WADE WILSON REMAINS ON DEATH ROW AS APPEALS CONTINUE AFTER DOUBLE-MURDER CONVICTION

Wade Wilson remains on Florida’s death row after being sentenced to death for the 2019 murders of two women in Cape Coral — Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz.

More than two years after his conviction, Wilson’s legal case continues to move through the appeals process, while no execution date has been scheduled.

Wilson became widely known online by the nickname “Deadpool Killer” because of his name’s resemblance to the Marvel character. The nickname is a media label, not an official designation.

TWO WOMEN WERE KILLED ON THE SAME DAY

The murders occurred on October 7, 2019, in Lee County, Florida.

According to court records and testimony, Wilson first encountered Kristine Melton, 35, at a bar in Fort Myers. Prosecutors said he later went with her to her home, where Melton was killed.

Later that morning, Wilson encountered Diane Ruiz, 43, as she was walking to work.

Investigators said Wilson persuaded Ruiz to enter a vehicle and subsequently killed her.

The two killings became the central evidence in the capital murder case against Wilson.

HOW POLICE FOUND WILSON

Wilson was arrested less than a day after the killings.

According to testimony described in court records and subsequent reporting, Wilson made statements about the murders during phone conversations with his biological father.

His father contacted law enforcement after becoming concerned about what Wilson had told him.

Police subsequently located Wilson and took him into custody.

JURY CONVICTS WILSON IN 2024

A Lee County jury convicted Wilson of two counts of first-degree murder in June 2024.

On August 27, 2024, a judge sentenced him to death for both murders. The Florida court record confirms that the two death sentences were imposed following the convictions.

Wilson was subsequently transferred to Union Correctional Institution in Raiford, Florida, which houses the state’s male death-row population.

HIS DEATH SENTENCE IS STILL BEING CHALLENGED

Wilson’s lawyers have pursued appeals challenging aspects of his conviction and death sentence.

One major legal issue involved Florida’s changes to its death-penalty sentencing law, including the ability to impose a death sentence following a non-unanimous jury recommendation.

His attorneys argued that applying the newer law to Wilson’s case raised constitutional concerns.

However, in early 2026, Wilson’s legal team halted that particular challenge after recent court rulings affected the arguments they had planned to pursue.

That did not mean that Wilson was released or that his death sentence was overturned. He remains incarcerated on death row while the broader legal process continues.

NO EXECUTION DATE HAS BEEN SET

Despite the extensive public attention surrounding the case, Wilson does not currently have an execution date.

The Death Penalty Information Center’s 2026 records list numerous Florida executions during the year, but Wilson is not among those with an active execution date.

Florida law provides that a death sentence is carried out by lethal injection unless the condemned person affirmatively elects electrocution under the statutory procedure.

For Wilson, however, the immediate issue remains the continuing legal process rather than an imminent execution.

THE CASE HAS DRAWN RENEWED ATTENTION

Wilson’s case has received renewed attention through true-crime productions, including the 2026 Paramount+ documentary “Handsome Devil: Charming Killer” and an episode of Netflix’s Worst Ex Ever.

The renewed coverage has brought the case to a new audience years after the murders, while the families of Melton and Ruiz continue to live with the consequences of the killings.

For now, Wilson remains in a Florida prison under two death sentences.

No execution date has been announced, and his legal case is not yet finished.