Judge:

A serial killer responsible for the death and kidnapping of a 12-year-old Huntington Beach girl was sentenced to death Tuesday by an Orange County Superior Court judge.

Rodney James Alcala, 66, was given the death penalty for the murder and kidnapping of Robin Samsoe in 1979 and the murder of four Los Angeles women in the 1970s. Alcala was convicted of five counts of murder Feb. 25.

“This serial killer is a monster who, for his own sexual gratification . . . uses his victims and then ends their lives,” said Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas.

Alcala sat in a wooden chair in jeans, a denim jacket and boots as family and friends of the five victims spoke about their loss. Alcala’s long, curly gray hair hung in his face as he stared at a pen on the table in front of him while Marianne Connelly, Robin’s mother, talked about losing her daughter.

The death of her daughter was devastating, she said, but for one aspect she is “grateful” — Robin’s death landed Alcala behind bars.

“The defendant made my precious baby a hero, while he will be known as a murderer. This world needs more children like Robin, but never again another murderer like Rodney James Alcala,” Connelly said.

This is the third time Alcala has been given the death penalty for Robin’s death, and the first time for the four Los Angeles women — Jill Barcomb, 18, in 1977; Georgia Wixted, 27, in 1977; Charlotte Lamb; 33, in 1979; and Jill Parenteau, 21, in 1979. The convictions were twice overturned on appeal.

DNA evidence linking Alcala to the Los Angeles cases wasn’t uncovered until after the second appeal.

Alcala will be sent to San Quentin while he waits for the date of his death to be decided, but the day might not come as planned, officials said. Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley said Alcala is more likely to die of old age than of lethal injection.

Authorities are now searching for anyone else who might have been victimized by Alcala.

More than 100 photographs that Alcala took before 1979 and were found in his Seattle storage locker were released to the public last month.

The photographs show different women, as well as girls and two boys. Some of the subjects were apparently posing and others appear unsuspecting that they were being photographed. Some of the women also appear to be nude.

The Huntington Beach Police Department has received an outpouring of calls in response to the pictures and believes it could have several leads.

The calls have led to a number of “interesting” leads, but nothing has been confirmed yet, Prosecutor Matt Murphy said. There is a long way to go before anything can be confirmed, Murphy said.

Bruce Barcomb, brother of victim Jill Barcomb, asked Alcala to come clean about how many victims he has.

“Surrender to the fact that you are a death row inmate and all you have is time until you die,” Barcomb said. “How best to fill the remaining time left on this earth should be your only real life’s ambition. Work with the authorities. Make amends to your victims.”