🚨 WADE WILSON WAS SENTENCED TO DEATH. TWO YEARS LATER, THE CASE STILL ISN’T OVER.

Two women were killed.

A jury convicted Wade Wilson of both murders.

A Florida judge sentenced him to death.

Then the courtroom battle moved into the appeals process — and as new documentaries brought the case back into the spotlight in 2026, another part of the story became impossible to ignore.

Wilson still has no execution date.

And his death sentence remains under review.

THE CASE THAT REFUSES TO DISAPPEAR

Wade Steven Wilson became nationally known after being convicted of killing Kristine Melton, 35, and Diane Ruiz, 43, in Cape Coral, Florida, on October 7, 2019.

According to the prosecution’s case, Wilson encountered Melton after meeting her at a Fort Myers bar. She was later found dead in her home.

Later that same day, Wilson encountered Ruiz, who was walking to work. Prosecutors said he persuaded her to get into a vehicle before killing her.

Wilson was arrested and ultimately charged with both murders.

In June 2024, a Lee County jury found him guilty of two counts of first-degree murder.

Two months later, on August 27, 2024, Judge Nicholas Thompson sentenced Wilson to death for both killings.

The jury recommendations were 9–3 for Melton and 10–2 for Ruiz.

But that was not the end.

It was the beginning of another legal battle.

THE APPEAL THAT COULD CHANGE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

Wilson’s automatic death-penalty appeal was filed with the Florida Supreme Court under SC2024-1345.

And as of September 2026, the case remains officially listed as open.

One of the major issues raised by Wilson’s defense involves Florida’s 2023 changes to capital-sentencing law.

The newer law allows a death recommendation when at least eight jurors vote for death, rather than requiring unanimity.

Wilson’s crimes occurred in 2019 — before that change.

His attorneys argued that applying the newer sentencing framework to his case raised constitutional and retroactivity questions.

That issue reached the Florida Supreme Court.

FEBRUARY 2026: THE ARGUMENT REACHED FLORIDA’S HIGHEST COURT

On February 5, 2026, Wilson’s attorney appeared before the Florida Supreme Court.

But rather than spend the hearing repeating arguments that the court had already addressed in other cases, his attorney indicated that the constitutional issues would be preserved for possible further review.

The state argued that the lower court’s decision should be affirmed.

The February hearing did not end the case.

The appeal remains open.

And that means one important detail often gets lost when the case goes viral online:

Wade Wilson has not been given an execution date.

TWO DEATH SENTENCES — BUT NO COUNTDOWN CLOCK

Wilson is currently being held on Florida’s death row.

But a death sentence does not automatically mean an immediate execution.

The appeals process must continue, and Florida requires further legal steps before an execution can take place.

As of the latest available reporting in September 2026, there is no scheduled execution date for Wilson.

So despite the headlines surrounding his case, there is no September or October execution countdown to follow.

For now, the clock is still running inside the courts.

THEN THE CASE RETURNED TO POPULAR CULTURE

While the legal proceedings continued, Wilson’s case received a second life through television and streaming.

Paramount+ released “Handsome Devil: Charming Killer” in January 2026, revisiting the murders, investigation and trial.

Netflix later featured the case in Season 2 of Worst Ex Ever, introducing the story to another large audience.

The renewed attention has also brought scrutiny to the unusual online following that developed around Wilson.

Women have sent messages and letters connected to the case, and social-media communities have discussed him extensively.

That online phenomenon has become part of the broader public story.

But it does not change the legal status of his conviction or sentence.

BEHIND THE VIRAL ATTENTION ARE TWO VICTIMS

The internet has increasingly focused on Wilson himself — his appearance, his tattoos, his courtroom appearances and the attention surrounding him.

But the underlying case concerns two women.

Kristine Melton.

Diane Ruiz.

Their deaths led to two first-degree murder convictions and ultimately two death sentences.

The continuing appeal is now about what happens to those sentences under Florida law.

THE NEXT CHAPTER HAS NOT BEEN WRITTEN

Wade Wilson was sentenced to death in August 2024.

More than two years later, his case remains before the courts.

The Florida Supreme Court case is still open.

His death sentences remain in place unless changed through the appeals process.

And there is still no execution date.

That leaves the case in an unusual position:

The verdict has been delivered.

The sentence has been imposed.

But the final legal chapter has yet to be written.

And the next major development may come not from a prison cell — but from a courtroom.