Alcala’s Lawyer Chides Prosecutors at 2nd Trial in Samsoe Girl’s Slaying

Rodney James Alcala, who spent four years on Death Row in the murder of a 12-year-old Huntington Beach girl, listened intently at his second trial Wednesday as his attorney lambasted prosecutors for “cajoling” witnesses, using jail informants and relying on evidence that “no one in his right mind” would use to convict Alcala.

The fiery accusations came from defense attorney John Patrick Dolan during opening statements at Alcala’s second trial in connection with the slaying of blond-haired Robin Samsoe. The girl was last seen June 20, 1979; her body was found 12 days later in the Sierra Madre foothills in Los Angeles County.

‘No Surprises’

Deputy Dist. Atty. Tom Goethals, assigned the task of trying to return the 41-year-old Alcala to Death Row, listened calmly to Dolan’s comments, but said later, “There were no surprises from the defense.”

Both Alcala’s first-degree murder conviction and death sentence were overturned two years ago by the state Supreme Court. The high court’s ruling eliminated some key evidence used at the first trial to convict Alcala.

The court ruled, for example, that Alcala did not get a fair trial because the judge allowed prosecutors to tell jurors about Alcala’s criminal past.

Alcala, in separate earlier incidents, had picked up three young girls and held them against their will. In two cases, he beat them into unconsciousness. Alcala went to prison for the first incident, was returned to prison on a parole violation in the second incident and confessed the third to police after his arrest in the Robin Samsoe case.

Prosecutors argued to the judge in 1980 that those incidents were important to show that the Samsoe abduction fit in with Alcala’s pattern. However, the Supreme Court ruled that the information had an “inflammatory impact” on the jury and that there were not enough similarities between the earlier incidents and Samsoe’s slaying to make an exception to the general rule of not allowing prosecutors to refer to a suspect’s prior offenses.

Witness From First Trial

Since taking on the Alcala case last year, Goethals has declined to comment on how much his case has been hurt by the restraints placed on him by the state Supreme Court.

In the current proceeding, Goethals is expected to rely heavily on several witnesses from Alcala’s first trial.

Dana Crappa, who was a U.S. Forest Service ranger in 1979, said at the first trial that on the day Robin Samsoe was reported missing, she saw a young blond girl and a man in the same mountain area where the girl’s body was later found. She gave a close description of Alcala’s car and said the man looked similar to Alcala, although she did not positively identify him.

The prosecutor will also bring forth one of two jailhouse informants--or perhaps both--who testified earlier that Alcala confessed the Robin Samsoe slaying to them. Goethals told the jurors he would rely on damaging statements Alcala made after he was sent to the Orange County Jail, but did not specifically describe that testimony.

Defense attorney Dolan, however, talked about the informants at length, describing them as heroin addicts “who would sell their grandmothers’ false teeth to get out of jail.”

Dolan told jurors he would show how informants in jail put themselves in a position to be near defendants whom they think prosecutors are having trouble convicting. The informants then fabricate incriminating information in exchange for help in their own cases, he said.

“It’s a little game that’s been going on at the Orange County Jail for years, called ‘buy your way out of the jailhouse,’ ” Dolan said.

Dolan also accused prosecutors and the police of “badgering, cajoling, and intimidating” Crappa for eight months to try to get her to positively identify Alcala.

Last Seen in Pier Area

What Crappa went through with prosecutors, Dolan said, is “one of the saddest stories I’ve ever seen.”

The Samsoe girl was last seen in the Huntington Beach Pier area about 3:15 p.m. on June 20, 1979. She had spent the day with a friend, Bridgett Wilvert, mostly in the Sunset Beach area, where according to Wilvert they were approached by a man who wanted to take their pictures.

Wilvert then let Robin Samsoe borrow her bicycle so she could hurry to her ballet class. No one ever saw the girl again.

Physical evidence found in Alcala’s storage locker in Seattle, Wash., showed he had been taking pictures at Sunset Beach that day. The Wilvert girl and a second witness, Jackye Young--who were among Goethals’ first witnesses Wednesday--identified Alcala as the man who took the pictures.

In his opening statement, Dolan acknowledged that Alcala was on the beach that day and implied that Alcala could have taken Robin Samsoe’s picture.

“But that’s all he did,” Dolan said.

Goethals later predicted that Crappa will make a much better witness than Dolan tried to depict. She is scheduled to testify next week.