WADE WILSON’S DEATH ROW FIGHT TAKES ANOTHER TURN — HERE’S WHERE THE ‘DEADPOOL KILLER’ CASE STANDS NOW

The Florida man remains on death row after being convicted of killing two women in 2019 — but his legal battle is far from over.

Wade Steven Wilson, the Florida killer widely known online as the “Deadpool Killer,” remains on death row as his legal team continues fighting over the death sentences imposed for the murders of two women in 2019.

Wilson was convicted in 2024 of killing Kristine Melton, 35, and Diane Ruiz, 43, in separate incidents in Lee County, Florida.

He was sentenced to death for both killings later that year.

But despite the attention surrounding his case, there is still no official execution date for Wilson.

THE CASE THAT SHOCKED FLORIDA

Prosecutors said Wilson killed Melton and Ruiz on the same day in October 2019.

According to court records and reporting on the case, Wilson encountered Melton at a bar before going to her home, where she was killed.

Later that day, he encountered Ruiz, who was walking to work. Prosecutors said Wilson persuaded her to enter his vehicle before killing her.

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

The following August, a judge imposed two death sentences.

HIS CURRENT LEGAL BATTLE IS ABOUT THE DEATH SENTENCE

One of the most important details about Wilson’s current appeal is often overlooked.

His lawyers are not simply asking an appeals court to declare him innocent.

Instead, the 2026 proceedings before the Florida Supreme Court focused on challenges to the legality of his death sentences.

The Florida Supreme Court scheduled oral arguments in the case for February 5, 2026. The court’s own summary said the direct appeal raised seven issues seeking reversal of the death sentences.

One major issue involved Florida’s 2023 change to its death-penalty law, which allows a jury to recommend death without a unanimous vote, provided at least eight jurors support the recommendation.

Wilson’s attorneys challenged the application of that system in his case.

WHY THE FEBRUARY HEARING MATTERED

By the time Wilson’s case reached oral argument, the Florida Supreme Court had already addressed the same legal questions in another case, Hunt v. State.

Wilson’s appellate lawyer later explained that the defense preserved the constitutional issues for potential further review rather than re-arguing questions that had already been resolved by controlling precedent.

That means the February hearing was not the dramatic courtroom showdown some social-media posts suggested.

It was another step in a much longer capital-appeal process.

SO, WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Wilson remains incarcerated on Florida’s death row while his legal avenues continue.

A death sentence in Florida does not automatically mean an immediate execution.

The case must proceed through the applicable appeals and post-conviction process before an execution can take place.

As of September 2026, there is no confirmed execution date for Wilson.

That distinction is important because social-media posts periodically circulate claims suggesting that his execution is imminent.

There is currently no official basis for saying that.

WHY THE CASE CONTINUES TO ATTRACT ATTENTION

Wilson’s case has received renewed attention through documentaries and true-crime programming, including Netflix’s second season of Worst Ex Ever and the Paramount+ documentary Handsome Devil: Charming Killer.

His appearance, tattoos and the nickname “Deadpool Killer” have also made the case particularly prominent online.

But behind the viral attention are two victims whose families have spent years dealing with the consequences of their deaths.

For now, Wilson remains on death row.

His convictions remain in place, his death sentences remain the subject of legal challenges, and the final chapter of the case has not yet been written.