FORT MYERS, FLORIDA — Wade Wilson remains one of the most disturbing examples of how a convicted killer can become an unlikely online celebrity.

Known widely as the “Deadpool Killer,” Wilson was sentenced to death for the 2019 murders of Kristine Melton, 35, and Diane Ruiz, 43, in Cape Coral, Florida.

Yet even after prosecutors presented a deeply violent case against him, women from across the country continued sending letters, money and messages of affection to the man sitting on Florida’s death row. The phenomenon became so extensive that it was featured in the Paramount+ documentary Handsome Devil: Charming Killer.

And despite the attention surrounding his admirers, Wilson’s legal case is still moving through the courts.

💔 A DOUBLE MURDER THAT SHOCKED FLORIDA
The killings happened on October 7, 2019.

According to the prosecution’s case, Wilson first encountered Kristine Melton at a bar in Fort Myers. Prosecutors said he later went to her home, where he killed her and took her vehicle.

Later that day, Wilson encountered Diane Ruiz while she was walking to work.

Prosecutors presented evidence that he forced Ruiz into the vehicle and attacked her before running her over multiple times.

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

Two months later, Judge Nicholas Thompson sentenced him to death for both killings.

💌 THEN SOMETHING STRANGE STARTED HAPPENING
After Wilson’s case gained national attention, especially online, women began openly expressing romantic interest in him.

Some reportedly sent handwritten letters. Others sent photographs, money and gifts. Some women described themselves as being emotionally attached to Wilson despite knowing the details of the murders.

The New York Post reported that hundreds of women had contacted him, while the documentary examining the phenomenon explored why some people become attracted to notorious criminals.

Criminologists interviewed about the phenomenon have suggested that distance can play a role: an inmate can appear emotionally available while the physical separation of prison makes the relationship feel controlled or relatively safe.

That does not mean every person who contacted Wilson fits the same explanation.

📱 HIS APPEAL HAS BECOME THE NEXT FOCUS
Wilson’s popularity online is unusual, but the most important development in his case is now happening inside the courts.

His death sentence automatically triggered review by the Florida Supreme Court. The case was docketed as SC2024-1345 on September 16, 2024.

The official court record currently lists the case as “Open.”

Wilson’s appellate lawyers have challenged the death sentence on several grounds, including the constitutionality of Florida’s 2023 law allowing a jury to recommend death without unanimity.

His jury voted 9-3 in favor of death for Melton’s murder and 10-2 for Ruiz’s murder.

⚖️ THE FEBRUARY 2026 COURTROOM SHOWDOWN
On February 5, 2026, Wilson’s attorney Michael Ufferman appeared before the Florida Supreme Court for oral arguments.

The argument focused heavily on the legal questions surrounding Florida’s revised death-penalty procedure.

Ufferman acknowledged that recent Florida Supreme Court decisions had already addressed similar constitutional arguments. Rather than spending the hearing simply repeating those points, he said he wanted to preserve the issues for potential review by the U.S. Supreme Court.

That means the appellate battle is not necessarily ending at Florida’s highest court.

🚨 NO EXECUTION DATE HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED
Despite the death sentence, Wilson has not been given a publicly announced execution date.

He remains incarcerated on Florida’s death row at Union Correctional Institution in Raiford while the judicial process continues.

The official Florida Supreme Court docket still identifies his matter as an open death-penalty appeal. The most recent listed filing in the court record is a May 2026 order allowing one of his lawyers to withdraw as co-counsel.

So claims that Wilson has already received an execution date — or is about to be executed — should not be treated as confirmed.

🧠 WHY THE CASE CONTINUES TO ATTRACT SO MUCH ATTENTION
Wilson’s case sits at an unusual intersection of true crime, social media culture and the death penalty.

His crimes were exceptionally violent, his appearance became a major part of his online notoriety, and large numbers of strangers became fascinated with him.

That fascination has continued even while Wilson remains under a death sentence.

The case became even more visible after his story was featured in the Paramount+ documentary Handsome Devil: Charming Killer, which examined his crimes and the women who continued to support him.

The phenomenon has prompted a much broader question: why do some people become emotionally attached to notorious killers they have never met?

There is no single answer.

🔎 WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
For Wilson, the immediate issue is not the women writing to him or the online attention surrounding his name.

It is the legal challenge to his death sentence.

The Florida Supreme Court remains the key state-level stage in the case, while his attorney has indicated that further review in the nation’s highest court could follow.

Until those proceedings are resolved and a death warrant is issued, there is no confirmed execution date.

Wilson therefore remains alive and on death row, while the families of Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz continue to live with the consequences of what happened seven years ago.

The contrast is difficult to ignore: two women lost their lives in a brutal 2019 killing spree, while the man convicted of murdering them has developed a following of admirers who continue to send him messages of loyalty and affection from outside the prison walls.

And now, as his legal battle continues, the next chapter may be decided not by his online followers — but by the courts.

Sources:

New York Post — Hundreds of women pledge loyalty to ‘Deadpool Killer’ Wade Wilson despite brutal double murder confession