The Beauty Queen Killer's Link To Sydney's Wanda Beach Murders
3/25/20261 hr 6 min
In 1984, Terry Ferguson was approached in a busy Florida mall by a charming photographer with an Australian accent. He promised her stardom; instead, she became a victim of Christopher Wilder, the notorious "Beauty Queen Killer."
While Wilder’s confirmed body count sits around 11, new evidence suggests a much darker reality: a trail of over 30 victims stretching from Australia to America.
Today, we explore Wilder’s predatory tactics, his transition from serial to spree killer, and his potential connection to Australia’s infamous, unsolved Wanda Beach murders.
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First 90 secondsGemma Bath· Host0:00
[suspenseful music] It's Sunday, March 18th, 1984 in Florida, and Terri Ferguson is at the local shopping center on the hunt for a new outfit. Her boyfriend has been away on a trip, and she wants something nice to wear to welcome him back. She was hoping her girlfriends might come with her, but they're all busy. She doesn't mind. She's happy to browse by herself. At 2:30 PM that afternoon, a man approaches her. He looks nice enough, well-dressed, in his late 30s, handsome, charming.
Andy Byrne· Guest0:29
G'day.
Gemma Bath· Host0:30
He has an Australian accent and a camera around his neck.
Andy Byrne· Guest0:33
Take photos?
Gemma Bath· Host0:33
He tells 21-year-old Terri he's a photographer. He even has a business card.
Andy Byrne· Guest0:38
I can make you a star.
Gemma Bath· Host0:40
"I can make you a star," he says. [woman laughs] He tells her he'd like to do a quick shoot with her at a nearby beach for a local surfing store. Little does she know, she has happened across a serial killer, a man who will become known as the Beauty Queen Killer, a man who has killed multiple young women, a man who is about to kill her. [gentle music] I'm Gemma Bath, and you're listening to True Crime Conversations, a podcast exploring the world's most notorious crimes by speaking to the people who know the most about them. For the past few decades, the confirmed victims of Christopher Wilder was believed to be between nine and 11. Our guests today believe that number is more likely to be 30 or more. In the months before his death, Wilder