The 30-year-old killed Kristine Melton, aged 35, and Diane Ruiz, who was 43, on the same night of October 7, 2019. In June, a jury concluded by two majority votes that Wilson be given the death sentence. Lee County Circuit Judge Nicholas Thompson agreed with this sentence at a hearing on Tuesday (August 27). “The evidence showed that both murders were heinous, atrocious and cruel and that the second murder was cold, calculated and premeditated,” he wrote in the sentence order.
Share iconWade Wilson, known as the Deadpool killer, was sentenced to death for the October 2019 murders of Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz
Image credits: Law&Crime Network Wilson showed no emotion upon hearing his sentence. When Judge Thompson asked if there was anything he wanted to say following the trial, the killer’s legal team stood up to inform him of his final request. “I understand he has other cases pending here and elsewhere, but Mr. Wilson asked me to ask the court within whatever authority you have to get him to death row as soon as possible,” Wilson’s lawyer said. It is unclear when Wilson will be executed. Share icon Image credits: Law&Crime Network He began his killing spree when he met Kristine Melton at a live music bar and went to her home in Cape Coral, Florida. He strangled her after she fell asleep, left the body in the house, and took her car. While driving Melton’s car, Wilson asked Ruiz, a mother of two, for directions to the local high school. She got inside the vehicle, and he choked her when she tried to leave before pushing her outside of the car and running her over multiple times.
Wilson, who confessed to the double homicide, requested to be executed “as soon as possible” during a hearing on Tuesday (August 28)
Share icon Image credits: Law&Crime Network Ruiz’s body was found three days later in the woods. Medical examiners said it appeared the woman had tried to defend herself before she was murdered, as per E!News. Melton’s battered body was found in her apartment, hidden inside a bundle of bedding and clothing. Her wrists had been tied with a scarf, and a rod with a bloodstain was found nearby. Forensic testing later revealed that Wilson used the rod to beat Melton before suffocating her. After killing the two women, the 30-year-old drove to Fort Myers and assaulted his ex-girlfriend, Melissa Montañez. He then fled and broke into the home of Fanny and Kent Amlin, a retired couple who were out of town, as per the DailyMail. Share icon Image credits: Lee County Sheriff’s Office The killer turned himself in days after the crimes at his father’s recommendation, according to the sentence order. His father, Steven Testasecca, testified that his son had called him on the same day that he committed the murders. He said Wilson sounded “excited” and showed no remorse for killing the two women. “He was wanting me to feel the same way he was feeling… he would’ve done it again,” Testasecca said. On October 10, 2019, three days after the killings, Wilson confessed to the murders while in jail and detailed how each crime was carried out. He said he was “on a rampage” and “on drugs” and that being under the influence turned him into “the devil.”
“The evidence showed that both murders were heinous, atrocious and cruel and that the second murder was cold, calculated and premeditated,” noted Judge Nicholas Thompson
Share icon Image credits: Law&Crime Network Jurors voted 9-3 in favor of the death penalty for Melton’s murder and 10-2 for the slaying of Ruiz, meeting the State’s law requirement of at least eight jurors in favor. Judge Thompson said that Wilson had “inflicted serious physical and emotional pain on the victims” and “committed the murders while on probation for prior felony convictions, and he committed two first-degree murders contemporaneously with each other and with grand theft of a motor vehicle, battery, and burglary of a dwelling.” “Under the totality of the circumstances and evidence, the Court finds no basis to override the jury’s verdict.” Share icon Image credits: Lee County Sheriff’s Office Assistant State Attorney Andreas Gardiner made his case about why Wilson should be executed. “This defendant’s acts warranted the death penalty, not because he killed, how he killed, but why he killed. “He killed because he could, he killed because he wanted to, he killed because he’d already done it once, he killed because he was going to do it again.”
After meeting Kristine Melton at a bar, Wilson went to her home, strangled her, and left her tied up
Share icon Image credits: New York Post Amira Fox, state attorney for the 20th Judicial Circuit of Florida, said she had never met anyone as evil as Wilson in her 30-year career. Fox also referred to the numerous letters of support that Wilson received from community members after being convicted. “I have never been so stunned to see some people in the community that actually think it’s a good idea to support somebody so evil and monstrous,” she said at a press conference after the ruling, as per Newsweek. “It has not gone unnoticed that this defendant is being idolized by some people who are somehow proud to mix their name with his through public comments, fundraising for him, or holding him up to be some sort of positive representation of a man.”
The killer then stole Kristine’s car and convinced Diane Ruiz to get in after asking her for directions. When she tried to leave, he strangled her
Share icon Image credits: New York Post Share icon In addition to thousands of online messages, Wilson has received 65 letters and 754 photos, out of which 163 were rejected due to their “inappropriate nature.” Share icon Image credits: Law&Crime Network One of the letters, sent by a woman from California, asked the judge to spare Wilson’s life after the jury vote. “As someone who cares unconditionally for Wade, I have deeply reflected on the gravity of the situation and impact of your decision,” the letter reads. A separate woman asked him to “‘impose a lighter sentence that reflects the possibility of recovery and rehabilitation.” Following the judge’s decision, the families of Melton and Ruiz thanked law enforcement involved in the case and spoke about the grief of having their loved ones taken away. Melton’s cousin, Samantha, described the last five years as being “agony.” “Kristine will never experience motherhood, a role she was born to play,” she said of her cousin’s wish. Share icon Image credits: Law&Crime Network Ruiz’s father, Felix, shared he’s planning to be present the day Wilson is executed. “I didn’t get to say I love her, and I miss her,” he said. “This is not the end. The end is when the accused takes his last breath. And I will be there at the execution. That’s a promise.” Zane, one of Ruiz’s two sons, said his mother was excited to see his debut in his high school marching band. “I never got to see her in the crowd. My mom will never get to see me get married.”
People demanded “justice for these two young women who didn’t get a choice to live”
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