WADE WILSON REMAINS ON FLORIDA’S DEATH ROW AS APPEAL CONTINUES IN DOUBLE-MURDER CASE
WADE WILSON REMAINS ON FLORIDA’S DEATH ROW AS APPEAL CONTINUES IN DOUBLE-MURDER CASE
CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Wade Steven Wilson remains on Florida’s death row more than six years after two women were killed in Cape Coral in a violent series of events that unfolded on October 7, 2019.
Wilson, who was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder in June 2024 and formally sentenced to death two months later, is currently challenging his convictions and sentences before the Florida Supreme Court. The court’s case docket shows that the mandatory death-penalty appeal remains open.
The case received national attention partly because Wilson shares his name with Marvel’s fictional character Wade Wilson, better known as Deadpool. Online, some outlets and social-media users have referred to the convicted murderer as the “Deadpool Killer.” That nickname has no connection to the Marvel character beyond the shared name.
A CASE THAT BEGAN IN OCTOBER 2019
According to prosecutors, Wilson met Kristine Melton, 35, at a bar in Fort Myers on the night of October 6, 2019.
The two later went to Melton’s home in Cape Coral.
Prosecutors said Wilson attacked Melton while she was asleep the following morning and then took her vehicle.
He later drove to Fort Myers, where he encountered his girlfriend. According to the State Attorney’s Office, Wilson attempted to pull her into the vehicle and attacked her after she resisted. She escaped and contacted authorities.
The investigation then turned to another woman, Diane Ruiz, 43, who was walking in Cape Coral.
Authorities said Wilson stopped and asked Ruiz for directions before getting her into the vehicle.
According to prosecutors, Ruiz was subsequently attacked inside the car. Investigators later connected Wilson and Melton’s stolen vehicle to the second crime scene. The State Attorney’s Office said Ruiz was ultimately found in a field in Cape Coral after being reported missing.
THE INVESTIGATION AND ARREST
The Cape Coral Police Department investigated the two killings and gathered evidence that led authorities to Wilson.
Wilson was arrested in October 2019 and eventually faced two first-degree murder charges along with additional charges involving a vehicle theft, battery, burglary and theft.
In December 2019, prosecutors formally announced that they would seek the death penalty against him.
The case remained in the court system for several years before finally reaching trial in 2024.
JURY CONVICTS WILSON IN 2024
On June 12, 2024, a Lee County jury found Wilson guilty of two counts of first-degree murder.
The same jury also convicted him of:
- Grand theft of a motor vehicle
- Battery
- Burglary of a dwelling
- First-degree petit theft
During the penalty phase, jurors recommended death sentences for both murders.
The recommendations were announced on June 25, 2024.
On August 27, 2024, Circuit Judge Nicholas Thompson formally sentenced Wilson to death for the two murders.
The State Attorney’s Office said Wilson was subsequently placed on Florida’s death row.
THE APPEAL IS STILL PENDING
Wilson’s case did not end with the death sentence.
Because Florida death sentences receive mandatory review, his case was transferred to the Florida Supreme Court, where it is listed as Wade Steven Wilson v. State of Florida, SC2024-1345.
The official court docket currently lists the case as open and classifies it as a mandatory death-penalty appeal.
Wilson’s attorneys filed an amended initial brief in May 2025, while the State filed its answer brief in July 2025. Wilson’s reply brief was filed in September 2025.
The court had scheduled oral arguments for February 5, 2026. The docket also records a May 2026 order allowing one of Wilson’s attorneys to withdraw from the case.
As of September 2026, the official docket does not show a closed appeal or a final disposition ending the case.
That means Wilson remains on death row while the legal process continues.
NO EXECUTION DATE HAS BEEN SET
Despite the death sentences imposed in 2024, Wilson does not currently have an execution date.
His case remains subject to appellate review, and the Florida Supreme Court’s pending proceedings are an important part of that process.
The absence of an execution date does not change his conviction or death sentences. It means the case has not reached the point at which an execution has been scheduled.
THE ONLINE ATTENTION SURROUNDING THE CASE
Wilson’s case has also generated an unusual amount of attention online.
His heavily tattooed appearance, courtroom appearances and the fact that he shares a name with Marvel’s fictional Deadpool contributed to widespread social-media discussion.
Some online users have expressed fascination with Wilson, and media reports have documented an online following around him. The phenomenon has drawn criticism because it can shift attention away from the two women whose deaths formed the basis of the criminal case.
The nickname “Deadpool Killer” is a media and internet label, rather than an official legal designation.
WHO WERE THE VICTIMS?
Kristine Melton, 35, was the first woman killed in the October 7, 2019, sequence of events.
Diane Ruiz, 43, was the second victim.
The State Attorney’s Office has repeatedly emphasized that the criminal case is centered on the two victims and the evidence presented at trial. In announcing Wilson’s death sentences, prosecutors said the case involved the killings of Melton and Ruiz and credited Cape Coral police with the investigation that led to Wilson’s prosecution.
WHERE THE CASE STANDS NOW
More than six years after the 2019 killings, the legal case against Wade Wilson remains active.
He has been:
Convicted: June 12, 2024
Death penalty recommended: June 25, 2024
Death sentences imposed: August 27, 2024
Florida Supreme Court appeal: Still open as of September 2026
Execution date: Not currently scheduled
The Florida Supreme Court’s official docket remains the most direct source for the status of Wilson’s appeal.
For now, Wilson remains incarcerated on Florida’s death row while his case moves through the appellate process.
The case continues to attract public attention, but the court proceedings ultimately remain focused on the convictions, sentences and legal arguments presented by both sides.
