Catching Evil

She stared into the eyes of a serial killer, fought a life-or-death battle in a motel room, and won — then triggered the biggest manhunt in American history. Linda Grober was just 19 years old when Christopher Wilder abducted her from a shopping mall in broad daylight. He had already murdered four women across America in three weeks. Police had his name. Nobody had warned the public. Linda had never heard of him.

What happened next in a roadside motel room is almost impossible to comprehend. He superglued her eyes shut. He electrocuted her through wires attached to her fingers and toes. He tortured and assaulted her for hours while ordering her to act like his girlfriend. And if she didn't perform to his liking, he shocked her again — then laughed. But Linda Grober did something Wilder never expected. She kept thinking. "Keep it together, sister," she told herself. "Keep your cool. Do what he says. And think."

She played dead. He loosened his grip. She jabbed her fingers into his eyes and ran — five steps to a bathroom door with a lock no thicker than a fingernail. A serial killer was right behind her. She made it. She flicked the lock. His body slammed into the door a heartbeat later. That lock saved her life.

Linda Grober's escape didn't just save one woman. It brought in the FBI and triggered the biggest manhunt in American history. Her detailed account of Wilder — his methods, his obsessions, his rituals — gave investigators everything they needed to hunt him down. Other women are alive today because a 20-year-old university student in a motel bathroom refused to die. This is not a story about a serial killer. This is a story about the extraordinary young woman who beat one.

Contact us at [email protected] if you knew Christopher Wilder, had an encounter with him, or one of his victims

Join the hunt for the truth 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

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#catchingevil #prettygirlkiller #truecrimetok #truecrime #givingavoice #christopherwilder #serialkiller #MiamiGrandPrix #ProtectOurGirls #SafetyEducation #EmpowerYoungWomen #BreakTheSilence #TrueCrimeCommunity #UnsolvedMysteries #TrueCrimeObsessed #MindysStory #TerryWalden #BeautyQueenKiller #TerryFerguson #Survivor #WandaBeach #TrueCrimePodcast #SurvivorStories #RememberHer #PodcastRecommendation #VictimsMatter #NeverForgotten #MarianneSchmidt #ChristineSharrock #RosarioGonzalez #BethKenyon #ColleenOrsborne #LindaGrober

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 Darcy Milne at Pro Podcast Studios, Sydney - propodcast.com.au

Resources
The Pretty Girl Killer by Andrew Byrne - courtesy of Penguin Random House

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 a voice message: https://www.speakpipe.com/catchingevil

Join us and support these not-for-profits:
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 https://www.maryshouse.org.au/about/

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

She was fifteen. Tiny — barely 160 centimetres tall. Wearing a pink bikini on an ordinary Thursday morning, walking alone near her home.
Christopher Wilder was six foot, well into a killing rampage across America, and should have been in police custody that morning. He wasn't. A private detective had handed police in Miami enough evidence. They called it "no evidence of foul play."
Two days later, Colleen Orsborne was gone.
For 27 years she lay in a morgue labelled Jane Doe — a number, a file, a girl nobody could name. Her mother never stopped searching. Never stopped hoping. She died before DNA finally confirmed what the family always knew.
She never got to bury her daughter.
Colleen's big sister Margaret has carried the guilt for 40 years. She was the big sister. She was supposed to protect her. That's what big sisters do.
"I'm sorry," she whispered at the memorial, 27 years too late. "I think we all felt we failed her."
She didn't fail Colleen. The system did.

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

#catchingevil #prettygirlkiller #truecrimetok #truecrime #givingavoice #christopherwilder #serialkiller #MiamiGrandPrix #ProtectOurGirls #SafetyEducation #EmpowerYoungWomen #BreakTheSilence #TrueCrimeCommunity #UnsolvedMysteries #TrueCrimeObsessed #MindysStory #TerryWalden #BeautyQueenKiller #TerryFerguson #Survivor #WandaBeach #TrueCrimePodcast #SurvivorStories #RememberHer #PodcastRecommendation #VictimsMatter #NeverForgotten #MarianneSchmidt #ChristineSharrock #RosarioGonzalez #BethKenyon #ColleenOrsborne

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

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 a voice message: https://www.speakpipe.com/catchingevil

Join us and support these not-for-profits:
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 https://www.maryshouse.org.au/about/

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

Stunning beauty queen, High School cheerleading coach and special needs teacher Beth Kenyon turned down a marriage proposal from Christopher Wilder after only a handful of casual dates. A few months later, the 23-year-old beauty queen winner vanished after being seen with him at a gas station on the way to a photo shoot he organised for her. Her body has never been found, and her younger brother Tim still struggles with the tragedy that has haunted him his entire adult life.

Join the Hunt:

Follow us:
Instagram: catchingevil

Facebook: Catching Evil: True Crime Podcast

TikTok: catchingevil

#catchingevil #prettygirlkiller #truecrimetok #truecrime #givingavoice #christopherwilder #serialkiller #MiamiGrandPrix #ProtectOurGirls #SafetyEducation #EmpowerYoungWomen #BreakTheSilence #TrueCrimeCommunity #UnsolvedMysteries #TrueCrimeObsessed #MindysStory #TerryWalden #BeautyQueenKiller #TerryFerguson #Survivor #WandaBeach #TrueCrimePodcast #SurvivorStories #RememberHer #PodcastRecommendation #VictimsMatter #NeverForgotten #MarianneSchmidt #ChristineSharrock #RosarioGonzalez #BethKenyon #CheerleaderMurder

Credits:

Hosts
Andy Byrne
Mark Llewellyn

Audio Production
Sam Blacker - The Podcast Butler

Artwork
Susan Armstrong

Resources
Thanks to Grant Gravitt and Tel-Air Interests Inc
The Pretty Girl Killer by Andrew Byrne - courtesy of Penguin Random House

Special thanks to Darcy at Pro Podcast Studios, Sydney

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 a voice message: https://www.speakpipe.com/catchingevil

Join us and support these not-for-profits:
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 https://www.maryshouse.org.au/about/

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

Rosario Gonzalez was 21 and in love. Newly engaged. Teaching Sunday school while building a modelling career. February 26, 1984, should have been just another day working the Miami Grand Prix to earn some extra money for her wedding. Handing out samples, sunshine, the roar of engines, thousands of people everywhere.
She should have been safe.
Instead, Rosario vanished in plain sight. The last photo ever taken shows her moments before she was seen walking away with a man matching serial killer Christopher Wilder's description.
No screams. No witnesses. Just gone. Why did she go with him?
In this episode, you'll hear from Bill — her college sweetheart, her fiancé, the man who was supposed to marry her. Decades later, his voice breaks describing "the most beautiful woman" he ever met. The sweetest soul he ever knew.
There's no body. No grave. No closure. Just her wedding band — and the life they were supposed to build together, frozen forever in 1984.
Rosario was engaged. She was loved. She had a future. Christopher Wilder made sure she never lived to see it.
For every woman who's ever been approached by a stranger with a "great opportunity." For every woman who's wondered if she was overreacting. For everyone still waiting for answers that may never come.
This is Rosario's story. And it matters.

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

#catchingevil #prettygirlkiller #truecrimetok #truecrime #givingavoice #christopherwilder #serialkiller #MiamiGrandPrix #ProtectOurGirls #SafetyEducation #EmpowerYoungWomen #BreakTheSilence #TrueCrimeCommunity #UnsolvedMysteries #TrueCrimeObsessed #MindysStory #TerryWalden #BeautyQueenKiller #TerryFerguson #Survivor #WandaBeach #TrueCrimePodcast #SurvivorStories #RememberHer #PodcastRecommendation #VictimsMatter #NeverForgotten #MarianneSchmidt #ChristineSharrock #RosarioGonzalez

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

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 a voice message: https://www.speakpipe.com/catchingevil

Join us and support these not-for-profits:
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 https://www.maryshouse.org.au/about/

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

Jacqueline was only 18—a rising model and reigning Miss North Miami—when her agent sent her to a stranger's house for a routine photo shoot. That stranger was serial killer Christopher Wilder.

Weeks before he embarked on one of America's most horrific murder sprees, Jacqueline found herself alone with him in his Florida home. Posing as a fashion photographer, Wilder asked her to get more raunchy. She refused. The shoot ended abruptly, but not before he delivered a chilling parting comment—words that would only reveal their true meaning once she learned who he really was.

This episode reveals the secret torture chamber in his house, filled with chains, gags, restraints, and blood. Young women lured there by modelling promises. Controlled and humiliated.

Wilder's obsession with John Fowles' novel *The Collector* is explained—it wasn't just his inspiration, but his training manual. He memorised it. Studied stalking techniques, captivity fantasies, and how to use photography as a weapon for blackmail and sex.

The pattern widens to the notorious Wanda Beach murders in Australia and how a stunning trail of police errors and missed opportunities let a killer walk free. Three months into his marriage to a young schoolteacher Wilder began tampering with her car, toying with her life. She barely escaped. He fled to America, and our investigation charts how he practised, refined his methods, and preyed on America's most beautiful women for two decades. Women like Jacqueline. She was one of the lucky ones.

Join the hunt and follow us:

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

Catching Evil Podcast Blog: www.catchingevil.com

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

#catchingevil #prettygirlkiller #truecrimetok #truecrime #givingavoice #christopherwilder #SerialKiller #ProtectOurGirls #SafetyEducation #EmpowerYoungWomen #BreakTheSilence #TrueCrimeCommunity #UnsolvedMysteries #TrueCrimeObsessed #MindysStory #TerryWalden #BeautyQueenKiller #TerryFerguson #Survivor #WandaBeach #TrueCrimePodcast #SurvivorStories #RememberHer #PodcastRecommendation #VictimsMatter #NeverForgotten #MarianneSchmidt #ChristineSharrock

Hosts: Andy Byrne & Mark Llewellyn

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

Artwork: Susan Armstrong

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

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

Resource
The Pretty Girl Killer by Andrew Byrne - courtesy of Penguin Random House

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 a voice message: https://www.speakpipe.com/catchingevil

Join us and support these not-for-profits:
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 https://www.maryshouse.org.au/about/

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