FORT MYERS, FLORIDA — Two years after a Florida judge sentenced Wade Wilson to death for the murders of two women, the convicted killer remains on death row as his legal fight continues through the courts.

Wilson was condemned in August 2024 for the killings of Kristine Melton, 35, and Diane Ruiz, 43, two women he encountered during a deadly spree in Lee County in October 2019.

The sentencing became one of the most closely watched moments of the case.

But the death sentence did not end the legal process.

Today, Wilson remains incarcerated while his mandatory appeal is still pending before the Florida Supreme Court. The court’s official case record, SC2024-1345, continues to list the matter as open.

⚖️ THE JURY RECOMMENDED DEATH FOR BOTH MURDERS
Wilson was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder in June 2024.

During the penalty phase, jurors recommended death by a vote of 9-3 for Melton’s murder and 10-2 for Ruiz’s murder.

Under Florida’s revised death-penalty law, a unanimous recommendation was no longer required.

The recommendations cleared the statutory threshold, allowing Circuit Judge Nicholas Thompson to impose the death penalty.

On August 27, 2024, Wilson was formally sentenced to death for both murders.

💔 TWO WOMEN, ONE DEVASTATING DAY
The case began with the death of Kristine Melton.

Prosecutors said Wilson met her in Fort Myers and later went to her home with her. Melton was killed there, and Wilson took her vehicle.

Later that same day, Wilson encountered Diane Ruiz.

Prosecutors presented evidence that he forced Ruiz into the stolen vehicle, attacked her and ultimately killed her.

The killings of two women who did not know each other became the central reason prosecutors pursued two separate death sentences.

🚨 THE SENTENCING HEARING REVEALED JUST HOW SEVERE THE CASE HAD BECOME
At sentencing, prosecutors emphasized the violence of the crimes and the evidence they had presented during trial.

The defense, meanwhile, attempted to place Wilson’s behavior in the context of his history, including substance abuse and mental-health issues.

But the jury had already rejected the defense arguments during the conviction and penalty phases.

The final decision was therefore not life in prison.

It was death.

🔎 BUT THE APPEAL HAS NEVER DISAPPEARED
In capital cases, a death sentence automatically triggers appellate review.

Wilson’s case was opened before the Florida Supreme Court in September 2024.

His lawyers have focused much of the appeal on the constitutionality of Florida’s revised death-penalty procedure, particularly the rule allowing a jury recommendation for death without unanimity.

That issue became especially important in Wilson’s case because both death recommendations were less than unanimous.

🏛️ THE FLORIDA SUPREME COURT HEARD HIS CASE IN 2026
A major step occurred on February 5, 2026, when Wilson’s attorney appeared before the Florida Supreme Court for oral argument.

The hearing was brief.

Wilson’s lawyer acknowledged that the state’s highest court had recently dealt with similar constitutional arguments in other death-penalty cases.

He nevertheless argued that the issues should remain preserved for possible review by the U.S. Supreme Court.

That hearing marked an important point in the appeal, but it did not mean Wilson’s execution was imminent.

🚨 NO EXECUTION DATE HAS BEEN SET
Despite Wilson’s two death sentences, there is still no publicly announced execution date.

The Florida Supreme Court’s official case page continues to classify SC2024-1345 as Open.

The latest listed docket activity is from May 7, 2026, when the court granted the withdrawal of one of Wilson’s attorneys as co-counsel.

So while Wilson has been sentenced to death, the state has not announced that he will be executed on a particular date.

🏢 HE REMAINS ON FLORIDA’S DEATH ROW
Wilson is being held at Union Correctional Institution in Raiford, where Florida houses its male death-row population.

His current status is therefore very different from the moment his sentence was imposed.

The trial is over.

The conviction remains in place.

The death sentences remain in place.

But the appellate process is still continuing.

🧠 WHY THE APPEAL MATTERS
Wilson’s challenge is not simply an attempt to relitigate the fact that two women were killed.

His appellate arguments focus heavily on how Florida imposed the death penalty.

The defense has argued that applying the state’s revised sentencing procedure to crimes committed in 2019 raises constitutional questions because the law changed after the murders.

The prosecution has taken the position that Florida’s law permits the sentences and that the jury recommendations satisfied the applicable requirements.

Those arguments are now part of a much larger constitutional debate over Florida’s capital-sentencing system.

💬 THE CASE BECAME A NATIONAL SENSATION
Wilson’s case attracted attention far beyond southwest Florida.

Part of that was because of his name, which is identical to the fictional Marvel character known as Deadpool.

But the fascination soon became much darker.

After his conviction, Wilson developed an unusual following online, with women sending letters and expressing romantic interest in him despite the nature of the crimes for which he was convicted.

That phenomenon later became the subject of true-crime documentaries and widespread social-media discussion.

The attention surrounding Wilson, however, does not alter his legal status.

He remains a convicted double murderer on death row.

🕯️ THE VICTIMS REMAIN AT THE CENTER OF THE CASE
As Wilson’s online notoriety grew, the names of Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz sometimes disappeared behind the personality built around their killer.

But the original case was about two women whose lives ended on October 7, 2019.

Melton was 35.

Ruiz was 43.

Their murders led to the convictions that ultimately produced two death sentences.

Everything happening now in the appellate courts flows from those original crimes.

🚨 THE NEXT STEP COULD TAKE THE CASE EVEN HIGHER
Wilson’s attorney has already indicated that the constitutional issues could eventually be taken to the U.S. Supreme Court.

That does not mean the nation’s highest court will agree to hear the case.

For now, the Florida Supreme Court remains the central state-level forum for the direct appeal.

And according to its official docket, that appeal remains open.

⏳ TWO YEARS AFTER SENTENCING, THE CASE IS STILL NOT OVER
The August 2024 sentencing created the impression of a final chapter.

It was not.

Two years later, Wilson is still alive.

He is still on death row.

His convictions and death sentences remain in effect.

And his lawyers are still pursuing appellate relief.

That is the reality of a modern capital case: even after a judge imposes death, years of litigation can follow before an execution ever becomes legally possible.

🔥 THE QUESTION NOW IS NOT WHETHER WILSON WAS SENTENCED TO DIE
He was.

The question is what the courts will decide about the legal challenges surrounding that sentence.

Will the Florida Supreme Court ultimately leave the death sentences intact?

Will Wilson seek review from the U.S. Supreme Court?

Could another legal challenge delay the case even further?

None of those questions has been finally answered.

What is known is that Wilson’s appeal remains active.

🚨 THE “DEADPOOL KILLER” IS STILL WAITING
The sensational headlines surrounding Wilson’s case can make it seem as though the story has already reached its conclusion.

Legally, it has not.

Wade Wilson remains on Florida’s death row more than two years after Judge Nicholas Thompson sentenced him to death for killing Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz.

The Florida Supreme Court has heard oral argument.

His lawyers have preserved constitutional arguments for possible further review.

And the official docket still lists the case as open.

For now, there is no execution date on the calendar.

There is only the next stage of the appeal — and the possibility that the legal fight over Florida’s death-penalty system will continue long after the courtroom cameras have gone dark.

Sources:

AZCentral — Wade Wilson Florida killer sentencing live updates