A former New South Wales police sergeant has broken his silence, revealing an encounter with notorious serial killer Christopher Wilder more than 40 years ago that left him chilled to the core.
Rob McMurray, then a desk sergeant at Manly Police Station, processed Wilder’s arrest in December 1982 when he was apprehended for sexually assaulting two 15-year-old girls.
“He showed tendencies of a psychopath,” McMurray recalled of Wilder’s demeanour during the booking process.
“He didn’t seem to have any empathy about the situation … he was cold, calculating, but aloof”.
Wilder, sporting a “solid gold Rolex,” attempted to bribe McMurray for bail, stating, “This will get me bail,” as he offered the expensive timepiece.
However, McMurray’s gut instinct led to a direct confrontation. “I said, look, I’m gonna say something to you. You’ve been involved in worse … I see a murderer.”
Wilder was in the dock over approaching two 15-year-old girls at Manly Beach, claiming to be a photographer. He held them for hours, taking indecent photographs at various locations across Sydney.
Police located Wilder at his Kings Cross accommodation, where they discovered rolls of film containing photos of the girls and others.
Despite McMurray’s gnawing concerns, a Manly magistrate was persuaded by Wilder to give him bail.
Soon after Wilder fled the country.
“That’s a staggering failure in the system, which should be there to protect the innocent and the victims first, not the rights of the accused. Just a thought, you might not agree,” said investigators Andy Byrnes who co-hosts the true crime podcast Catching Evil.
“Wilder had no intention of returning to Australia for his trial,” Byrne said.
Once in the US he embarked on a murderous rampage, responsible for the deaths of at least a dozen women in a six-week spree in 1984 before he died in a struggle with police.
Byrne says all the signs were there that Wilder should have been apprehended long before his murderous spree and he slipped through the fingers of the police investigating the Wanda beach murders in 1965.
Wilder’s own wife said he should be looked at for the murders of best friends and neighbours Marianne Schmidt and Christine Sharrock, both 15 at Wanda Beach on January 11, 1969.
In a statement to police, seen by news.com.au and featured in Catching Evil, Christine detailed how she was present when police arrived at their home and confronted Wilder about the alleged rape of an 18-year-old trainee nurse.
She details his violent temper outbursts, the attempts on her life, his violent sexual acts that he was performing on her.
Christine told police on February 19, 1969 that she met Wilder herself after she and her sister were stalked by him on a beach for six hours.
“The police officer who interviewed her, her mum and her sister had no doubts,” Byrne said.
“He immediately wrote a report to the detectives handling the Wanda Beach Case, including a mugshot of Wilder, his criminal background; he handed it to them on a plate.”
An entry in the Wanda Beach murder book running sheet on May 5, 1969 said “considerable inquiries have been made in an endeavour to locate this suspect, so he may be interviewed as to his movements on 11/1/65, however with negative results”.
It noted Wilder’s wife, Christine, had begun divorce proceedings and gave details for her solicitor. The report ended: ‘At this stage the matter cannot be carried further”.‘
On September 6, four months later, the detective again contacted Christine’s solicitor and was informed the suspect could be residing with his parents at Rene Street in Ryde. The entry ends: “It is requested that should he be located, that the source of the information not be disclosed to him under any circumstances”.
On 11 November 1969, a detective finally reported that he had knocked on the parents’ door and Wilder’s mother told him Chris had moved to America back in May, six months earlier.
The murder book entry ends: “Further – In view of the above information, this matter cannot be carried further at this stage inquiries suspended.
“They had him and they blew it. The rest is history, Wilder went on to kill dozens of women,” Byrne said.
