WADE WILSON REMAINS ON DEATH ROW AS LEGAL FIGHT CONTINUES IN FLORIDA

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Wade Steven Wilson, the Florida man whose 2019 double-murder case became internationally known as the “Deadpool Killer” case, remains on death row as his legal battle continues.

Wilson was sentenced to death in August 2024 after a Lee County jury convicted him of murdering Kristine Melton, 35, and Diane Ruiz, 43, in separate attacks on October 7, 2019.

Despite his death sentences, Wilson does not currently have an execution date.

He remains incarcerated at Union Correctional Institution in Raiford, Florida, which houses the state’s male death-row prisoners.

TWO WOMEN KILLED IN ONE DAY

According to evidence presented at trial, Wilson first encountered Melton at a Fort Myers bar.

Prosecutors said he later went to her home, where he killed her by strangulation and took her vehicle.

Hours later, Wilson encountered Ruiz as she was walking to work. Investigators said he persuaded her to enter the vehicle before killing her.

Wilson was arrested later that day.

His own statements to his biological father became significant to the investigation, with his father contacting law enforcement after Wilson described the killings.

DEATH SENTENCE AFTER 2024 TRIAL

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

Two months later, a judge imposed two death sentences.

Wilson’s attorneys subsequently pursued appeals challenging his convictions and death sentences.

One major issue reached the Florida Supreme Court in February 2026. The court’s case record identifies the proceeding as Wade Steven Wilson v. State of Florida, case SC2024-1345, involving seven issues raised in the direct appeal.

His lawyers later halted their challenge at the Florida Supreme Court, citing recent court rulings that affected the arguments they had planned to pursue.

NO EXECUTION DATE HAS BEEN SET

For now, Wilson remains on death row while the legal process continues.

A death sentence does not automatically mean an immediate execution. Capital cases can go through multiple layers of judicial review before an execution date is established.

As of the latest available reporting, Florida has not announced an execution date for Wilson.

THE CASE HAS DRAWN RENEWED ATTENTION

Wilson’s case has received renewed attention in 2026 following documentaries and true-crime coverage.

Paramount+ released Handsome Devil: Charming Killer in January, while Netflix later featured the case in the second season of Worst Ex Ever.

The renewed attention has also brought scrutiny to events that occurred before the 2019 murders.

A 2026 report by WPTV detailed an internal-affairs investigation involving a former Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office detective who had investigated allegations involving Wilson months before the murders. The internal review concluded that the detective had used poor discretionary judgment and failed to follow established procedures; the detective was disciplined and later retired. These findings concern the handling of an earlier investigation and do not alter Wilson’s convictions for the two murders.

WHERE THE CASE STANDS NOW

Wilson remains alive and incarcerated on Florida’s death row.

His convictions and two death sentences remain in place, while the legal process surrounding his case continues.

For now, there is no scheduled execution date.

The next major developments will depend on further court proceedings and any additional appeals pursued by Wilson’s legal team.