Christopher Wilder: The Beauty Queen Killer

On this day in 1984, Christopher Wilder, the man who would come to be known as "The Beauty Queen Killer," died after a scuffle with state troopers in the town of Colebrook, New Hampshire. His death put an end to a month-long killing spree that began in Florida and claimed at least eight victims. However, long before his spree began, he had already terrorized several women.

Christopher Wilder was born on March 13, 1945, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. His father was an American naval officer, and his mother was an Australian national. His early life was marked by almost dying at birth and nearly drowning at the age of two. On January 4, 1963, just two months shy of his 18th birthday, Wilder and two teenage accomplices raped a 13-year-old girl. For this heinous crime, he only received probation. As an adult, he would claim that he was also sentenced to receive electroshock therapy. If he really did undergo these treatments, they may have exacerbated his violent sexual tendencies. However, journalists who have studied his case say that there is no evidence that he received electroshock therapy. He may have also made up the story of almost drowning.

In 1968 Christopher Wilder got married. This marriage ended after one week when his wife left him. The following year he moved from Australia to Boynton Beach, Florida, where he soon established a successful real estate business that allowed him to amass a fortune worth millions. He also got into photography, a hobby that he would use to lure his future victims. Between 1971 and 1975, Wilder would be charged with several sexual offenses. He told at least one of his rape victims that he wanted to photograph her for a modeling contract. Despite multiple convictions, he did not serve any time in prison for these offenses.

On April 13, 1980, Wilder tried to abduct 17-year-old Carla Hendry in the town of Beverly, Massachusetts. Fortunately, she was able to escape. In 1982, on a trip to Australia to see his parents, he was charged with multiple sexual offenses after forcing two 15-year-old girls to pose nude. After his parents posted bail, he was allowed to return to his home in Boynton Beach. Due to court delays, he would never go to trial.

On February 26, 1984, Wilder, who also happened to be an avid race car driver, participated in the Miami Grand Prix. That same day, Rosario Gonzalez, a spokesmodel for the race, went missing. On March 5, 1984, Elizabeth Kenyon, a finalist in the Miss Florida pageant, also disappeared. She had dated Wilder, who was linked to her disappearance and that of Gonzalez after the Kenyon family hired a private investigator. To this day, neither woman has ever been found.

On March 18, 1984, Wilder managed to lure 21-year-old Theresa Wait Ferguson away from a mall in Merritt Island, Florida. Her body would be found five days later in the rural community of Canaveral Groves. Just two days after the kidnapping of Ferguson, Wilder would abduct 19-year-old Linda Grover from a Tallahassee mall. He took her to a motel in Bainbridge, Georgia, and brutally tortured her, blinding her with a blow dryer and super glue. He also raped her and electrocuted her with copper wire. She was finally able to lock herself in a bathroom and started pounding on the walls, screaming for help. Wilder fled the scene.

By March 21, 1984, Wilder had made his way to Beaumont, Texas, where he approached 23-year-old Terry Walden and offered her a modeling job. She turned him down but had the misfortune of crossing paths with him again two days later. Wilder abducted her, stabbed her to death, and dumped her body in a canal. He then took off in Walden's car and headed for Oklahoma City, where he abducted 21-year-old Suzanne Logan. Like Walden, she was stabbed to death, and her body dumped, this time under a cedar tree.

On March 29, 1984, Wilder abducted 18-year-old Sheryl Bonaventura in Grand Junction, Colorado. They were later seen together in a diner in Silverton. The staff reported that they had been talking about going to Las Vegas. The next day, visitors to the Four Corners Monument also reported seeing Wilder with Bonaventura. On March 31, Wilder stabbed Bonaventura to death near the Kanab River in Utah. Her body would be found on May 3. After the murder of Sheryl Bonaventura, Wilder did make his way to Las Vegas, where he abducted 17-year-old Michelle Korfman on April 1. Korfman had been participating in the Seventeen magazine cover model competition at the Meadows Mall. During the competition, one of the photographers captured an image of Wilder stalking Korfman. Her body would be found on May 11 at a rest stop in Southern California.

While in Torrance, California, Wilder photographed 16-year-old Tina Marie Risico. He then abducted her and took her to El Centro, where he would assault her but keep her alive, as he thought she could help him find more victims. Now on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list, he headed back east with Risico, who helped him kidnap 16-year-old Dawnette Wilt from a mall in Merrillville, Indiana. Wilt, who Wilder stabbed twice and tried to suffocate, survived the attack. She told police that Wilder and Risico had talked about heading to Canada.

As Wilder made his way towards the Canadian border, he made a stop in Victor, New York, where he kidnapped 33-year-old Beth Dodge. As Wilder drove away with Dodge in his car, Risico followed behind in Beth Dodge's vehicle. Wilder shot Dodge and dumped her body in a gravel pit. He and Risico took off in the stolen car and headed to Logan Airport in Boston. Wilder bought an airplane ticket for Risico so she could fly back to Los Angeles.

By April 13, Wilder had made his way to the town of Colebrook, New Hampshire, where he spotted two state troopers at a service station. The troopers, Leo Jellison and Wayne Fortier, approached Wilder, and he attempted to arm himself. Jellison managed to grab Wilder, and in the ensuing scuffle, two shots were fired. One bullet exited Wilder's back and hit Jellison. The second bullet hit Wilder in the chest. While Jellison recovered from his gunshot wound, Wilder died from his.

In addition to his known victims, Wilder is a suspect in several unsolved rapes, disappearances, and murders. He is a suspect in Australia's Wanda Beach Murders, which date all the way back to 1965. The remains of several women have been found in Florida, in areas that Wilder was known to frequent. After his death, Wilder was cremated in Florida. He left behind an estate worth more than $7 million. In June 1986, a court-appointed arbitrator ruled that the estate would be divided among the families of his known victims. The family of Rosario Gonzalez, missing Miami Grand Prix spokesmodel, went to Wilder's former home in Boynton Beach to see if her remains were buried there. Four members of the Gonzalez family were arrested for trespassing. A made-for-television movie called Easy Prey came out in 1986, based on Wilder's crime spree.

Related Reading:

The day a spree killer reached the end of the road, leaving dead and missing models behind


The Snapshot Killer: Inside Christopher Wilder's murderous spree across two countries