‘Deadpool Killer’ Wade Wilson sentenced to death for heinous murders in 2019

Wade Wilson, notorious as the “Deadpool Killer,” was sentenced to death on Tuesday for the 2019 murders of two women in Florida.

The 30-year-old’s crimes were described by District Judge Nicholas Thompson as “heinous, cruel and despicable”; one murder was described as cold-blooded, calculated and premeditated.

Wilson was found guilty in June for the murders of Kristine Melton, 35, and Diane Ruiz, 43. The jury had recommended the death penalty, a decision that Thompson confirmed, citing the seriousness of the crimes.

According to prosecutors, Wilson strangled Melton after a drug-induced sex act before stealing her car and attacking his girlfriend, 41-year-old Melissa Montanez.

He later encountered Ruiz, whom he invited into his car under the pretense of asking her for directions. Wilson strangled Ruiz and ran her over, leaving her mutilated body.

Assistant District Attorney Andreas Gardiner described the crimes as an act of killing “for the sake of killing,” emphasizing the brutal nature of the strangulation.

Despite the seriousness of his crimes, Wilson received numerous love letters and explicit photographs from admirers while in custody. Some correspondents and Wilson’s adoptive parents appealed to the court to reconsider the decision, citing his brain damage from drug addiction and problems arising from his adoption.

Wilson’s defense argued for leniency because he had a troubled past and tried to portray him as a person who had been altered by drugs. However, his adoptive parents also asked the court to spare his life because “the person is still in him.”

In addition to the murder charges, Wilson was found guilty of grand larceny, burglary, assault and petty theft.