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Wade Wilson sentenced to death for murder of Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz

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A Florida judge sentenced a 30-year-old man to death on Tuesday for the random killing of two women in southwest Florida in 2019.

Wade Steven Wilson, who is allegedly linked to a white supremacist gang, was found guilty this summer of, among other things, the premeditated murder of Kristine Melton (35) and Diane Ruiz (43) from Cape Coral. A 12-member jury in Lee County had previously recommended the death penalty for his crimes.

In Florida, juries recommend whether a convicted person should receive the death penalty, but the final decision rests with the judge.

On Tuesday, Judge Nicholas Thompson of the 20th District Court imposed the death penalty – one for each murder.

“The evidence showed that both murders were heinous, cruel and savage and that the second murder was cold-blooded, calculated and premeditated,” Thompson said during Wilson's sentencing hearing.

The defendant inflicted “severe physical and mental pain” on the victims while he was on probation for serious crimes, the judge said.

Here’s what you should know about the Wilson case:

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Who is convicted felon Wade Wilson?

Wilson, of Fort Myers, was born to minor parents and given up for adoption. He grew up in the Tallahassee area before moving to Lee County.

He has extensive tattoos on his face, including stitches, a swastika, and one that reads “Glory” in cursive.

Wilson shares his name with the alter ego of the Marvel character Deadpool.

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When was Wade Wilson convicted of murder?

Wilson's week-long trial began on June 1 with jury selection and took place at the Lee County Courthouse in Fort Myers.

The jury found him guilty on June 12 on six counts, including two counts of first-degree murder.

On June 25, 10 of the 12 jurors voted that Wilson should be executed for Ruiz's murder. The jury voted nine to three for the death penalty for Melton's murder.

Florida juries had until April 2023 to vote unanimously on the death penalty. Last year, Governor Ron DeSantis signed a law allowing juries to recommend the death penalty with just eight votes.

Who were Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz?

According to testimony at trial, Wilson met Melton and a friend at a Fort Myers bar on October 7, 2019, and later that evening the trio visited Melton's Cape Coral home. After Melton's boyfriend left, Wilson strangled Melton in her sleep, stole her car, then drove off to meet his girlfriend, Melissa Montanez. When his girlfriend refused to get in the car, he attacked her, but she was able to escape.

Shortly after driving back to Cape Coral, Wilson saw Ruiz walking to work on the street. He pretended to ask her for directions, lured her into the car, and attempted to strangle her. He then drove to an empty lot and attacked her. When she tried to flee, Wilson attacked her, strangled her, pushed her out of the car, and ran over her 10 to 20 times.

Her body was found three days later in a field with vultures circling above her, reported the News-Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, and after the murders, Wilson called his father, Steven Testasecca, several times and said he had killed the woman. Testasecca contacted police and Wilson was arrested on Oct. 8, 2019.

“He was excited,” Testasecca testified in court, adding that Wilson said he wanted to make Ruiz “look like spaghetti.”

Why was Wade Wilson convicted?

Wilson was found guilty of the following charges:

  • First degree murder (two counts)
  • Grand theft
  • battery
  • Burglary
  • Petty theft

The convicted man is also accused of other crimes, including attempted prison escape and drug offenses.

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Wilson's alleged ties to a white racist gang

According to court documents, Wilson has ties to a white prison gang.

The prison gang was formed in the Florida prison system in the late 1980s, according to the Anti-Defamation League, and is the largest in the state.

How many people are on death row in Florida?

Wilson now joins 279 people, including two women, on Florida's death row.

The most recent execution in the Sunshine State took place in October, when the state executed Michael Zach for the 1996 murder of a woman.

When will the next execution take place in Florida?

In Florida, 57-year-old Loran Cole is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on Thursday for the 1994 murder of an 18-year-old college student and the rape of the victim's sister during a camping trip in the Ocala National Forest in north-central Florida.

A Marion County jury found Cole guilty of killing John Edwards, a freshman at Florida State University, and sexually abusing Edwards' then-21-year-old sister.

If Cole is executed, it would be the seventh time a man has been executed in Florida since August 8, 2019. Cole would also be the first inmate executed in Florida this year and the 13th in the country if he is executed by lethal injection.

Contribute: Stacey Henson, Tomas Rodriguez and Kim Luciani

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X at @nataliealund.

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