Wade Wilson, known as the "Deadpool Killer," was sentenced to death on Tuesday, August 27, for the brutal murders of two Florida women. The 30-year-old from Fort Myers remained expressionless as Lee Circuit Judge Nicholas Thompson delivered the sentence. "The evidence shows the murders were heinous, atrocious, and cruel. The second murder was cold, calculated, and premeditated," Judge Thompson stated.
In June, Wilson was convicted on two counts of first-degree felony murder and two counts of first-degree premeditated murder. He strangled Kristine Melton, 35, and Diane Ruiz, 43, within hours of each other on October 6, 2019, in Cape Coral. The jury recommended the death penalty with a 9-3 vote for Melton's case and a 10-2 vote for Ruiz's murder. Florida law requires only eight out of 12 jurors to support a death sentence for it to be considered by a judge.
The jury determined the crimes involved aggravating factors, including that they were "heinous, atrocious, or cruel" and that Wilson was a convicted felon at the time. At a hearing on Tuesday, Wilson's attorney, Lee Hollander, asked for two life sentences instead of the death penalty, arguing that Wilson may have lacked the capacity to understand his actions due to mental impairment. "We'd ask the court to take into consideration that death is permanent," Hollander said. Assistant State Attorney Andreas Gardiner countered, stating, "Wilson's decisions were pitiless and without conscience, reducing Melton and Ruiz to memories and photographs."
Prosecutors revealed that Wilson met Melton at a live music bar before strangling her to death in her home. After the murder, he stole her car and found Ruiz walking along a Cape Coral street. Wilson asked Ruiz for directions, and when she entered the vehicle, he strangled her and later ran her over repeatedly. The two women did not know each other. The court heard graphic details of the injuries suffered by the victims. Melton had severe bruising, hemorrhages, and contusions on her lungs, liver, and other organs. Ruiz suffered multiple fractures, lacerations, and extensive bruising.
Judge Nicholas Thompson, who had the final say on whether Wilson would receive a death sentence or life imprisonment, weighed the aggravating factors against any mitigating circumstances. "Given the facts of the case, nothing in the defendant's background or mental state suggests that a death sentence is inappropriate," Thompson said before sentencing Wilson to death.
Before the hearing, three women sent letters to Judge Thompson pleading for Wilson's life to be spared, citing his history of mental health issues, substance abuse, and lack of parental support. "It appears clearly documented that Mr. Wilson suffers from mental health issues that are severely aggravated by drug use," wrote Lindsay Brann, a mother from Alberta, Canada.
Wilson's adoptive parents described him as "a joyful child" who became delusional due to drug addiction. An expert witness testified that Wilson had taken drugs the night before the murders. Assistant State Attorney Sara Miller stated that Wilson had been hospitalized for a fentanyl overdose while in jail.
During the hearing, conflicting expert testimonies were presented. Dr. Thomas Coyne, a neuropathologist, found no damage to Wilson's brain that could mitigate the death penalty. However, Dr. Mark Rubino, a neurologist, claimed evidence of cognitive dysfunction and brain injury, potentially worsened by drug use, which could have contributed to the murders.
