Wade Wilson Live Updates: Stoic Killer Listens to Doc Talk About His Brain

Dr. Rubino Gets Passionate Under Prosecution’s Questioning

Wilson Taps Foot in Court While Shackled

No Medical Records

Dr. Rubino has not reviewed any medical records related to Wilson’s car accidents, baseball concussion or their timing, raising questions.

Wade Wilson’s ‘Troubled’ Early Years: The Making of A Convicted Killer

Speaking to former classmates of Wade Wilson, the tattoo-covered Florida man facing the death penalty for brutally murdering two women, one word was constantly used to describe his early years: “troubled.”

A woman who claims she attended Deerlake Middle School and Chiles High School with Wilson wanted to remain anonymous in Newsweek’s reporting. She had the same group of friends as Wilson in middle school, and they sat together for lunch.

“Nobody would eat. They would just pass drugs around, which was so weird to me,” she said, claiming she once dated one of Wilson’s close friends, who was also “wasn’t a very good kid either.”

“He [Wilson] would always wear this black hoodie with his hood over his head, and [her former boyfriend] did the same thing,” she remembered of high school. “They always looked so eerie together – just like at 6:30 in the morning, the sun hasn’t come up yet – You just see them on the side of a building, and I’m like ‘Oh, wait, those are my friends.'”

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Was Wilson A Good Student?

Tension in Courtroom: Did Wilson Fake Brain Test?

The prosecution asks Dr. Rubino how he is certain Wilson didn’t fake the brain test, to which Rubino responds that inconsistent results make faking unlikely

Wilson Has ‘Frontal Lobe Atrophy’

Wilson Exhibits Cognitive and Emotional Dysfunction

Dr. Rubino reports that Wilson experiences cognitive and emotional dysfunction, acting impulsively and without consideration. He exhibits reduced thinking ability and is less likely to adjust his behavior.

WATCH: Wade Wilson Appears in Court for Spencer Hearing Before Sentencing

Wilson’s Brain Ventricle

Dr. Rubino measured Wilson’s brain ventricles, noting that the right side is larger than the left and that the ventricles are small. Some frontal lobe atrophy is indicated.

Neurologist Shares Chilling Details on Wade Wilson’s Brain

A neurologist claims a young Wade Wilson, the tattoo-covered convicted Florida murderer who will either be sentenced to death or life in prison on Tuesday, once told his adoptive parents that he “thought he was going crazy.”

The now 30-year-old Wilson murdered Kristine Melton, 35, and Diane Ruiz, 43, within hours of each other in October 2019. In addition to the two first-degree murder charges, he was also convicted of grand theft, battery, burglary, and petit theft from these incidents.

Dr. Mark Rubino testified during a Zoom disposition hearing on Monday, claiming recent brain scans performed on Wilson, 30, indicate brain trauma, including “impairment” with short-term memory along with “cognitive and emotional problems in the setting of psychiatric disease.”

Rubio is back on the stand now providing the same testimony.

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Wilson’s Head Trauma

As a child, Wilson suffered head trauma from two car accidents and a concussion from playing baseball.

Dr. Mark Rubino on Wilson’s Examination

Dr. Mark Rubino examined Wilson’s eyes and noted ‘jerky eye movements,’ which could indicate a disability or mid-brain disease.

Life Changed at Age 11

“He was until age 11, then things went awry.”

Wilson’s Tattoo Gives Him a Constant Grin in Court

Tattooed Killer Shackled by Feet

Wade Wilson Has Arrived

Neurologist Dr. Mark Rubino is currently lost in the courthouse, delaying his testimony.

HAPPENING NOW: Cape Coral Killing Spree Murder Trial — FL v. Wade Wilson

Wilson’s Evolution in Photos

2007: 6th Grade

2012: 11th Grade

2024: Age 30

Death Penalty on the Line

In a court motion filed July 3 and obtained by Newsweek, Wilson’s legal team claims Florida’s new death penalty law violated Wilson’s constitutional rights.

Last April, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law to allow a death penalty recommendation if at least eight of the 12 jurors vote for it. Nine of the 12 jurors recommended Wilson be put to death for Melton’s murder during the June trial.

Ten of the 12 jurors also recommended Wilson get death for Ruiz’s murder.

If Wilson is sentenced to death, he will be one of three Florida men on death row under the new law.

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Lawyer Kevin Shirley Arrived

Spencing Hearing Ahead

Newsweek’s Erin Keller Live at Sentencing

Newsweek’s Erin Keller is live in Fort Myers, FL ahead of Wade Wilson’s sentencing for the murders of Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz.

Follow along for updates.

WATCH: Wade Wilson’s Penalty Sentencing: Newsweek’s Live Coverage

Security Ahead of Spencer Hearing

Courthouse security reports a normal morning despite protest rumors for Wade Wilson.

Wade Wilson: ‘I would do it again’

In a jailhouse interview, Wade Wilson allegedly told detectives, “I would do it again,” hinting at a desire to kill more people.

Who is Diane Ruiz?

Diane Ruiz was reported missing on Oct. 7.

The bartender was walking to work at a nearby bar when Wade Wilson approached her in a car he stole from Melton’s home, asking for directions.

Ruiz got in the car where Wilson strangled her and “ran her over until she looked like spaghetti,” Wilson’s dad said his son admitted during his testimony. Ruiz’s body was found on October 10 in a field behind a Sam’s Club.

Ruiz was the mother of two sons: Brandon Cuellar, 29, and Zane Romero, 19.

Romero testified that his mother’s death happened just days before his debut in the high school marching band, which she was excited to see.

“I never got to see her in the crowd,” Romero said. “My mom will never get to see me get married.”

Who is Kristine Melton?

Wade Wilson met Kristine Melton at a live-music bar and went home with her on Oct. 6, 2019. The next day, he strangled her to death in her Cape Coral home where her body was discovered, Fox 4 reported from the trial.

Melton was remembered as a cat lover and great friend during the trial, according to News-Press. Her friend since high school, Stephanie Sailors, 41, testified that she and Melton lived in Colorado before moving to Cape Coral together and were servers at the same restaurant.

Melton’s cousin, Samantha Catomer, testified that Melton was the quick-witted godmother to her child who made everyone feel safe and understood, the outlet reported.

“Kristine will never experience motherhood, a role she was born to play,” Catomer said through tears.

What Is a Spencer Hearing?

Wade Wilson’s Spencer hearing, where he can address the judge if he chooses, is at 9 a.m.

The goal of a Spencer hearing is to ensure that the evidence is not prejudicial to the defendant and meets legal standards for relevance and fairness. The hearing helps protect the defendant’s right to a fair trial by scrutinizing evidence that might unduly influence the jury.

Named after the 1993 Spencer vs. State case, a Spencer hearing typically involves a judge evaluating whether specific evidence, often related to a defendant’s prior criminal history or other background information, is relevant and should be admitted during the trial.

Cold-Blooded Killer on Camera

Wade Wilson’s Spencer Hearing: Cold-Blooded Killer’s Last Chance to Speak

A Florida man could face the death penalty after strangling two Cape Coral women “for the sake of killing.”

Wade Wilson, 30, was convicted on June 12 of killing Kristine Melton, 35, and Diane Ruiz, 43, within hours of each other back in October 2019.

Wilson’s Spencer hearing, where he can address the judge if he chooses, is at 9 a.m. today, followed by his sentencing at 2 p.m.

The goal of a Spencer hearing is to ensure that the evidence is not prejudicial to the defendant and meets legal standards for relevance and fairness. The hearing helps protect the defendant’s right to a fair trial by scrutinizing evidence that might unduly influence the jury.

READ MORE from Newsweek’s Erin Keller