Wade Wilson, convicted of killing 2 Florida women in 2019, sentenced to death
A man convicted of killing two Florida women in 2019 was sentenced to death Tuesday, according to reports.
Tattooed Wade Wilson, dubbed "Deadpool killer," as he shares a name with the Marvel Comics character, showed no emotion as the judge handed down the sentence, the New York Post reported.
The 30-year-old was found guilty of strangling Kristine Melton to death as she slept the morning after he met her at a bar, and then he beat, strangled and ran over Diane Ruiz with his car after seeing her on a street that same day.
"The evidence shows the murders were heinous, atrocious and cruel. and that the second murder was cold, calculated and premeditated," Circuit Judge Nicholas Thompson said during sentencing, agreeing with the jury's recommendation of two death sentences, one for each murder.
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Wade Wilson sits the courtroom as the verdict is read during the penalty phase of his murder trial at the Lee County Courthouse in Fort Myers on Tuesday, June 25, 2024. The jury recommended the death penalty for Wilson. (Jonah Hinebaugh/Naples Daily News/USA Today Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK)
Ten out of the 12 jurors in the Lee County Courthouse in Fort Myers voted in June that Wilson should be put to death for killing Ruiz, and nine out of 12 voted for death in Melton’s murder. State law requires eight jurors to vote for the death penalty.
"He will pay the ultimate price," State Attorney Amira Fox said in a news conference immediately following the sentencing, while joined by families of the victims.
A picture of Kristine Melton is displayed for the jury during the penalty phase of Wade Wilson’s murder trial at the Lee County Courthouse in Fort Myers on Tuesday, June 25, 2024. The jury recommended the death penalty for Wilson. (Jonah Hinebaugh/Naples Daily News/USA Today Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK)
A photo of Diane Ruiz is displayed during the penalty phase of Wade Wilson’s murder trial at the Lee County Courthouse in Fort Myers on Tuesday, June 25, 2024. The jury recommended the death penalty for Wilson. (Jonah Hinebaugh/Naples Daily News/USA Today Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK)
During the trial, the defense tried to argue that Wilson has a "diseased mind" and the "disease of drug addiction," according to local TV station FOX 4.
His legal team filed a motion on July 3 asking for a new trial or acquittal, which was denied by the judge on August 15, local media outlet The News-Press reported.
Judge Nick Thompson speaks during the penalty phase of Wade Wilson’s murder trial at the Lee County Courthouse in Fort Myers on Tuesday, June 25, 2024. (Jonah Hinebaugh/Naples Daily News/USA Today Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK)
The sentencing was originally slated for July 23, but was pushed back due to a defense motion regarding the scheduling of expert witness testimony.
"This is not the end. The end is when the accused takes his last breath and I will be there at the execution. That's a promise," Ruiz's father, Felix Ruiz, said.
Fox News' Brie Stimson contributed to this report.
