cases involving DNA require a defense attorney that has successfully worked with DNA experts.
Despite the serious charges, Alcala has chosen to serve as his own attorney, a decision Superior Court Judge Francisco Briseno thought unwise and opposed. On Tuesday, Alcala gave his opening statement — three weeks after the trial began — in front of a packed courtroom of victims’ families, reporters and other observers.
He began by recounting the time that had passed since Samsoe was murdered, “about 10,820 days, five hours and 15 minutes ago.”
“About 33 days and 16 hours later, I was arrested,” he said. “I have been incarcerated ever since.”
His performance in the trial might be classified as erratic, ranging from seemingly intimidated to absurd to, at times, knowledgeable.
The former UCLA student is quiet yet eloquent. He has developed a rapport with Briseno, who at times guides him through the legal process, and with Matt Murphy, Orange County senior deputy district attorney, whom Alcala often asks to help with exhibits.
In the early parts of the trial, while prosecutors attempted to tie Alcala to the slayings of the four Los Angeles County women, the defendant was almost absent. He asked few questions and made few objections. He waited until the prosecutor had finished interviewing one witness and then broke in quietly with a handful of objections to the testimony, unaware that it was late.
His demeanor changed when prosecutors began presenting the Samsoe case. Alcala was arrested in 1979, not long after Samsoe was kidnapped and murdered. He has been tried and convicted twice but both convictions were reversed on appeal.
In his opening statement, Alcala made it clear he is single-mindedly concerned with defending himself against the charges in the Samsoe case. Observers may note that his previous criminal defense attorney investigated and defended that allegation.
He began with a document from his laptop projected on a screen in front of the jury: “The 6 Minute 15 Second Window of Opportunity.” He argued that there was only a short “window” when the ballet student could have been kidnapped as she rode her bike to dance class from a friend’s apartment, and that he would prove he was at Knott’s Berry Farm then.
It is rare for a death penalty defendant to forgo the right to an attorney. Risks and challenges for both sides are great, experts say. After all, it is difficult to complain about the quality of your representation if you choose to represent yourself. Poor representation by an attorney is the most common reason cases are reversed; that is why it is so important to find a skilled criminal defense attorney. In addition, it is difficult to take questions from the person that witnesses feel is responsible for murder.
One of the most unusual aspects of the trial has been Alcala’s cross-examination of prosecution witnesses. At times, the exchanges have been heated, none more so than when Alcala cross-examined Samsoe’s mother, Marianne Connelly. He repeatedly questioned her about a pair of earrings. Gold ball earrings prosecutors say belong to Connelly were found in Alcala’s locker and are evidence in the case.
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