Wade Wilson (criminal)

Wade Wilson
A headshot of a heavily tattooed man with a buzzcut, dressed in a jumpsuit and staring directly into the camera
One of Wilson's mugshots, taken in 2024 at the Union Correctional Institution
Born
Wade Steven Wilson

(1994-05-20) May 20, 1994
Other namesThe Cape Coral Strangler, Deadpool Killer
Convictions
Criminal charge
Six charges, including murder[1]
Penalty
2 death sentences
Details
Victims2 confirmed
StateFlorida
Date apprehended
  • November 26, 2013: burglary and grand theft
  • 2015: for sexual battery (acquitted)
  • October 17, 2017: for firearm theft
  • July 1, 2019: for battery
  • October 8, 2019: for the murders of Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz
  • September 30, 2020: for an attempted escape from jail

Wade Steven Wilson (born May 20, 1994) is an American criminal convicted of the 2019 murders of Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz in Cape Coral, Florida. Due to sharing the name of the Marvel character Wade "Deadpool" Wilson, Wilson has been referred to in the media as the "Deadpool Killer".[2]

Wilson was sentenced to death in 2024 after being found guilty of two counts first-degree murder, among other charges.[3][2][4][5] Prior to the murders, Wilson had a criminal history dating back to 2010, including convictions for burglary, grand theft, and firearms offenses.[6]

Life and early crimes

Wade Steven Wilson[7] was born on May 20, 1994 to teenage parents.[8] He was adopted by Steve and Candace Wilson and raised in Tallahassee, Florida, where he attended Chiles High School. During his youth, Wilson was often described as "troubled" and was reportedly involved in minor criminal activities and substance abuse. He also sustained several head injuries during his childhood (4 concussions) and adolescence, which he later cited as contributing to his feelings of instability.[9][10][11]

His encounters with the law began in 2012 in Leon County where he was involved in various incidents, including burglary, assault, and firearm-related offenses. In November 2013, Wilson was sentenced to prison for burglary and grand theft, serving until September 2014. In 2015, he faced charges of sexual battery and kidnapping after a woman accused him of assaulting her in his vehicle following a party. However, he was acquitted of these charges by a jury.

Wilson was a witness and informant for the Leon County Sheriff's Office in the 2016-2018 case against Brian Winchester who was also Wilson's cellmate. Wilson said he was offered $20,000 to kill Winchester's wife. Wilson then informed the police, claiming he didn't feel right about it.

By 2017, Wilson was incarcerated again for stealing firearms, serving until July 2018. Later in 2018, he was mentioned in connection with the case of Jerry Michael “Mike” Willams, the target of an alleged murder for hire plotted by his wife Denise Willams, while serving time with Wilson. He has said he received $20,000 in a white Manila envelope at a meet-up post-release while on probation to carry out the attack. In February 2019, his former girlfriend reported an incident in which he allegedly assaulted and choked her. Although she accused him of kidnapping and rape, investigators did not pursue these charges stating there was a of lack of evidence. DNA was collected at that time but the case was closed before it was processed. On July 1, 2019, Wilson was arrested again for battery.[12][11]

Murders

On October 7, 2019, Wilson committed two murders within hours of each other.[13] After Wilson met the first victim, Kristine Melton, he strangled her in her home. Then he left the body wrapped in carpets and bedding in the house. Later that day, after luring Diane Ruiz into his car under false pretenses, Wilson murdered the waitress and mother of two. After strangling Ruiz, he realized that she was still breathing, so he drove his car over her multiple times until, as Wilson himself admitted, "she looked like spaghetti".[3][14][15] He sexually assaulted her after he killed her. [16] He called his biological father, Steven Testasecca, soon afterwards and confessed to murdering the women.[17] Testasecca and his wife called the police[18] and Wilson was arrested the following day.[3] He told detectives that he would be willing to "do it again".[19]

During legal proceedings, evidence of Wilson's mental health was presented, including testimony about his brain injuries. A neurologist testified that brain scans showed trauma and impairment which might explain some of Wilson's impulsive behaviors. However, experts for the prosecution argued that drug abuse was a more significant factor in his actions.[10] The defense claimed that Wilson's drug abuse could have impaired his judgment at the time of the crime.[2]

Wilson's biological father, Steven Testasecca, testified against him in court, recounting details of his confession over the phone. Testasecca stated that his son ran over Ruiz after realizing she was not yet dead, and also could not explain his motives beyond "I just wanted to do it." More than the required 8 out of the 12 jurors recommended the death penalty for Wilson (9 for the murder of Melton and 10 for the murder of Ruiz).[18] Having the power to take or disregard the jury's suggestion, judge Nicholas Thompson imposed two death sentences.[7] Wilson is appealing the decision to the Supreme Court of Florida.[20]

Wilson's sentencing was marked by public interest and controversy, including numerous messages from individuals pleading for clemency.[21] His case raised questions about the intersection of mental health, criminal behavior, and the justice system.[22][23] The case attracted extensive media coverage, partly because of Wilson's common name with the well-known fictional character Deadpool aka Wade Wilson of the Marvel Comic books and subsequent films. Public reactions were mixed, with some expressing sympathy due to his mental health issues, while others focused on the brutality of his crimes.[22]

Incarceration

In jail, while awaiting trial for the murders, Wilson applied multiple tattoos on his face, including a Swastika[18] under his right eye and a larger Swastika on the side of his head.

In 2020, Wilson and his cellmate were accused of tampering with a window in their cell in an attempt to escape. Wilson, who was reportedly the primary planner and instigator of the escape effort, also tried to set up a getaway car.[24] In 2023, he pleaded nolo contendere to smuggling drugs into prison, in exchange for having charges relating to an alleged escape attempt dropped.[25] He was sentenced to a fine and 12 years in prison, to be served concurrently with his death penalties.[26] Wilson survived a drug overdose at Lee County Jail in 2023. The incident prompted an investigation by the Lee County Sheriff's Office. Investigators uncovered a conspiracy to traffic illegal drugs into the jail. Four others were also charged in the incident.[27]

In July 2025, Wilson was transferred to Suwannee Correctional Institution, which does not have a designated death row unit.[28] As of July 10, 2026, Wilson is residing at Union Correctional Institution in Raiford, FL on death row.[28]

In the media

Wilson appeared briefly in the docuseries Mr. & Mrs. Murder that streamed on Hulu in 2025. He is shown giving the police a statement against his former cellmate.

On May 6, 2026, the second season of Netflix's Worst Ex Ever was released, and included an episode on the murders committed by Wilson, titled "Dating the Deadpool Killer."

See also

References

  1. ↑ Luciani, Kim. "Florida killer Wade Wilson sentenced to death. What happens now?". The News-Press. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
  2. 1 2 3 Quinn, Liam (July 26, 2024). "'Wade Wilson' Is Ryan Reynolds' 'Deadpool' Alter Ego. But Real-Life Man Killed 2 Women 'for the Sake of Killing'". People Magazine. Archived from the original on 2025-02-13. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  3. 1 2 3 Stimson, Brie (2024-06-29). "Florida double murderer goes viral for 'smug, soulless' courtroom demeanor". Fox News. Archived from the original on 2025-09-06. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  4. ↑ "Strangled Women Murder Trial: Penalty Phase Continues Tuesday". Court TV. Archived from the original on 2024-10-08. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  5. ↑ "Who Is Wade Wilson? Jury Recommends Death Penalty for 'Deadpool Killer' After Being Convicted of Murder". Yahoo News. 2024-07-03. Archived from the original on 2025-07-01. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  6. ↑ Luciani, Kim. "Wade Wilson case: Florida killer brutally strangled, murdered Kristine Melton, Diane Ruiz". The News-Press. Retrieved 2025-04-26.
  7. 1 2 Alund, Natalie Neysa (2024-08-28). "'Heinous, atrocious and cruel': Man gets death penalty in random killings of Florida women". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on 2024-09-13. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  8. ↑ Rodriguez, Kim Luciani and Tomas (2024-07-08). "Florida killer Wade Wilson's father Steven Testasecca was key to his arrest". The News-Press. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  9. ↑ Reporter, Erin Keller (2024-08-08). "Wade Wilson's 'Troubled' Early Years: The Making of A Convicted Killer". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 2024-08-28. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  10. 1 2 Reporter, Erin Keller (2024-08-26). "Wade Wilson Update: Killer's Neurologist Reveals Chilling New Details". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 2024-08-28. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  11. 1 2 Luciani, Mark H. Bickel and Kim. "New death row mug shot of convicted killer Wade Wilson reveals one change in how he looks". The News-Press. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
  12. ↑ Luciani, Mark H. Bickel, Tomas Rodriguez and Kim. "Florida killer Wade Wilson's timeline: The troubled path that led him to death row". The News-Press. Retrieved 2024-09-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. ↑ Quinn, Liam. "Why Did a Florida Man Randomly Strangle 2 Women Within Span of Hours 'for the Sake of Killing?'". People Magazine. Archived from the original on 2024-08-28. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  14. ↑ "Swastika-covered murder suspect reportedly left his victim 'looking like spaghetti'". The Independent. 2024-06-05. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  15. ↑ "Florida man with swastika face tattoo strangled two women hours apart". Toronto Sun. Jun 14, 2024.
  16. ↑ Netflix, Streaming (2026-05-06). "Worst Ex Ever, "Dating the Deadpool Killer"". Netflix. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  17. ↑ Rodriguez, Kim Luciani and Tomas (2024-07-08). "Florida killer Wade Wilson's father Steven Testasecca was key to his arrest". The News-Press. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  18. 1 2 3 Biro, Elizabeth (2024-06-25). "Jury recommends death for Wade Wilson". WINK News. Archived from the original on 2024-09-13. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  19. ↑ Quinn, Liam (2024-08-28). "Real-Life 'Deadpool' Namesake Wade Wilson Sentenced to Death for Murdering 2 Women". People. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  20. ↑ Senne, Sommer (2024-08-28). "How long will Wade Wilson be on death row?". WINK News. Archived from the original on 2024-09-13. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  21. ↑ Witulska, Natalia. "Wade Wilson: The unsettling trend of romanticising serial killers". www.msn.com. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  22. 1 2 Helling, Steve; Keane, Isabel (2024-07-17). "Letters to judge beg him to spare the life of Wade Wilson". New York Post. Archived from the original on 2024-08-28. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  23. ↑ White, Steven. "MSN". msn.com. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  24. ↑ Luciani, Kim (2024-07-02). "Florida killer Wade Wilson accused of masterminding escape attempt from jail". The News-Press. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
  25. ↑ Stones, Summerleigh (2024-08-29). "Wade Wilson pleads no contest in other pending cases days after receiving death penalty". WBBH. Archived from the original on 2024-09-13. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  26. ↑ Rodriguez, Tomas (2024-08-29). "Wade Wilson pleads to jail crimes Thursday, clears way for transfer to Florida death row". The News-Press. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  27. ↑ Keller, Erin (2024-10-02). "Florida killer Wade Wilson begins journey to death row, leaves Lee County jail for Raiford". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 2024-10-08. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
  28. 1 2 "Inmate Population Information Detail – Wilson, Wade Steven". Florida Department of Corrections. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
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