The Wade Wilson murders refer to the October 2019 killings of two women in Cape Coral, Florida, by a then 25-year-old man who strangled 35-year-old Kristine Melton in her sleep and, hours later, beat, strangled, and repeatedly ran over 43-year-old Diane Ruiz with a stolen car. A Lee County jury convicted Wilson of both first-degree murders in June 2024, and on August 27, 2024, a judge sentenced him to death. The case has drawn unusual public attention because Wilson shares his name with Marvel Comics’ Deadpool character and attracted an online fan following during his trial.
What Happened in Cape Coral on October 6–7, 2019
Wilson met Kristine Melton, a waitress, and a friend of hers at a Fort Myers bar on the night of October 6, 2019. He went home with Melton. The next morning, October 7, he strangled her while she slept in her Cape Coral home and drove off in her car.1People. Wade Wilson Murders What To Know
He then drove to his girlfriend Mila Montanez’s home and attacked her. She called police.2State Attorney’s Office, Twentieth Judicial Circuit. Jury Recommends the Death Penalty for Killer Wade Wilson
Not long after, Wilson spotted Diane Ruiz, a bartender and mother of two, walking to work along a Cape Coral street. He pulled over pretending to ask for directions and lured her into the car. Inside the vehicle, he beat and strangled her, pushed her out, and ran her over repeatedly. Prosecutors later presented testimony that Wilson told his biological father he wanted to make Ruiz “look like spaghetti.”3USA Today. Wade Wilson Death Sentence for Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz Murders
How Wilson Was Caught
Wilson confessed in a series of phone calls to his biological father, Steven Testasecca, telling him, “I’m a killer,” and saying “there was two people gone that would not be back.” He also said he had “done something that he couldn’t take back.”1People. Wade Wilson Murders What To Know
Testasecca contacted authorities and then convinced Wilson to surrender peacefully. Wilson was arrested on October 8, 2019, the day after the killings, following an investigation by the Cape Coral and Fort Myers police departments.2State Attorney’s Office, Twentieth Judicial Circuit. Jury Recommends the Death Penalty for Killer Wade Wilson
Wilson’s Record and Gang Ties
Wilson had a substantial criminal history before the murders. He was arrested in 2015 on sexual battery and kidnapping charges and acquitted at trial. In early 2019, a former girlfriend accused him of theft and, separately, of kidnapping and rape; investigators did not pursue the rape allegation because the two were under a no-contact order. He was arrested for battery in July 2019, and in September 2019 pleaded guilty to pawning stolen property from his ex-girlfriend, receiving credit for time served plus probation. That same month, another Lee County woman accused him of rape and kidnapping but chose not to pursue charges.4News-Press. Wade Wilson Florida Killer Timeline Path to Death Row
He was on felony probation when he killed Melton and Ruiz weeks later, which prosecutors used as an aggravating factor at trial.3USA Today. Wade Wilson Death Sentence for Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz Murders
Wilson has visible swastika tattoos on the right side of his head and below his right eye. Prosecutors linked him to the Unforgiven, described as the largest white supremacist prison gang in Florida, founded in the state’s prison system in 1986. The gang reportedly requires members to display Nazi symbols and commit violent acts in support of white supremacist ideology. Court records tied to a separate charge of masterminding an escape attempt from the Lee County Jail linked Wilson directly to the group.5Yahoo News. Florida Killer Wade Wilson Tied to White Supremacist Prison Gang
Trial, Verdict, and Death Sentence
Jury selection began June 1, 2024, at the Lee County Courthouse in Fort Myers, with the case prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys Andreas Gardiner and Sara Miller of the 20th Judicial Circuit under State Attorney Amira Fox.6State Attorney’s Office, Twentieth Judicial Circuit. Wilson Sentenced to Death On June 12, 2024, the twelve-member jury found Wilson guilty of all six charges: two counts of first-degree murder, grand theft of a motor vehicle, battery, burglary of a dwelling, and first-degree petit theft.3USA Today. Wade Wilson Death Sentence for Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz Murders
During the penalty phase, the defense presented mental health testimony from a neuropsychologist, a neurologist, and a forensic psychiatrist, arguing that Wilson had brain impairment from adolescent injuries, possible traumatic brain injury, and a possible psychotic disorder. Prosecution experts rejected those findings, testifying that scans showed no structural defects and that Wilson’s behavior was better explained by drug abuse than mental illness.7Court TV. FL v. Wade Wilson Strangled Women Murder Trial
On June 25, 2024, the jury recommended death by split votes: 9 to 3 for the Melton murder and 10 to 2 for the Ruiz murder.8News-Press. Jury Recommends Death for Wade Wilson Under a 2023 Florida law, at least 8 of 12 jurors must recommend death rather than the full jury, so both counts cleared the threshold.
On August 27, 2024, Lee Circuit Judge Nicholas Thompson imposed two death sentences. He ruled the aggravating factors “greatly outweighed” the mitigating circumstances, found both murders “heinous, atrocious and cruel,” and found the Ruiz murder “cold, calculated and premeditated.” State Attorney Amira Fox said after sentencing: “The defendant will pay the ultimate price because of the unthinkable things he did to these two victims. It has not gone unnoticed that this defendant is being idolized by some people, ignoring that he is nothing more than a vicious killer. It is disgraceful and pitiful to hold him up as such.”6State Attorney’s Office, Twentieth Judicial Circuit. Wilson Sentenced to Death
Two days later, on August 29, 2024, Wilson pleaded no contest in a separate case to attempted trafficking in methamphetamine and conspiracy to traffic in methamphetamine, drawing 12 years on each count to run concurrently with his death sentences and a $50,000 fine. That case stemmed from a 2023 investigation triggered by Wilson’s overdose in the Lee County Jail.9State Attorney’s Office, Twentieth Judicial Circuit. Convicted Killer Wade Wilson Sentenced in Drug Trafficking and Conspiracy Case
The Deadpool Killer Fan Following
Because Wilson shares his name with the Marvel character Deadpool, his mugshot circulated widely and drew a large online following. Hundreds of women sent him love letters, explicit photos, and money in jail. During the 2024 trial, he reportedly conducted explicit video calls with admirers from custody. One supporter, Alexis Williams, publicly identified herself as his “girlfriend.” Some fans openly dismissed his white supremacist tattoos, with one quoted as saying, “We don’t give a f–k that he was a killer.”10New York Post. Fans of Deadpool Killer Wade Wilson Begged Him to Impregnate Them in Prison Video Calls
A Change.org petition originating in the United Kingdom urged the court to spare Wilson’s life; by mid-July 2024 it had collected over 6,700 signatures. At least three people also wrote directly to Judge Thompson asking him not to impose death. Thompson dismissed the letters as impermissible communications about a pending matter.11News-Press. Online Petition Says Death Penalty Not Solution for Wade Wilson
The phenomenon was later the subject of the three-part docuseries Handsome Devil: Charming Killer, released on Paramount+ on January 20, 2026, which used bodycam footage and previously unreleased jail recordings obtained through public records requests. A trailer includes audio of Wilson saying, “A rage overcomes me to just kill, kill, kill. When I get that way I become the devil.”12News-Press. Handsome Devil Charming Killer Wade Wilson Florida13Cape Coral Breeze. Deadpool Killer Cape Murderer Subject of Handsome Devil Charming Killer Three-Part Docuseries
Where the Case Stands Now
Wilson’s death sentence went directly to the Florida Supreme Court for mandatory review, docketed September 16, 2024, as case number SC2024-1345. His appellate attorney, Michael Ufferman, did not challenge the murder conviction itself. He argued that the 2023 Florida law allowing a non-unanimous jury to recommend death violates the U.S. and Florida constitutions.14Court TV. Wade Wilson’s Attorney Promises to Take Appeal to U.S. Supreme Court
On February 5, 2026, the Florida Supreme Court held oral argument and upheld the death sentences. Ufferman acknowledged binding Florida precedent from Hunt v. State, a December 2025 ruling addressing the same questions, and told the justices he was preserving the constitutional arguments for review by the U.S. Supreme Court. As of mid-2026, no certiorari petition had been filed, though Ufferman said publicly that federal review is the next step.14Court TV. Wade Wilson’s Attorney Promises to Take Appeal to U.S. Supreme Court
Wilson, born May 20, 1994, is held at Union Correctional Institution in Raiford, Florida, under two active death sentences.12News-Press. Handsome Devil Charming Killer Wade Wilson Florida