WADE WILSON REMAINS ON FLORIDA DEATH ROW AS LEGAL BATTLE CONTINUES

Wade Wilson remains on Florida’s death row as his legal battle continues, more than two years after he was sentenced to death for killing two women in Cape Coral.

Wilson was convicted in 2024 of murdering Kristine Melton, 35, and Diane Ruiz, 43, in separate attacks on October 7, 2019.

He was subsequently sentenced to death for both killings and remains incarcerated at Union Correctional Institution, where Florida houses its male death-row prisoners.

TWO WOMEN KILLED IN A SINGLE DAY

According to evidence presented at trial, Wilson first encountered Kristine Melton at a Fort Myers bar on the night of October 6, 2019.

After spending time with Melton and others, Wilson eventually drove her home.

Prosecutors said Melton was later killed inside her home, and Wilson took her vehicle.

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

Prosecutors said he persuaded Ruiz to get into the vehicle before attacking her. Ruiz was subsequently killed, and Wilson left the area in Melton’s stolen car.

The case gained national attention during Wilson’s 2024 trial, where prosecutors presented evidence linking him to both killings.

DEATH SENTENCE REMAINS UNDER APPEAL

Wilson’s automatic death-penalty appeal remains pending before the Florida Supreme Court.

The court’s official case docket lists the matter as Wade Steven Wilson v. State of Florida, case number SC2024-1345, and identifies it as a mandatory death-penalty review. The case remains listed as open.

In February 2026, Wilson’s attorneys appeared before the Florida Supreme Court to challenge aspects of his death sentence.

However, his legal team ultimately halted that particular challenge after acknowledging that recent court rulings had undermined the arguments they intended to present.

That development did not mean that every possible legal avenue had ended.

The official docket shows that Wilson’s case has continued to move through the appellate process, including a May 2026 order allowing one of his attorneys to withdraw as co-counsel.

NO EXECUTION DATE ANNOUNCED

Despite his death sentence, Wilson does not currently have a publicly announced execution date in the official materials reviewed for this report.

Florida law provides that an execution date is set through the state’s statutory process after the relevant stays and appeals have been resolved.

For now, Wilson remains on death row while his case proceeds through the courts.

THE CASE CONTINUES TO DRAW PUBLIC ATTENTION

Wilson’s case has attracted substantial attention beyond Florida, particularly because of the circumstances surrounding the murders and the intense online interest surrounding his appearance.

A 2026 Paramount+ documentary, Handsome Devil: Charming Killer, revisited the case and examined the killings, Wilson’s trial and the public fascination surrounding him.

The nickname “Deadpool Killer” has also been widely used by media because Wilson shares his name with the Marvel character. It is a media nickname, not an official designation.

Meanwhile, the legal case remains active.

Wilson was convicted of two murders and sentenced to death. His appeal remains before Florida’s highest court, and the state has not publicly scheduled an execution date in the latest official records reviewed.