Wade Wilson case: what happened, the convictions, and where he is now

Wade Steven Wilson became widely known in Florida after he was convicted of killing two women on the same day in 2019. Media coverage often noted that he shares a name with the Marvel character Deadpool, which is why he has frequently been referred to by that nickname.

Court records show Wilson already had earlier contacts with law enforcement before Oct. 7, 2019. That day, Kristine Melton, 35, was killed in her home, and Diane Ruiz, 43, was killed later while on her way to work.

Prosecutors said Wilson met Melton at a Fort Myers bar, later went to her residence, and killed her there. Hours afterward, they said, he encountered Ruiz, persuaded her to get into a vehicle under false pretenses, and then killed her. Her body was later found nearby. Local reporting, including Gulf Coast News Now, has covered those findings.

Investigators and later court testimony described Wilson making admissions about the crimes. After a lengthy case in Lee County, a jury convicted him in June 2024 of two counts of first-degree murder. In August 2024, a judge imposed two death sentences. He remains on Florida’s death row unless a successful appeal changes that outcome.

Public attention increased again in 2026. In January, Paramount+ released a documentary about his life and the case, Handsome Devil: Charming Killer. Netflix later featured the case in Season 2, Episode 1 of Worst Ex Ever, which premiered on May 6.

Who is Wade Wilson?

Wilson was born in Florida in 1994 to teenage parents and was adopted shortly afterward by Cindy and Steve Wilson of Cape Coral, according to reporting from the News-Press. Accounts of his childhood and school years describe repeated behavioral problems and suspensions.

As an adult, court records and testimony described cycles of counseling, substance-use treatment, and instability. By his early 20s he had a criminal record that included arrests tied to domestic violence, sexual battery allegations, drug possession, and other offenses.

People who knew him described sharp shifts in behavior: at times personable, then suddenly hostile. Prosecutors later argued that this pattern, combined with prior violence, showed a worsening trajectory well before 2019.

After his arrest, his adoptive parents submitted a letter that was read in court at sentencing. They described him as a loved child who later became withdrawn, erratic, and depressed, and said addiction and mental illness then made the situation much worse.

What led up to the murders of Melton and Ruiz?

According to testimony and investigative records, Wilson met Melton, her friend Stephanie Johnson, and Jayson Shepard at a Fort Myers bar. After closing time, the group went to Shepard’s home.

In the early morning of Oct. 7, 2019, Wilson, Melton, and Johnson went to Melton’s house. After Johnson left, prosecutors said Wilson killed Melton in her bed and then left in her car.

Later that morning, authorities said he went to his then-girlfriend’s workplace and assaulted her. Shortly after that, he encountered Ruiz as she walked to work. Investigators said he approached her as if he needed directions, got her into the car, and then killed her.

How did the women die?

The medical examiner determined Melton’s cause of death was manual strangulation.

Ruiz was also strangled. Investigators and medical testimony said she suffered additional blunt-force injuries consistent with being struck by a vehicle after the attack. Wilson later made statements about both deaths that prosecutors said matched the forensic evidence.

How was he arrested?

Wilson was taken into custody less than a day later, largely because of phone calls he made to his biological father, Steven Testasecca. In those calls, Wilson admitted killing two women and described what he had done. Testasecca contacted police and passed along the information, including that Wilson was driving a stolen vehicle.

Cape Coral police located him that evening and arrested him without incident. Investigators said he did not deny involvement and made statements consistent with evidence from both scenes.

Where is he now?

Wilson is incarcerated at Union Correctional Institution in Raiford, Florida, which houses the state’s male death-row population. Death-row inmates there live under tight restrictions, with limited movement and limited contact with the outside world.

His execution is not imminent. His lawyers filed appeals to the Florida Supreme Court after the 2024 sentences. One challenge began in early January 2026, according to WINK News, but the defense paused that effort in February 2026 after concluding recent rulings had already closed off the arguments they planned to raise, according to ABC Gulf Coast.

This version keeps the same facts and structure, uses different wording, and avoids stylized “killer” branding and extra graphic detail so it is more suitable for Facebook.