Current:Home > StocksAlgosensey Quantitative Think Tank Center-"Deadpool Killer" Trial: Wade Wilson Sentenced to Death for Murders of 2 Women -LegacyCapital
Algosensey Quantitative Think Tank Center-"Deadpool Killer" Trial: Wade Wilson Sentenced to Death for Murders of 2 Women
Rekubit Exchange View
Date:2025-04-11 05:23:45
Wade Wilson,Algosensey Quantitative Think Tank Center often dubbed the "Deadpool Killer" because he shares the same name with the Marvel character, has been given the death penalty for killing two Florida women.
A grand jury indicted the 30-year-old in 2019 on charges of first-degree murder over the deaths of Kristine Melton, 35, and Diane Ruiz, 43. Wilson had confessed to police soon after his arrest that he had killed both women on Oct. 7, 2019.
In June, after he was found guilty of the murders, a jury concluded by two majority votes this past June that he be given the death sentence. Lee County Circuit Judge Nicholas Thompson agreed at a hearing Aug. 27.
"The evidence showed that both murders were heinous, atrocious and cruel," he wrote in the sentence order, obtained by E! News, "and that the second murder was cold, calculated and premeditated."
Wilson's attorney said he plans to appeal the death penalty sentence, telling Newsweek after the sentencing that his client, "understands the law and he understands what it takes to override a jury recommendation."
According to the sentence order, Wilson had turned himself in to police days after the killings, at his father's recommendation. His dad had testified that the same day the women were killed, his son had called him to ask for help, saying he was speaking from a house he had broken into.
Wilson's father said his son told him he had met a girl at a bar, then went to her house, choked her after she fell asleep, left her body in the house and took her car. His dad also said Wilson told him he later choked a second woman who had gotten into a car with him after he asked her for directions, and then ran her over.
Wilson's dad testified that his son sounded “excited” while recounting his crimes and did not express any remorse.
Three days later, while in jail, Wilson confessed to the murders of Melton and Ruiz. He stated to police that he met Melton at a bar, had consensual sex with her at a "dude's house" and later continued to do so at her home, before he "killed her."
In his confession, Wilson told police he picked up Ruiz after asking her to show him how to get to the local high school, choked her when she tried to leave, pushed her out of the vehicle and ran her over repeatedly. He added that at the time, he was "on a rampage" and "on drugs." He said that when he's under the influence, he becomes "the devil," the sentence order stated.
The sentencing order noted that evidence showed that Wilson severely beat Melton with a curtain rod before suffocating her.
Police had found her battered body inside her apartment, hidden inside a bundle of bedding and clothing. Her wrists had been tied with a white scarf and a curtain rod with a red stain on it was found nearby. Forensic testing on the items showed they contained DNA matching both her and Wilson's, the documents stated.
As for Ruiz, her body was found in the woods, while her blood, cell phone and work uniform name tag were located in Melton's car.
She suffered a broken nose and finger, a chest laceration and fractures to 11 ribs and her neck—the kind commonly seen in strangulation cases, the medical examiner testified, adding that her injuries were also consistent with a vehicle driving over her body. He also said it appeared Ruiz had tried to defend herself before she was killed.
He also said it appeared Ruiz had tried to defend herself before she was killed.
The judge considered several factors before rendering the death sentence.
He noted that Wilson had "inflicted serious physical and emotional pain on the victims" and "committed the murders while on probation for prior felony convictions and he committed two first degree murders contemporaneously with each other and with grand theft of a motor vehicle, battery and burglary of a dwelling."
"Under the totality of the circumstances and evidence," the judge wrote in his decision, "the Court finds no basis to override the jury's verdict."
After the decision was rendered, the families of Melton and Ruiz thanked law enforcement involved in the case.
"I didn't get to say I love her and I miss her," Ruiz's father Felix Ruiz told reporters. "This is not the end. The end is when the accused takes his last breath. And I will be there at the execution. That's a promise."
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News AppveryGood! (6)
Related
- Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
- California officer involved in controversial police shooting resigns over racist texts, chief says
- AP survey finds 55 of 69 schools in major college football now sell alcohol at stadiums on game day
- Man wins $9.6 million from New York LOTTO, another wins $1 million from HGTV lottery scratch-off
- Video shows dog chewing cellphone battery pack, igniting fire in Oklahoma home
- 'It's freedom': Cher on singing, her mother and her first holiday album, 'Christmas'
- Former Child Actor Evan Ellingson Dead at 35
- Ryan Blaney earns 1st career NASCAR championship and gives Roger Penske back-to-back Cup titles
- Connie Chiume, Black Panther Actress, Dead at 72: Lupita Nyong'o and More Pay Tribute
- Oklahoma State surges into Top 25, while Georgia stays at No. 1 in US LBM Coaches Poll
Ranking
- Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
- U.S. cities consider banning right on red laws amid rise in pedestrian deaths
- Full transcript of Face the Nation, Nov. 5, 2023
- Full transcript of Face the Nation, Nov. 5, 2023
- RFK Jr. grilled again about moving to California while listing New York address on ballot petition
- Investigators headed to U.S. research base on Antarctica after claims of sexual violence, harassment
- Taylor Swift Proves She's Travis Kelce’s No. 1 Fan Amid His Major NFL Milestone
- Tyson recalls 30,000 pounds of chicken nuggets after consumers report finding metal pieces
Recommendation
Krispy Kreme offers a free dozen Grinch green doughnuts: When to get the deal
The Fate of The Bear Will Have You Saying Yes, Chef
MTV EMAs 2023 Winners: Taylor Swift, Jung Kook and More
Man arrested in slaying of woman found decapitated in Northern California home, police say
Clay Aiken's son Parker, 15, makes his TV debut, looks like his father's twin
Israeli troops surround Gaza City and cut off northern part of the besieged Hamas-ruled territory
Horoscopes Today, November 4, 2023
The Fate of The Bear Will Have You Saying Yes, Chef