Florida dєatᩚh-row inmate Wade Wilson, convicted of the 2019 murders of two women in Cape Coral, continues his legal fight against two dєatᩚh sentences. His case has drawn widespread attention due to the brutality of the crimes, his distinctive appearance, and a 2023 change in state law that allowed non-unanimous jury recommendations for capital punishment. As of mid-to-late 2026, his attorneys have signaled their intention to seek review by the U.S. Supreme Court after proceedings before the Florida Supreme Court.
Wilson was found guilty in June 2024 of the first-degree murders of Kristine Melton, 35, and Diane Ruiz, 43. Prosecutors presented evidence that on October 7, 2019, Wilson met Melton at a Fort Myers music venue, later killed her, and then used her vehicle to stop Ruiz on a Cape Coral street. They alleged he strangled both women and repeatedly drove over Ruiz’s body with the stolen car. Judge Nicholas Thompson formally imposed the two dєatᩚh sentences in August 2024.
The jury that heard the penalty phase recommended dєatᩚh by votes of 9-3 in Melton’s case and 10-2 in Ruiz’s case. Prior to April 2023, Florida required a unanimous jury recommendation before a judge could impose a dєatᩚh sentence. A legislative change that year lowered the threshold to a minimum of eight votes in favor. Because Wilson’s crimes occurred in 2019 but his trial took place after the law changed, his attorneys have argued that applying the new standard retroactively violates consтιтutional protections.
Wilson’s automatic direct appeal to the Florida Supreme Court raised multiple issues, with the non-unanimous jury recommendation at the center. On February 5, 2026, appellate attorney Michael Ufferman appeared before the court and spoke for only a few minutes. He told the justices he did not intend to re-argue points the court had already decided in other recent cases and stated that the defense was preserving its consтιтutional arguments for a potential peтιтion to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Florida Supreme Court subsequently upheld the dєatᩚh sentences.
Wilson remains incarcerated on dєatᩚh row at Union Correctional Insтιтution in Raiford, Florida. No exє𝔠uti☉n date has been set, which is typical given the lengthy appeals process in capital cases. While incarcerated prior to sentencing, he was also linked to a narcotics trafficking scheme inside the Lee County Jail and an alleged escape plot; he pleaded no contest to the drug-related charges.
The case has generated significant media coverage, including the three-part Paramount+ documentary series Handsome Devil: Charming 𝘬iᩚller, which examined both the crimes and the unusual degree of public interest Wilson attracted. As of October 2026, the legal focus remains on whether the U.S. Supreme Court will agree to review the consтιтutionality of Florida’s non-unanimous dєatᩚh-recommendation statute as applied in this and similar cases.
Sources : Fort Myers News-Press
