Wade Wilson, infamously known as the “Deadpool Killer,” was sentenced to death on Tuesday, August 27, for the heinous murders of two Florida women. The 30-year-old, heavily tattooed Wilson remained emotionless as Lee Circuit Judge Nicholas Thompson handed down the death sentence.
Heinous acts
“The evidence shows the murders were heinous, atrocious, and cruel, and that the second murder was cold, calculated, and premeditated,” Judge Thompson stated in the courtroom, as reported by the New York Post.
In June, Wilson was convicted of the brutal slayings of Kristine Melton, 35, and Diane Ruiz, 43, on a chilling night in October 2019. The jury had unanimously recommended the death penalty for Wilson’s horrific actions.
Who is Wade Wilson?
Sharing the name with Marvel’s anti-hero, famously portrayed by Ryan Reynolds, Wade Wilson’s actions were far from heroic. On the night of the murders, Wilson first strangled Melton in her home following a drug-fueled sexual encounter, according to prosecutors. He then stole her car and used her phone to call his girlfriend, 41-year-old Melissa Montanez. When Montanez refused to enter the stolen vehicle, Wilson assaulted her.
Shortly after, Wilson encountered Ruiz, who had asked him for directions in Cape Coral. He lured her into the car, strangled her, and callously discarded her body. In a gruesome act, he later returned to run over Ruiz multiple times, leaving her remains in a horrifying state, described as “looking like spaghetti” during the trial.
“This case was about killing for the sake of killing,” Assistant State Attorney Andreas Gardiner told the court. “Strangulation is the epitome of life slipping through someone’s hands.”
Behind bars and unusual attention
During his five years in prison, Wilson received thousands of explicit photos and love letters, a bizarre trend observed in cases involving notorious serial killers like Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Richard Ramirez.
In Wilson’s case, the judge received numerous letters urging leniency, with many arguing that Wilson was a different person while on medication. His attorneys claimed he suffered from brain damage due to drug addiction and abandonment issues, having been given up for adoption by his biological parents.
Wilson’s parents pleaded with the court to spare his life. “The human is still in there,” they wrote in a heartfelt letter. “Please see it in your heart not to take our son.”
Additional convictions and family reactions
In addition to the murder charges, Wilson was found guilty of grand theft, burglary of a dwelling, battery, and petit theft.
The impact of Wilson’s crimes on the victims’ families has been profound. Melton’s cousin, identified as Samantha Kelly, described the period between the murders and the sentencing as “five years of agony.” Diane Ruiz’s father, Felix Ruiz, expressed his desire to be present at Wilson’s execution, lamenting, “I didn’t get to say I love her. I miss her.”
Wade Wilson’s sentencing brings a grim closure to a case marked by brutal violence and profound loss.