FL v. Wade Wilson: Strangled Women Murder Trial (2024)

CAPE CORAL, Fla. (Court TV/Scripps News Fort Myers) — A Florida jury recommended a man be sentenced to death after convicting him of murdering two women.

On June 12, a jury found Wade Wilson guilty in the 2019 deaths of 35-year-old Kristine Melton and 43-year-old Diane Ruiz. The jury returned its recommendation for a death sentence for each of the two murders on Tuesday afternoon.

Melton was found dead in her Cape Coral home on Oct. 7. That same day, Ruiz vanished while walking to work. Her body was found three days later in a field behind a Sam’s Club.

In Nov. 2019, Wilson was indicted on multiple charges, including two counts of first-degree premeditated murder. Prosecutors said Wilson strangled the women to death.

At the time of the indictment, Wilson was already in custody on unrelated battery charges. He was hit with additional charges in Oct. 2020 after he and another inmate allegedly tried to escape jail.

While awaiting trial, Wilson contacted Scripps News Fort Myers multiple times. In 2020, he told them “that he used to be connected to a high-level human trafficking ring and that he would groom women for them.” Wilson claimed the group was framing him for the murders as punishment for trying to leave.

In a pretrial motion, Wilson asked the court for facial makeup to cover up his tattoos “that might be objectionable to members of the potential jury pool.” The judge granted his request.

Wilson’s formal sentencing is scheduled for July 23.

DAILY TRIAL UPDATES

DAY 5 – 6/25/24

• The prosecution and defense delivered closing arguments to the jury.
  • WATCH: Prosecutor: Wade Wilson ‘Seemed to Enjoy’ Victims’ Suffering
  • WATCH: Wade Wilson’s Defense: ‘He’s Got a Diseased Mind’
• The jury deliberated for about 90 minutes before reaching its decision: Wade Wilson deserves death for the murders of Kristine Melton (by a vote of 9-3) and Diane Ruiz (by a vote of 10-2). The jury found the State proved these aggravators beyond a reasonable doubt:
  • Wilson was previously convicted of a felony and was on probation during the murders – MELTON AND RUIZ
  • He committed two murders at once (contemporaneous conviction) — MELTON AND RUIZ
  • The offense was heinous, atrocious and cruel — MELTON AND RUIZ
  • The offense was cold, calculated and premeditated – JUST RUIZ
  • WATCH: Jury Reaches Decision on Death Penalty for Wade Wilson

DAY 4 – 6/24/24

• Wade Wilson spoke up twice outside the jury’s presence to inform the judge he would not testify, responding on the second occasion, “No, I’m good” when asked if he needed more time to talk with his attorneys.
• The jury heard competing opinions from state and defense experts on whether substance abuse or executive functioning deficits caused by an untreated psychotic disorder contributed to Wilson’s violent conduct. The experts offered conflicting interpretations of events in Wilson’s background, including adolescent mood swings, an involuntary Baker Act commitment as a teen, and personality tests performed on him in custody.
• Assistant State Attorney Andreas Gardiner said in his opening that the State would only present evidence of just one aggravating factor because the jury already heard evidence concerning the heinous and premeditated nature of the murders in the trial’s first phase.
  • WATCH: Strangled Women Murder Trial: Penalty Phase Opening Statements
• In the defense opening, lawyer Kevin Shirley conceded it would be “ludicrous” for the defense to contest the existence of two aggravating factors: Wilson was on probation during the offenses, and he killed two women at once (a.k.a. contemporaneous convictions). Wilson spoke up again to confirm that he was “conceding” those two factors.
• Shirley told the jurors that Wilson would die in prison no matter what they decided. He urged them to consider mitigating circ*mstances of Wilson’s mental instability not as an excuse for what happened but an explanation.
• The State rested after calling three witnesses: two relatives of the victims to present “victim impact evidence” and Cape Coral Police forensic specialist Lisa Lansky, who identified records showing that Wilson was on felony probation when he killed the women.
• Diane Ruiz’s son, Zane Romero, and Kristine Melton’s cousin shared emotional victim impact testimony about the lasting effects of the loss of their loved ones.
  • WATCH: ‘There Are No Words’: Victims’ Families Address Wade Wilson
• The first defense expert, forensic neuropsychologist Dr. Hyman Eisenstein, opined that Wilson suffered from neurocognitive brain impairment that was likely caused by adolescent sports injuries and vehicle wrecks in his early adulthood. The trauma “compromised” Wilson’s executive functioning skills and hindered his ability to function “like a normal healthy individual” and his substance abuse exacerbated the negative effects.
  • WATCH: Psychiatrist: Wade Wilson is ‘Chronically and Severely’ Mentally Ill
• The second defense expert, forensic psychiatrist Dr. Mark Mills, opined Wilson suffered from “some kind of psychotic disorder” based on Eisenstein’s interview and testing of Wilson. Mills’ testing of Wilson delivered invalid results because Wilson exaggerated symptoms, Mills said.
• Mills said he was unable to fully diagnose Wilson because Wilson cut short one of their interviews based on the belief that corrections staff was spying on him. Miller said Wilson’s wariness contributed to his opinion that Wilson suffers from paranoid delusions that could point to schizoaffective disorder, although Wilson showed no sighs of delusions or hallucinations while talking to Miller.
• Defense lawyer Kevin Shirley asked Miller about Wilson’s facial tattoos during a line of questioning about signs of disturbing, antisocial behavior in Wilson that could point to a psychiatric disorder.
• Both defense experts said jail records supported their opinions, pointing to documentation indicating jail staff diagnosed Wilson with schizoaffective disorder, depression, anxiety and adjustment disorder, and gave him antipsychotic medications. The defense experts noted they were not offering an opinion on Wilson’s state of mind during his crime spree.
• The State’s rebuttal expert, forensic psychologist Dr. Michael Herkov, said he did not believe there was enough evidence to support a diagnosis of a psychotic disorder. Herkov opined that Wilson’s thoroughly documented and self-reported drug abuse was a more likely explanation for Wilson’s delusions and repeated criminal conduct.
• The defense recalled their experts in surrebuttal to point out the schizoaffective disorder diagnosis in jail records after Herkov said he didn’t see it.

DAY 3 – 6/12/24

• In their closing argument, the prosecution says the killings were premeditated, while Wilson’s defense claims he’s ‘just wacked out of his mind.’
  • WATCH: Strangled Women Murder Trial: Closing Arguments
• After roughly two hours of deliberations, the jury found Wilson guilty of all charges.
  • First-degree murder (Kristine Melton): Guilty
  • Grand theft of motor vehicle (belonging to Kristine Melton): Guilty
  • Battery (Melissa Montanez): Guilty
  • First-degree murder (Diane Ruiz): Guilty
  • Burglary of a dwelling (home of Fannie Amlin): Guilty
  • First-degree petit theft (property of Fannie Amlin in home): Guilty
• WATCH: Verdict | FL v. Wade Wilson: Strangled Women Murder Trial

DAY 2 – 6/11/24

• The jury heard testimony from Wade Wilson’s biological father
  • WATCH: Wade Wilson’s Biological Father: “He Said, ‘I’m a Killer'”
• Both sides rest. Closing arguments set for Wednesday.

DAY 1 – 6/10/24

• The prosecution delivers their opening statement. The defense reserves theirs.
  • WATCH: Strangled Women Murder Trial: Prosecution Opening Statement
• The jury hears a 911 call from Joshua Lukitsch
  • Lukitsch testified that Wilson told him he ‘killed people’ and needed to leave town
• Stephanie Sailors, roommate of victim Kristine Melton, testified about meeting the defendant the night before Melton’s death. Sailors said when she last saw Melton, ‘everything was fine,’ saying, ‘Kristine would have never let me leave the house if she was scared.’
• Associate medical examiner Dr. Noelia Alemar Hernandez testified that Melton was killed by asphyxia due to compression of the neck.
• The jury heard testimony from the son and fiancé of victim Diane Ruiz.