Who is the Deadpool Killer? Wade Wilson sentenced to death for ‘atrocious and cruel’ murders of 2 Florida women

“The evidence shows the murders were heinous, atrocious and cruel. and that the second murder was cold, calculated and premeditated,” Circuit Judge Nicholas Thompson told the courtroom, according to New York Post.

Back in June, Wilson was found guilty of killing Kristine Melton, 35, and Diane Ruiz, 43, during an October night in 2019. The jury had recommended that he should be awarded the death penalty.

Who is Wade Wilson?

Wilson shares a name with the Marvel anti-hero that Ryan Reynolds made famous. On the fateful night, he first strangled Melton in her home after a drug-fueled sexual encounter with her, according to prosecutors. He then stole Melton’s car and called his girlfriend, 41-year-old Melissa Montanez, using the victim’s phone. He later went on to assault her, but she refused to enter the car.

Wilson then came across Ruiz, who was asking for directions in Cape Coral. He invited Ruiz into the car, and strangled her and threw her out of the vehicle. He later returned and ran Ruiz over “until she looked like spaghetti,” according to testimony from the trial.

“This case was about killing for the sake of the killing,” Assistant State Attorney Andreas Gardiner previously told the court. “Strangulation is the epitome of life slipping through someone’s hands.”

During Wilson’s five years in prison, he received thousands of X-rated photos and love letters. This bizarre trend isn’t uncommon, as notorious serial killers Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer and Richard Ramirez were among violent people who received such attention while in prison.

In Wilson’s case, the judge received several letters urging him to look past Wilson’s inked face because, as many believed, he was a different person while on medication. Wilson’s attorneys claimed that he suffered brain damage from drug addiction and even had abandonment issues as his biological parents had given him up for adoption.

The killer’s adoptive parents urged the court not to give him the death penalty. In a letter, the parents stated that “the human is still in there.” “Please see it in your heart not take our son,” they wrote.

Additionally, Wilson was found guilty of grand theft, burglary of a dwelling, battery and petit theft.

Melton’s cousin, who asked to be identified as Samantha Kelly, reportedly said that the time between the deaths and the sentencing felt like “five years of agony.” Ruiz’s father, Felix Ruiz, said he would want to be present at Wilson’s execution. “I didn’t get to say I love her,” Felix said, according to The News-Press. “I miss her.”