The disturbing psychology behind some of history’s most notorious killers is being revisited as investigators and experts take a fresh look at crimes tied to Christopher Wilder.
According to the New York Post, the renewed examination draws on decades of research by criminal psychologist Dr. Eric Hickey, who has spent years studying serial offenders and their behavior.
During one of his past conversations related to the case of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, Hickey recalled a striking remark made by Dahmer’s mother.
“He killed them, but he never tried to hurt them,” she told Hickey.
Dahmer, who murdered, dismembered, and ate his victims, remains one of the most infamous serial killers in American history.
Hickey said the comment reflects the distorted way some offenders — and those close to them — process the crimes.
According to Hickey, Dahmer displayed traits of a sociopath, meaning he could experience a warped form of guilt and even a degree of emotional attachment, including toward his mother.
Hickey is now applying insights from cases like Dahmer’s to a deeper look at Wilder, a killer responsible for a string of murders across the United States in 1984.
For decades, Wilder was believed to have nine victims. New research, however, suggests the true number could be much higher — possibly rivaling the crimes of serial killer Ted Bundy, with as many as 30 victims.
The investigation is being revisited by Australian investigators Andy Byrne and Mark Lewellyn through their true crime podcast “Catching Evil.” The project also draws on the work of other experts, including former Miami homicide detective Dr. Nelson Andreau and crime writer Michael Rowbotham.
While Hickey categorized Dahmer as a sociopath, he described Wilder as something far more dangerous: a true psychopath.
According to Hickey, sadism sits at the center of that personality type, and acts of torture are not accidental but part of how such individuals understand and interact with the world.
He said many of these offenders function as “social chameleons,” appearing charming, intelligent, and successful while hiding violent tendencies.
Hickey believes Wilder possessed exactly those traits.
“He had all the tools of the trade,” Hickey said, describing Wilder as someone with charisma, wealth, and the ability to deceive others without revealing any sign of unease.
Those qualities allowed Wilder to approach victims using a calculated strategy.
Andreau explained that Wilder often posed as a successful photographer, carrying a camera and promising young women modeling opportunities.
During these encounters, Andreau said Wilder experienced a growing sense of excitement as his deception continued to work.
Once a victim entered his vehicle, Andreau said, she effectively stopped existing as a person in Wilder’s mind.
The purpose at that point, he explained in his academic research, was to reduce the victim “to the very lowest depth of misery and despair” because the degradation made the killer feel “enlarged.”
Rowbotham offered another perspective on Wilder’s crimes, suggesting the earliest killings were less calculated than those that followed.
He believes the murders of two teenage girls at Wanda Beach in Australia — now linked to Wilder — were “almost accidental” and “clumsy.”
The later crimes across the United States, however, showed a dramatic shift.
According to Rowbotham, Wilder had spent years refining his violent fantasies and methods.
“He just went berserk,” Rowbotham said. “The fantasy needs to be fed — and it gets quicker and quicker and quicker.”
The investigators behind the renewed examination say they are still seeking additional information from anyone who may have encountered Wilder.
