WADE WILSON REMAINS ON FLORIDA DEATH ROW AS LEGAL BATTLE CONTINUES

Wade Steven Wilson remains on Florida’s death row as his legal battle continues, more than two years after a jury convicted him in the 2019 killings of two women.

Wilson, now serving two death sentences, is being held at Union Correctional Institution in Raiford, Florida, which houses the state’s male death-row prisoners. Despite the death sentences, no execution date has been scheduled for Wilson.

TWO MURDERS IN ONE DAY

The case dates back to October 7, 2019, when Wilson killed 35-year-old Kristine Melton and 43-year-old Diane Ruiz in Lee County, according to court records and testimony presented during his trial.

Prosecutors said Wilson met Melton at a bar in Fort Myers before going with her to her home. After her friend left, Wilson killed Melton and took her vehicle.

Later that morning, investigators said Wilson encountered Ruiz while she was walking to work. Prosecutors alleged that he persuaded her to get into the vehicle before killing her and leaving her body in a nearby area.

Wilson was arrested less than a day later. His own conversations with his biological father became an important part of the investigation, with prosecutors saying he described the killings during phone calls.

DEATH SENTENCES FOLLOWED 2024 CONVICTIONS

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

During the penalty phase, jurors voted 9-3 in favor of death for the Melton case and 10-2 for the Ruiz case. Because Florida law had changed in 2023 to allow a death recommendation without unanimity, the judge was able to impose death sentences in both cases.

Wilson was formally sentenced to death in August 2024.

His current appeal does not challenge his murder convictions themselves. Instead, his attorneys have challenged the legality of the death sentences and the application of Florida’s revised death-penalty law to his case.

FLORIDA SUPREME COURT APPEAL

The case, Wade Steven Wilson v. State of Florida, SC2024-1345, remains listed as an open death-penalty appeal on the Florida Supreme Court’s official case system.

The appeal included arguments concerning Florida’s 2023 changes to capital sentencing. Wilson’s lawyers argued that applying the new rules to crimes committed in 2019 raised constitutional issues because Florida previously required a unanimous jury recommendation for a death sentence.

At a February 5, 2026 hearing, however, Wilson’s attorney acknowledged that the Florida Supreme Court had already upheld the revised law in other cases. Rather than rearguing the issue, the defense said it was preserving the argument for a possible appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Florida Supreme Court appeal therefore remains an important part of Wilson’s continuing legal proceedings.

NO EXECUTION DATE HAS BEEN SET

For now, Wilson remains incarcerated on death row while his legal proceedings continue.

The Florida Supreme Court’s public docket shows the case is still open. The latest listed entries include a May 2026 order allowing one of Wilson’s attorneys to withdraw from the case.

Florida has carried out numerous executions in 2026, including several in September, but Wilson is not currently listed among prisoners with an active execution date.

That means reports suggesting an imminent execution should be treated cautiously unless a formal death warrant and execution date are announced.

THE CASE RETURNS TO THE SPOTLIGHT

Wilson’s case has received renewed public attention through true-crime documentaries and streaming programs.

Paramount+ released Handsome Devil: Charming Killer in January 2026, while Netflix later featured the case in the second season of Worst Ex Ever. The renewed attention has brought the case back into public discussion more than six years after the two killings.

For now, the legal process remains unresolved.

Wilson continues to serve two death sentences in Florida, while his attorneys pursue further avenues of review. No execution date has been announced, and his Florida Supreme Court case remains open.