WADE WILSON REMAINS ON DEATH ROW AS LEGAL FIGHT CONTINUES

Florida death-row inmate Wade Steven Wilson remains at the center of national attention as his legal case continues more than two years after he was sentenced to death for the 2019 killings of two women.

Wilson, sometimes referred to online as the “Deadpool Killer” because he shares his name with the Marvel character, was convicted in June 2024 of two counts of first-degree murder in Lee County, Florida. A judge sentenced him to death in August 2024.

The victims were Kristine Melton, 35, and Diane Ruiz, 43. Authorities said both women encountered Wilson on October 7, 2019, in Cape Coral. Prosecutors presented evidence connecting Wilson to both killings during the subsequent investigation and trial.

HIS DEATH SENTENCE IS STILL UNDER APPEAL

Despite the 2024 sentence, Wilson has not been executed. His mandatory death-penalty appeal remains pending before the Florida Supreme Court, where the case is listed as Wade Steven Wilson v. State of Florida, SC2024-1345. The court’s official docket currently lists the case as open.

Court records show that the case reached oral arguments in February 2026. The docket also records a May 2026 order allowing one of Wilson’s attorneys to withdraw as co-counsel.

A recent report also noted that Wilson’s attorneys halted one challenge to his death sentence at the Florida Supreme Court, citing developments in death-penalty law. His broader legal proceedings, however, have continued.

A CASE THAT CONTINUES TO DRAW ATTENTION

Wilson’s case has received renewed attention in 2026 following the release of the documentary “Handsome Devil: Charming Killer” and Netflix’s second season of “Worst Ex Ever,” which revisited the case and its history.

Newly released internal-affairs records have also raised questions about how an earlier 2019 investigation involving Wilson was handled. According to CBS12, investigators found that a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office detective failed to act after forensic testing produced a DNA match connected to a sexual-assault investigation involving Wilson. The internal investigation found that the case had been marked inactive and that the DNA result was not followed up before the October 2019 killings.

Those findings have added another layer to a case that has continued to receive national attention years after the original crimes.

For now, Wade Wilson remains on Florida’s death row while his legal case continues through the appeals process. There is no officially scheduled execution date reflected in the Florida Supreme Court case record currently available.

The case remains open — and the next major development will come from the courts.