A method and apparatus for jointly estimating channels used to propagate desired and interfering signals received by a wireless receiver. A blind parameter estimator in the wireless receiver includes a forward parameter estimator and a backward parameter estimator that each include an equalizer and a channel estimator for generating forward and backward channel estimates, respectively, for the desired and interfering signal channels. In one embodiment, the blind parameter estimator includes independent forward and backward parameter estimators that generate independent forward and backward channel estimates, respectively, where a final channel selector selects the final channel estimates based on a comparison between error metrics associated with the forward and backward channel estimates. In another embodiment, the blind parameter estimator includes serial per-survivor processing forward and backward parameter estimators that uses the backward channel estimates as the final channel estimates for the desired and interfering signal channels.