WADE WILSON REMAINS ON DEATH ROW AS LEGAL APPEAL CONTINUES YEARS AFTER TWO FLORIDA MURDERS

Wade Steven Wilson remains on Florida’s death row more than six years after the murders of two women, as his legal challenge to his convictions and death sentences continues through the courts.

Wilson, now in his early 30s, was convicted in Lee County, Florida, of murdering Kristine Melton, 35, and Diane Ruiz, 43, on October 7, 2019.

His case later became widely known online as the “Deadpool Killer” because of his name being shared with Marvel’s fictional character. The nickname has no connection to the crimes themselves.

Wilson was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder in June 2024. In August of that year, a judge sentenced him to death for both killings.

TWO WOMEN KILLED IN THE SAME DAY

According to evidence presented during Wilson’s trial, he met Kristine Melton at a bar in Fort Myers during the early hours of October 7, 2019.

Prosecutors said Wilson later went with Melton to her home, where she was killed.

Later that same day, Wilson encountered Diane Ruiz, a 43-year-old mother who was walking to work.

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

She was subsequently killed.

Medical evidence presented in court established that Melton died from manual strangulation. Ruiz also suffered strangulation injuries, along with severe blunt-force trauma caused by being struck by a vehicle.

The prosecution’s case included testimony about statements Wilson made after the killings.

According to testimony reported during the proceedings, Wilson contacted his biological father, Steven Testasecca, after the murders and made admissions about what had happened.

Testasecca eventually contacted law enforcement, helping investigators locate Wilson.

Wilson was arrested later that day.

DEATH SENTENCE

After a lengthy prosecution, a Lee County jury found Wilson guilty of both murders in June 2024.

Two months later, Judge Nicholas Thompson imposed two death sentences.

Wilson was subsequently transferred to Florida’s death-row system at Union Correctional Institution in Raiford, where he remains incarcerated.

His death sentences are not currently associated with a publicly announced execution date.

The Death Penalty Information Center’s current 2026 records list numerous Florida executions that have taken place this year, but Wilson is not among those with an active execution date.

HIS APPEAL REMAINS ACTIVE

Wilson’s case is currently before the Florida Supreme Court under case number SC2024-1345.

The court classifies it as a mandatory death-penalty appeal.

The official docket shows that the case remains open.

Wilson’s attorneys have challenged his convictions and death sentences on several grounds.

The Florida Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case on February 5, 2026. The official court video archive describes the proceeding as a direct appeal raising seven issues seeking reversal of Wilson’s convictions and death sentences.

The appeal includes arguments concerning the circumstances surrounding his death sentences and Florida’s capital-sentencing system.

His legal team has also undergone changes. The Florida Supreme Court docket shows that attorney Laurel Cornell Niles was permitted to withdraw as co-counsel in May 2026.

As of the latest publicly available docket information, however, the Florida Supreme Court has not closed the case.

A CASE THAT CONTINUES TO ATTRACT PUBLIC ATTENTION

Wilson’s case has received extraordinary attention beyond the courtroom.

His appearance, tattoos, the severity of the crimes and the unusual attention surrounding his case have generated widespread discussion on social media.

A 2026 PEOPLE report noted that Wilson’s case had also become the subject of documentaries and true-crime programming, including Paramount+’s Handsome Devil: Charming Killer and Netflix’s Worst Ex Ever.

That attention has sometimes extended to people expressing fascination with Wilson online.

But behind the internet phenomenon are two victims whose families have spent years living with the consequences of their deaths.

Kristine Melton was 35.

Diane Ruiz was 43.

Both women were killed on the same day in Lee County in October 2019.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

For now, Wilson remains incarcerated on Florida’s death row while his direct appeal proceeds.

The Florida Supreme Court docket remains open, and the court has already heard oral arguments in the case.

There is no publicly announced execution date for Wilson at this time.

That means the legal process surrounding his death sentences is still ongoing.

The next major development will depend on the Florida Supreme Court’s ruling on the pending appeal and any subsequent legal proceedings that may follow.

More than six years after the two killings, the case therefore remains active in the courts — while Wilson continues to await the outcome of his legal challenges from Florida’s death row.