WADE WILSON REMAINS ON DEATH ROW AS LEGAL FIGHT OVER HIS TWO DEATH SENTENCES CONTINUES
WADE WILSON REMAINS ON DEATH ROW AS LEGAL FIGHT OVER HIS TWO DEATH SENTENCES CONTINUES
Wade Wilson remains on Florida’s death row as his legal team continues its challenge to the death sentences imposed for the 2019 murders of two women.
Wilson, who became widely known online as the “Deadpool Killer” because he shares his name with the Marvel character, was convicted of murdering Kristine Melton, 35, and Diane Ruiz, 43, in Lee County, Florida, on October 7, 2019.
He was sentenced to death for both killings in August 2024.
But despite the severity of the sentences, there is currently no announced execution date for Wilson.
His case remains tied up in the appeals process.
THE CASE THAT SENT WILSON TO DEATH ROW
The murders happened on the same day in October 2019.
According to evidence presented at trial, Wilson met Kristine Melton at a Fort Myers bar before later going to her home.
Prosecutors said Melton was killed inside her residence.
Later that same morning, Wilson encountered Diane Ruiz, who was walking to work.
Investigators said he persuaded Ruiz to get into his vehicle before killing her and abandoning her body.
Wilson was arrested less than a day after the killings.
A Lee County jury ultimately found him guilty of two counts of first-degree murder in June 2024.
Two months later, a judge imposed two death sentences.
WHY HIS DEATH SENTENCE IS BEING CHALLENGED
Wilson is not currently challenging his murder convictions through the appeal that reached the Florida Supreme Court.
Instead, his attorneys have challenged the legality of the death sentences.
One major issue concerns Florida’s 2023 change to its death-penalty law.
Under the newer law, a jury can recommend a death sentence without a unanimous vote.
In Wilson’s case, jurors voted 9–3 for death in Melton’s case and 10–2 in Ruiz’s case.
His attorneys argued that applying the newer law to crimes committed in 2019 was unconstitutional because the law had changed after the murders occurred.
FLORIDA SUPREME COURT HEARD THE CASE
The Florida Supreme Court heard arguments in Wilson’s case on February 5, 2026.
During the hearing, however, Wilson’s attorney did not reargue the constitutional arguments in detail.
Instead, his lawyer acknowledged that the Florida Supreme Court had previously upheld the 2023 death-penalty law in other cases.
The attorney said he was preserving the issue for a possible appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Florida Supreme Court subsequently upheld the lower court’s ruling.
That means the legal fight over Wilson’s death sentences is not necessarily over.
His attorneys have indicated that they intend to pursue the issue in the federal courts.
NO EXECUTION DATE HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED
Despite repeated speculation online about when Wilson could be executed, there is currently no confirmed execution date publicly listed for him.
Florida has carried out multiple executions during 2026, including several death-row prisoners in recent months.
But Wilson is not listed among the executions already carried out this year.
Florida law allows execution by lethal injection, electrocution or another constitutionally permissible method under specified circumstances.
A death sentence therefore does not by itself mean an execution is imminent.
THE CASE CONTINUES TO ATTRACT NATIONAL ATTENTION
Wilson’s case has received renewed attention following documentaries and televi
