NEED TO KNOW
\nWade Wilson killed Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz in October 2019Wilson confessed his crimes to his biological father, who alerted authoritiesWilson and the murders are the focus of the Paramount+ docuseries Handsome Devil: Charming Killer<\/p>\n
In June 2024, Wade Wilson<\/a> was found guilty of killing two women within hours of each other in Cape Coral, Fla.\n<\/p>\n Wilson \u2014 who has been referred to as the \u201cDeadpool Killer\u201d because of their shared name \u2014 already had a few run-ins with the law by that point. But he escalated to murdering<\/a> on Oct. 7, 2019, when he killed Kristine Melton, 35, in her sleep and Diane Ruiz, 43, on the street while on the way to her job.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThe evidence showed both murders were heinous, atrocious and cruel,\u201d\u00a0 20th Judicial Circuit Court Judge Nicholas Thompson said during Wilson\u2019s 2024 sentencing hearing<\/a> in Florida. \u201cAnd that the second murder was cold, calculated and premeditated.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Now, Wilson\u2019s crimes and the subsequent online attention are explored in the Paramount+ docuseries<\/a> Handsome Devil: Charming Killer. The three-part show, which premiered on Jan. 20, investigates why Wilson committed the murders and how his mugshot spurred an online frenzy.\n<\/p>\n Here\u2019s everything to know about Wade Wilson\u2019s crimes and arrest.\n<\/p>\n Who is Wade Wilson? <\/p>\n Wade Wilson.<\/p>\n Paramount Plus\/YouTube<\/p>\n Wilson was born to teenage parents in Florida on May 20, 1994, according to The News-Press<\/a>. He was adopted by a couple named Steve and Candace Wilson shortly after and was raised in Tallahassee, where he attended Chiles High School, Newsweek<\/a> reported.\n<\/p>\n During Wilson\u2019s murder trial, his biological father, Steven Testasecca, testified that the pair reconnected when Wilson was 18 and remained in \u201csporadic\u201d contact, per The News-Press<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n Prior to his conviction in Melton and Ruiz\u2019s murders, Wilson amassed a criminal record by the time he was in his 20s, including for offenses including burglary and battery.\n<\/p>\n In early 2019, about nine months before his arrest for the murders, his ex-girlfriend accused him of stealing her laptop and cellphone, kidnapping and raping her.\n<\/p>\n However, they were under a no-contact court order and authorities ultimately chose not to investigate the kidnapping and rape allegations, according to The News-Press.\n<\/p>\n Who were Wade Wilson\u2019s victims? <\/p>\n Kristine Melton ; Diane Ruiz.<\/p>\n Facebook(2)<\/p>\n On Oct. 7, 2019, Wilson killed Melton and Ruiz within hours of each other in separate incidents.\n<\/p>\n Melton was living and working as a waitress in Cape Coral, Fox 4<\/a> reported. After meeting Melton at a local Fort Myers bar the night prior, Wilson returned home with her, where he later strangled her to death in her sleep, according to the outlet<\/a>. Wilson then stole Melton\u2019s car and fled the scene.\n<\/p>\n While driving around, Wilson spotted Ruiz walking to work and stopped to ask for directions. A mother of two and engaged to be married, Ruiz was working as a bartender at a local Cape Coral eatery.\n<\/p>\n After luring her into his car under false pretenses, Wilson beat and strangled Ruiz before pushing her out of the vehicle and running her over multiple times, according to USA Today<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThis case was about killing for the sake of the killing,\u201d Assistant State Attorney Andreas Gardiner said during the closing arguments of Wilson\u2019s trial in June 2024, per Fox 4<\/a>. \u201cStrangulation is the epitome of life slipping through someone\u2019s hands.\u201d\n<\/p>\n How did Wade Wilson get caught? <\/p>\n Wade Wilson.<\/p>\n Lee County Sheriff’s Office<\/p>\n Wilson was arrested on Oct. 8, 2019, after confessing to the murders in a series of phone calls with his biological dad, Testasecca, The News-Press reported.\n<\/p>\n