Who – August 24, 2019

OF A

e’scoveredstoriesaboutserial

killersandeveninterviewed

a couplehimself,butveteran

journalistAndrewByrnewas

unpreparedforthe“chance

discovery”ofhispersonallink

withonenotoriouskiller.

“ChristopherWildergrewup

justa fewstreetsawayfrom

mykids,”ByrnetellsWHO

ofthecoincidencethatignitedhiscuriosity

abouttheinfamousSydney-bornplayboy

whomurdered“atleast 12 andpossiblyas

manyas 20 women”,andissuspectedof

theunsolvedmurdersoftwoschoolgirls

atSydney’sWandaBeachin1965.“Iwas

fascinatedbyhowsucha family-friendly

Sydneysuburb,asAussieasVegemite,

couldproducea monsterlike

ChristopherWilder– inmyview,

oneofthemostdangerousmen

Australiahaseverproduced.”

ThatfascinationledByrneon

a journeyintothedarkestdepths

ofWilder’sdisturbingstory,

whichhedocumentsinhisbook

ThePrettyGirlKiller, a

comprehensiveinvestigationofthelifeand

crimes of the “extremely cunning ” Wilder.

“As I slowly discovered, Wilder was not

your stereotypical psychopathic killer who

operated in the shadows and came out at

night to prey on, stalk and grab his victims

off the street,” says Byrne of Wilder, who

fled Australia for the US in 1969, where his

murderous rampage lasted 15 years. “He was

handsome, successful and very popular with

women – he was never without a girlfriend.”

In his book, which presents new evidence

based on interviews with witnesses, survivors

and FBI agents, Byrne chillingly takes the

reader into Wilder’s depraved exploits. With

his good looks and charm, the camera-toting

Wilder would convince beautiful girls and

women that he was a photographer who

ND KILLER

Anewbookdelvesintothedepraved

s ofChristopherWilder

couldlaunchtheir

modellingcareer. “He

targetedhisvictims

oncrowdedbeaches,

inbusyshopping

centresandat beauty

pageants,and would

oftenapproach them

whentheywere

withtheirparents,”

saysByrne.“He

fooledeveryone fortw

familyandfriends,workcolleaguesandeven

judgesandmagistrates.”

Theresearch processwas“veryintense”for

Byrne,whointerviewed Wanda Beach victim

MarianneSchmidt’ssiblings,whowereonthe

beachwithher thatday.“Thatwasa crucial

moment,aswasreadingthe

policestatementsWilder’swife

gavetopolicefouryearsafterthe

Wandakillings,inwhichshetold

themshebelievedhersadistic

spousewasresponsible,”reflects

Byrne.ThebodyofSchmidt’sbest

friend,ChristineSharrock,was

alsofoundatthebeach.Also,the

authortravelled totheUSandfollowedpartof

the route Wildertookduringa six-weekspree

of “abducting, rapingandmurderinguptoa

dozen women”. “Manyofthemotelshestayed

at, where he wouldbundlehisvictimsintoa

sleeping bag and carrytheminside,arestill

operating today,”hesays.“Itwasspine-chilling

to sit in the sameroomwherehehadtortured

them with a homemadeelectric-shockdevice

and subjected

them to

appalling

attacks.”

Meeting the

families of the

victims was

harrowing.

“They were all

stunninglybeautifulwomenwithgolden

futuresaheadofthem,”hesays,ofthe

teachers,mothers,studentsandbeauty-

pageant winners Wilder preyed on. Byrne

alsospoketoa survivor.“She

hadnevertoldherstorybefore,”he

says.“Thehairsonthebackofmyneck

literallydidstandupwhileshedetailed

herordeal...includinghavinghereyelids

gluedtogether.”

ThefirstoffoursonsofJuneandColey,

a USnavalhero,Wilderspenthischildhood

movingbetweentheUSandAsia,following

hisfather’spostings.“Hestartedabusing

girlsaroundtheageof11,”revealsByrne.

“Bythetimehisfatherretiredandthefamily

returnedtoAustralia,Wilderwas 15 years

oldanda sexualdeviant.”Withina yearhe’d

committedhisfirstrape.

“Threeyearslater,it’smybelief,andthe

beliefofseniorpolice,thathewasresponsible

fortheWandaBeachmurders,”assertsByrne,

whosaysoneofhismain

motivationsforwritingthe

book“istobringsomekind

ofclosuretotheSchmidt

family”.“Ihopethisbook

willatleastgivethem

someanswers.”

■ByKarinaMachado

ThePrettyGirlKillerby

AndrewByrne(Viking)is

outAug.6;$34.99.

“[Wilder]

fooled

everyone for

two decades”

—Byrne

Author Andrew

Byrne.

CLOCKWISE FROM BOTT

OM LEFT: SUPPLIED BY FBI

AGENT JOHN HANLO

N/PENGUIN

RANDOM HOUSE; AAP

(3);

CHRIS BUECHNER

d

woddecadedess–

rk colleagues and even stunningly beautiful women with golden

Wilder, 39, is shown

slumped in a car after

shooting himself to

death as police tried

to apprehend him on

Apr. 13, 1984, in the US

state of New Hampshire.