An extremely brief marriage, an unbelievable $7 million estate,
and a string of vicious crimes in both Australia and the United
States. The truth about the Beauty Queen killer is seriously messed up.
The Australian-born Christopher Wilder moved to the United States in 1969 and grew a sizable
fortune through entrepreneurship and investing. However, under the flashy façade was a twisted
criminal who preyed on women and teenage girls. Wilder became known as "The Beauty
Queen Killer," having murdered a Miss Florida finalist and tricking unsuspecting victims
into thinking that he would help them become professional models, per The Charley Project.
Wilder was born in Sydney, Australia, on March 13th, 1945, to an Australian
mother and an American father. As his father was an officer in the United States Navy,
Wilder spent a lot of his childhood moving from base to base with his family, per The Chronicle
Express. He reportedly lived in various parts of the United States and southeast Asia before
his father retired and made a permanent home for the family in Sydney, according to 7 News.
Growing up, Wilder was described as a quote, "sickly child" and he reportedly had several
brushes with death. However, that frail child soon grew into a monstrous teenager that began to prey
on young girls. When he was 17, Wilder talked a girl into taking a ride with him to a nearby
beach, where he sexually assaulted her. Police arrested Wilder and charged him with the crime,
but a psychiatrist determined that Wilder was not a risk as a re-offender, and a judge gave
him probation instead of prison. This left Wilder free to stalk the beaches of New South Wales.
In 1968, Christopher Wilder met a young woman while she and her family were
visiting a beach in New South Wales, per 7 News. The two quickly became a couple,
and married later that year, but wedded bliss didn't last very long. The trouble began when
Wilder's new bride discovered photographs he'd taken of other women wearing her swimwear.
Wilder also allegedly sexually propositioned both his new mother-in-law and sister-in-law.
The final straw came when Wilder was questioned by police about a series of sexual assaults on
nearby beaches. His wife soon made the move to divorce him, and according to reports,
she would later tell police that Wilder had tried to kill her on two separate occasions.
In 1969, a 24-year-old Christopher Wilder sought his fortune in sunny Florida. He
quickly established himself as an electrical contractor and investor in real estate,
per The New York Daily News. Wilder's risks and hard work paid off, and he was soon driving a
Porsche and living the life of a rich playboy. This lifestyle would hardly be described as one
befitting of a serial killer in the making. Though there were no confirmed murders tied
to him during the 1970s, Wilder reportedly had a trail of sexual assault victims during this era.
"They're often extremely eloquent and they're disguised and they can easily fit in."
Wilder's wealth enabled him to prey on people more successfully. He
invested money in expensive photographic equipment, including the latest cameras,
per 7 News. Wilder would then hunt for potential victims wherever he thought young
and attractive women might be congregating. He scoured local shopping malls and beaches,
and began using an alias, posing as a professional photographer or a modeling talent agent.
After isolating his victims, Wilder would allegedly sexually assault them. In 1974,
Wilder used this exact M.O. to victimize a young woman he met in a Florida shopping mall.
Wilder allegedly drugged and raped the woman and was later arrested,
but was only given probation for the incident, per The New York Daily News.
In 1977, Wilder was arrested for another attack. Prior to his trial,
he was evaluated by a court-appointed psychiatrist who rendered a chilling assessment,
calling Wilder a "mentally disordered sex offender" who should be confined,
per 7 News. Despite the psychiatric report, Wilder had the charges dropped and was a free man.
Christopher Wilder visited his aging parents in Australia over the holidays in late 1982,
but he didn't take a break from his violent proclivities. In fact,
he wasn't back home in New South Wales for long before he was arrested for sexual assault.
"He offered me right then and there, $100 to come and work for him."
Wilder reportedly returned to his old stomping grounds of Manly Beach where
he preyed upon two teenage victims. In between Christmas and New Year's,
he allegedly kidnapped and sexually assaulted the two girls and was soon arrested, via 7 News.
He also faced charges for taking nude photos of the girls, per The New York Daily News. However,
he didn't stay in Australia long enough to face trial. While out on bail, Wilder secured
permission to go back to the United States, and he never faced trial for the charges. After that,
it wasn't long before he embarked on one of the bloodiest crime sprees in history.
The brutal murder spree that would vault Christopher Wilder into the FBI's Top Ten
Most Wanted list began on February 26th, 1984. That day, he had been competing in
the Miami Grand Prix, while Rosario Gonzales was working as a spokesmodel
for an aspirin company by giving out samples to racegoers. According to The New York Daily News,
Gonzales was last seen leaving the racetrack with Wilder, whom she was acquainted with.
"He was very attractive, he was witty, he always seemed to have plenty of money."
Days later on March 5th, 23-year-old Elizabeth Kenyon disappeared.
She was last seen climbing into a Cadillac with
a man who matched Wilder's description. A finalist in the Miss Florida pageant,
it was later reported that Wilder had reportedly proposed to Kenyon, only to be rejected.
It's suspected that Wilder killed both women, but their bodies have never been found. Kenyon's
parents even hired a private investigator, who gave information to the Miami Herald linking a
local race car driver to the disappearances of two local women. However, when police
attempted to arrest Wilder, they discovered he'd withdrawn $50,000 from his bank account and fled.
Christopher Wilder reportedly went to Tallahassee and conned 19-year-old Linda
Grober into believing she could be the next cover girl for Vogue. He allegedly knocked
her out with a blow to the head and threw her into his car, per The New York Daily News.
After driving the teen to Georgia, he apparently checked into a hotel where
he savagely beat and sexually assaulted her, and allegedly tortured her with
shocks from electric wires. Grober managed to lock herself in the bathroom and began
screaming so loudly for help that Wilder abandoned his room and hit the road again.
Next, he drove to Texas where he continued to use his modeling ruse to find new victims. He
kidnapped and killed 24-year-old Terry Walden and left her body in a canal. After abandoning
his car near Beaumont, DNA evidence linked Wilder to the disappearance of another missing woman.
Hairs belonging to 21-year-old Theresa Ferguson were found inside the vehicle, making him the
prime suspect in her murder case. Ferguson had been abducted from a mall in Merritt Island,
Florida, and her body was later discovered in a Florida canal, per Orlando Sentinel.
From Texas, Wilder moved north to Oklahoma, now driving the Mercury Cougar belonging to
Walden. This is when he reportedly kidnapped 21-year-old Suzanne Logan
and drove her to Newton, Kansas, where he raped and murdered her.
Christopher Wilder reportedly found his next known victim, 18-year-old Sheryl Bonaventura,
in a shopping mall in Grand Junction, Colorado. Her body was later found having
been stabbed and shot multiple times. At a Seventeen Magazine photo shoot in Las Vegas,
Wilder was able to abduct 17-year-old Michele Korfman. He reportedly murdered
the teenager and dumped her body on the side of the road in Southern California.
Wilder also kidnapped 16-year-old Tina Marie Risico and drove her to Indiana,
assaulting her both physically and sexually on the way. Outside Gary,
Indiana, Wilder forced Risico to help lure another victim, Dawnette Wilt, into his car.
The three of them drove from Indiana to upstate New York. For two days he beat and
tortured Wilt before leaving her stabbed body on the roadside. However, Wilt was still alive,
and she was able to flag down a passing car and get medical treatment. She survived,
telling police that Wilder said he was on his way to Canada, per The New York Daily News.
Following Wilt's escape, Wilder shot 33-year-old Beth Dodge and stole her
car in Victor, New York. He then drove with the still-captive Risico to Logan
International Airport in Boston. After purchasing a plane ticket for Risico to go
home to Los Angeles, he drove off toward the Canadian border.
On April 13th, 1984, Christopher Wilder was at a gas station in Colebrook, New Hampshire,
when he was cornered by two members of the New Hampshire Highway Patrol. Wilder was attempting
to leave the station, presumably on his way to Canada, as the border lay a mere 10 miles away.
Trooper Leo Jellison moved in on Wilder and tried to physically restrain him, per UPI.
During the scuffle, Wilder was able to fire two shots from a .357 Magnum. Both slugs entered
Wilder's chest with one of them exiting and striking Jellison. Wilder died almost instantly.
The pathologist who examined Wilder's body concluded that the bullets fired from Wilder's
gun were simultaneous, and both entered his heart. Wilder's death was ruled accidental,
as it's believed that he was trying to use his weapon to kill Jellison and accidentally
shot himself instead. Trooper Jellison recovered and eventually returned to duty,
and was later honored by state police.
Throughout his life, Christopher Wilder had proven to be financially savvy,
and he left behind a healthy estate after his death. In 1987, The Sydney Morning Herald
reported that Wilder's estate was valued at a whopping $7.3 million by a Florida judge.
Another judge had previously ruled that the proceeds of Wilder's estate should be split
among his surviving victims and the families of the women and girls he killed. The family
of Terry Walden was awarded $3.6 million of Wilder's estate, and the proceeds of this
settlement were divided equally between Walden's husband, daughter, and father.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Wilder's estate was hit with claims of
more than $55 million, all of which was being handled by Florida attorney Harold
Holt. Wilder's will left the majority of his assets to his parents, but the lawsuits from
his victims' families blocked this transfer from happening. Wilder's parents and brother,
who still resided in Australia, understandably had some concerns about the estate. Wilder's brother
told The Sydney Morning Herald that the family did not want any of the money, but they were concerned
that the courts might find them financially liable for any suits against Wilder's estate.
Sadly, Christopher Wilder's brutality may have claimed even more victims than are
known. At least a dozen unsolved murders and missing persons cases from Florida,
Australia, and New York all point towards Wilder as a potential suspect.
For instance, The Canberra Times reported that the 1966 slaying of 57-year-old Wilhelmina
Kruger had eerie similarities to the murders of Marianne Schmidt and Christine Sharrock,
the victims of the 1965 Wanda Beach murders, of which Wilder was a suspect.
The Daytona Beach News-Journal also suggested that Wilder was suspected of having killed
15-year-old Colleen Orsborn, as he was staying at a local motel in Daytona Beach,
Florida when Orsborn went missing in March 1984.
"Wherever she was going, she wasn't planning on going far."
In 2011, DNA finally confirmed that some previously unidentified
remains found in the area belonged to Orsborn.
20-year-old aspiring model Shari Ball left her home in Boca Raton,
Florida to pursue a career in New York and was never seen again. Her
remains were found in western New York at a wildlife refuge.
Authorities in New York put Wilder on the top of their list of suspects,
as witnesses recall seeing a man fitting his description in the area at the time,
per The Buffalo News. The true extent of Wilder's crimes remains unknown.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault,
help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network
website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).