Catching Evil

Fifteen-year-old best friends Marianne Schmidt and Christine Sharrock were brutally murdered on a windswept beach by a teenage surfer who lured them to their deaths. Marianne’s four youngest siblings played together in the dunes, unaware that their big sister and her ‘bestie’ were being raped and stabbed just yards away. Trixie describes what unfolded, while her brother, Hans, his voice breaking, recalls waiting on the porch for his favourite sibling, who never came home. Wanda Beach is arguably the greatest unsolved murder mystery in Australia - until now.

Catching Evil presents the case against serial killer Christopher Wilder, the charismatic businessman who would take his obsession with murdering beautiful young women to America and trigger the biggest manhunt in the nation's history. We uncover how police let him slip through their fingers and discover a startling confession that exposes a shocking secret about the case hidden for sixty years.

Join the hunt and follow us:

Catching Evil Podcast Blog: www.catchingevil.com

Instagram: catchingevil - https://www.instagram.com/catchingevil/

Facebook: Catching Evil: True Crime Podcast - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61582973930611

TikTok: catchingevil - https://www.tiktok.com/@catchingevil

Youtube: Catching Evil Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/@catchingevilpodcast

#catchingevil #prettygirlkiller #truecrimetok #truecrime #givingavoice #christopherwilder

Hosts
Andy Byrne
Mark Llewellyn

Audio Production
Sam Blacker at The Podcast Butler - https://thepodcastbutler.com/

Artwork
Susan Armstrong

Media
Lisa at Llewellyn Communications https://llewcom.com.au/

Special thanks to Pro Podcast Studios, Sydney - propodcast.com.au

Resources
The Pretty Girl Killer by Andrew Byrne - courtesy of Penguin Random House
Wake Me Up at 10:00 Love, Terry by Frances S Ferguson - https://www.balboapress.com/en-au/

Catching Evil is hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information
Get in Touch
If you knew Wilder or one of his victims, contact us in confidence: [email protected]

Record your voice message here: https://www.speakpipe.com/catchingevil

Follow Catching Evil on:
Instagram
tiktok
Facebook

Please Support:
US
Survivors of Homicide Inc - https://www.survivorsofhomicide.com/
Yesterday Today Tomorrow Women Inc - https://www.yttwomen.org/
Aus
Mary’s House 1800 002 111

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Terry Ferguson was 21, beautiful, and shopping for a new outfit. Her boyfriend was coming back from Spring Break, and she wanted to look perfect for him. But Terry had a secret dream her mother, Frances, didn't know about—she wanted to be a model.

One ordinary Sunday afternoon in a crowded Florida shopping mall, a handsome, charming man with a camera approached her. He told her she had 'the look'. That he could help her. That this was her chance. She believed him.

Within hours, the police captain's daughter was dead—the first confirmed victim of serial killer Christopher Wilder, and the beginning of one of America's most terrifying murder sprees.

In this emotionally raw opening episode, Frances shares what no mother should ever have to tell: how quickly a dream can become a nightmare, how a single moment of trust can end everything, and what it means to lose your daughter to a predator who knew exactly what to say.

You'll also meet Penni, the teenager who was shopping nearby that same day. Wilder approached her first with the same promises, the same smile. But she was working, politely said no, and walked away. Minutes later, he turned to Terry. That split-second decision saved Penni's life. It haunts her still.

Christopher Wilder wasn't what anyone expected. The Australian-born son of an American war hero, he was a wealthy Florida businessman. A racecar driver. Charming, well-dressed, convincing. He knew how to blend in, how to target young women chasing dreams, how to exploit hope. As he later crisscrossed America, leaving a trail of abductions and murders, hundreds of FBI agents and local police launched the biggest manhunt the country had ever seen. The nation watched in horror.

But this isn't a story about him. It's about them—the young women whose names deserve to be remembered, whose dreams mattered, whose lives were stolen.

Catching Evil is the result of an eight-year investigation across two continents that has uncovered new victims, new murders, and new links to Wilder's decades-long killing pattern. He was every bit as cunning and manipulative as Ted Bundy. But more than that, it's a promise: to give voice to every young woman who never made it home. To honour Terry, and all the others. To make sure they are never forgotten.

This is their story. And it starts here.

Join the hunt and follow us:

Catching Evil Podcast Blog: www.catchingevil.com

Instagram: catchingevil - https://www.instagram.com/catchingevil/

Facebook: Catching Evil: True Crime Podcast - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61582973930611

TikTok: catchingevil - https://www.tiktok.com/@catchingevil

Youtube: Catching Evil Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/@catchingevilpodcast

#catchingevil #prettygirlkiller #truecrimetok #truecrime #givingavoice #christopherwilder

Hosts
Andy Byrne
Mark Llewellyn

Audio Production
Sam Blacker at The Podcast Butler - https://thepodcastbutler.com/

Artwork
Susan Armstrong

Media
Lisa at Llewellyn Communications https://llewcom.com.au/

Special thanks to Pro Podcast Studios, Sydney - propodcast.com.au

Resources
The Pretty Girl Killer by Andrew Byrne - courtesy of Penguin Random House
Wake Me Up at 10:00 Love, Terry by Frances S Ferguson - https://www.balboapress.com/en-au/

Catching Evil is hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information
Get in Touch
If you knew Wilder or one of his victims, contact us in confidence: [email protected]

Record your voice message here: https://www.speakpipe.com/catchingevil

Follow Catching Evil on:
Instagram
tiktok
Facebook

Please Support:
US
Survivors of Homicide Inc - https://www.survivorsofhomicide.com/
Yesterday Today Tomorrow Women Inc - https://www.yttwomen.org/
Aus
Mary’s House 1800 002 111

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you thought Ted Bundy was evil, prepare to encounter a serial killer even more cunning and hypnotic. Tall and handsome, Christopher Wilder was a wealthy race car driver and the son of an American war hero. Women adored him, but behind the facade, he was a deadly danger to every pretty young girl he met. He stalked them, lured them away with his charm, then tortured, raped and murdered them to the lyrics of his favourite pop songs.

Get in Touch
If you knew Wilder or one of his victims, contact us in confidence: [email protected]

Record your voice message here: https://www.speakpipe.com/catchingevil

Follow Catching Evil on:
Instagram
tiktok
Facebook

Please Support:
US
Survivors of Homicide Inc - https://www.survivorsofhomicide.com/
Yesterday Today Tomorrow Women Inc - https://www.yttwomen.org/
Aus
Mary’s House 1800 002 111

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.