He thought he had won. He thought no one could stop him. But Christopher Wilder, one of America’s most twisted and elusive killers, was about to face the ultimate reckoning — and it came from a teenage girl he thought was dead.
Known as the “Beauty Queen Killer,” Wilder was a charming, wealthy predator who crisscrossed the country in 1984, luring young women with promises of modeling fame. Behind the smile was a sadist who left a trail of death and terror from Florida to California. Eight women vanished forever. Countless others were nearly destroyed. And yet, he almost escaped justice — until one girl fought back.
Her name was Tina Marie Risico, a 16-year-old who vanished after school in Torrance, California. For nine horrifying days, she was beaten, brainwashed, and paraded as Wilder’s captive “assistant,” forced to lure in his next victims while praying for a way out. When she finally escaped, no one believed her. The media whispered she was “in on it.” Cops questioned her story. But Tina had something no one else did — the truth that would end Wilder’s killing spree.
Her testimony, along with the courage of two other women — Dawn and Linda — turned the tide. Linda, who barely survived an encounter with Wilder, provided detectives with key details that cracked open the case. Her bravery, combined with Tina’s escape, sent law enforcement into overdrive. A nationwide manhunt began — and the net was closing fast.
After weeks on the run, Wilder was cornered by police in New Hampshire. He tried to flee. Shots were fired. In a final act of cowardice, he turned the gun on himself, ending his life before he could face justice. But for his victims, the scars would never fade.
For survivors like Tina, the aftermath was a new kind of nightmare — years of doubt, trauma, and being branded “an accomplice” instead of a hero. But today, she’s no longer silent. She speaks openly about her ordeal, using her story to fight for victims’ rights and expose the system that failed her.
Linda and Dawn, too, have become voices for the voiceless, pushing for reforms to ensure survivors are believed, not blamed. Their strength — forged in terror — became the weapon that ended Wilder’s reign.
What makes this case so haunting isn’t just the brutality of the crimes — it’s the astonishing resilience of the women who lived to tell the tale. Tina didn’t just escape; she destroyed her captor’s empire of fear.
In the end, the monster who thought he could outsmart the world was undone by the very people he tried to destroy.
