Episode 11: BREAKING THE SILENCE
- Mar 23
- 5 min read
Updated: Mar 26
What Would You Do If A Serial Killer Put A Gun To Your Little Sister's Head?
She survived. She speaks. She's trying to change the world for other women
Kristine was eleven years old. Her sister was ten. They were doing what millions of children do every single day — walking to the library after school, backpacks on, the afternoon stretching out ahead of them. Safe. Normal. Unremarkable.
Until serial killer Christopher Wilder grabbed Kristine, pressed a gun to her little sister's head, and told them to get in the car.
Or he would blow her head off.
In that single, shattering moment, on a busy downtown street in Boynton Beach, Florida, childhood ended. What happened next — over the following hours, in a remote location far from anyone who could help — is almost impossible to imagine. Australian born Wilder, a wealthy, charming construction businessman who had been sexually assaulting and murdering young women for almost two decades, had these two little girls entirely at his mercy. He threatened them constantly. He assaulted them repeatedly. He held their lives in his hands and he knew it.
But so did Kristine.
Because here is the thing about Kristine that will stop you in your tracks. This eleven-year-old girl, in the most terrifying hours of her life, did something extraordinary. She studied him. She figured him out. She worked out exactly what Christopher Wilder needed, what he feared, what he responded to — and she used every ounce of that knowledge to protect her little sister and keep them both alive. Not with strength. Not with luck. With her mind, her instincts, and a courage that most adults would struggle to find in their darkest moments.
She was eleven years old.
What she did, and how she did it, is something you need to hear in her own words. Because no summary does it justice. What we will tell you is that when Wilder finally let them go, both girls were alive. And that is entirely down to Kristine.
The nightmare, though, was far from over.
In the years that followed, Kristine discovered that surviving Christopher Wilder was only the beginning of her fight. The system that should have protected her had failed her long before that afternoon — Wilder was already a convicted sex offender, already on probation, already known to police on two continents when he took those two girls off the street. A thousand dollar fine for breaching his probation. Court permission to travel internationally. A detective investigating the case who talked cars with Wilder, never once suspecting the monster sitting across from him.
And then there were the personal betrayals — people close to Kristine who chose silence over truth, their own comfort over her justice. Betrayals that cut deep as she was placed into a mental health facility.
"I was the victim," she says quietly. "Why was I the one who ended up being silenced?"
It is a question that will haunt you.
But here is where Kristine's story becomes something else entirely. Something that goes beyond survival, beyond trauma, beyond the darkness of what Christopher Wilder did to two little girls on a Florida afternoon. Because Kristine refused — absolutely refused — to let any of it be the end of her story.
The moment that changed everything came when her granddaughter was born. She held this tiny new life in her arms and felt something harden into absolute clarity. This little girl could not grow up in a world that silenced women. That dismissed them. That weighed a wealthy man's freedom against a child's safety and found the child wanting. Not on Kristine's watch.
From that moment came Yesterday Today Tomorrow Women, her nonprofit dedicated to the healing and wellbeing of survivors — women who have spent decades carrying wounds the world told them to hide, unable to understand why the pain never fully fades. Kristine knows exactly why. And she knows exactly what those women need, because she has lived every moment of it.
She was eleven years old when Christopher Wilder put a gun to her little sister's head on a sunny Florida afternoon. She was eleven years old when she made the extraordinary decision that would save them both. And she has spent every year since turning that pain into something that protects, heals and empowers other women.
Her courage isn't loud or dramatic. It is quiet, unshakeable and absolute.
This is Kristine's story. Every woman needs to hear it.
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Contact us here if you know something about Christopher Wilder. If you had an encounter with him, are you are a friend or a family member of someone who never made it home, we want to hear your story:
Email: info@catchingevil.com
Record a voice message: https://www.speakpipe.com/catchingevil
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THREE KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM EPISODE 11
Courage in real time, not romance with resilience
Kristine’s survival hinges on split-second, real-world choices, not a dramatic flourish of “girl power” moments. The episode reveals the gritty precision of her thinking under extreme threat: recognizing danger, reading the predator’s behavior, and acting in the moment to protect her sister. This isn’t a fabricated montage of bravery; it’s a sustained, intelligent response to escalating danger. The takeaway for listeners is clear: courage can be practical, tactical, and deeply relational. It’s about clarity under pressure, about prioritizing another’s safety while risking one’s own, and about choosing actions that keep both of them alive when every second counts. For women listening on a commute or at home, Kristine’s example reframes bravery as something within reach—an active skill set, not an abstract sentiment.
System failure, personal resilience, collective responsibility
The narrative isn’t just about Wilder; it’s about the gaps that allowed his predation to persist: probation loopholes, misdirected policing, and institutions slow to believe victims. Kristine’s endurance becomes a counterpoint to systemic neglect. Her decision to move from survivor to advocate—founding a nonprofit aimed at healing, education, and empowerment—illustrates how personal trauma can catalyze collective reform. The episode invites listeners to reflect on their own communities: where do we fail survivors, and how can we translate pain into protection, therapy, and policy change? Kristine’s resilience is thus both personal and political, urging listeners to support evidence-based services, speak up for victims, and demand accountability.
From trauma to purpose: turning pain into a lifeline for others
Kristine’s journey—from the streets of a frightening afternoon to the leadership of a women’s wellbeing nonprofit—embodies a powerful arc: pain met with purpose. The episode highlights how trauma can morph into advocacy that benefits generations of survivors. It’s not romantic, it’s practical: creating access to counseling, shaping legislation, and building community support systems that help others find their voice and healing. For female listeners, this is a blueprint for turning personal trauma into a force for good, a reminder that survival can seed solidarity and systemic change. The story asks: what can we do with our own histories to protect and empower others? Kristine’s path demonstrates that, with courage and persistence, we can turn the darkest chapters into a legacy of safety and empowerment for those who follow.
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PLEASE CONSIDER SUPPORTING KRISTINE'S NON-PROFIT
Yesterday Today Tomorrow Women’s mission is to empower women of all generations by implementing yesterday’s knowledge, today’s power and tomorrow’s hope to bring awareness and support to women’s mental health and social wellbeing.
When you donate to Yesterday Today Tomorrow Women, you are investing in the empowerment of women across generations. This Florida-based not-for-profit was founded by Kris Conyers, who was abducted off the street at gunpoint by Christopher Wilder with her sister when she was 11 years old.
YTT Women is dedicated to advancing women’s mental health and social wellbeing. Contributions directly support community-based initiatives that raise awareness, provide resources, and foster safe, supportive spaces for women to grow and heal.
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