Adoptee Kills Two Women in Florida

“The state has rested its case in the double murder trial for Wade Wilson, the man accused of killing two Cape Coral women in Oct. 2019. Closing arguments are set to begin Wednesday morning.

Multiple witnesses came forward Tuesday to detail the scene as well as the injuries forensics found when performing autopsies on both women.”

“Steven Testasecca said he was 14 or 15 years old when he found out he was going to be a father, so Wilson was placed for adoption.

He was adopted by Candy and Steve Wilson, people who went to church with Wade’s mother’s parents.

At 18, Wilson wanted to reach out and connect with his biological father.

His biological father stated he often asked for money. On the night of the murders, Wilson allegedly called him several times and admitted to killing the two women.

“He needed help, he had done something he couldn’t take back. He just told me did something, there was two people gone that would not be back, he said I’m a killer,” Testasecca testified.

His father went on to say that Wilson is a good storyteller, that’s why he didn’t believe the claims at first.

“Did he show any type of remorse?” questioned prosecutor Sarah Miller.

Testasecca responded, “No ma’am.”

He said during the phone call, Wilson explained he met a girl at a bar (Melton), went to her house, and she fell asleep. He said he got on top of her and choked her.

“I choked that b—-,” said Wilson, according to his father.

“He said he stayed in the house a while, rolled her up, and was going to try to put her in her trunk, but he couldn’t lift her, he felt like rigor mortis had started to set in,” according to Testasecca.

Wilson told his dad he left her there and took her car.

Regarding Diane Ruiz’s death, Wilson told his father he saw someone walking down the street, asked her for directions, and then she got in the car with him. Prosecutors note they do not know if Ruiz entered willingly or if she was forced. Wilson allegedly confessed to reaching over and choking her while driving. Wilson said he was looking for a place to put her body when he realized she was still breathing.

“He said he rolled her out of the car, got back in and ran her over until she looked like spaghetti,” said Testasecca.

His father stated Wilson sounded excited on the phone.

“I felt like he was wanting me to feel how he felt about it.”

“Was he proud?” asked Miller.

“Yes,” said Testasecca.

His father said he was originally conflicted about turning his son over to law enforcement. As Wilson was calling him for help, asking for an Uber to get out of town.

“He would’ve done it again,” he said.

Testasecca asked for Wilson’s address so he could send him an Uber. Instead, he sent U.S. Marshals.

“I didn’t want him to do anything stupid and get killed. I told him to put his hand up and go outside.”

Diane Ruiz’s body is found

Justin DeRosso, a Cape Coral Police Department K-9 sergeant, took the stand to say while patrolling with another officer, he saw a vulture circling an area. It was an undeveloped lot with trees.

“Vultures usually circle carcasses, dead bodies, dead animals, whatever,” DeRosso said.

The body of Diane Ruiz was found in the woods. The area was secured, and detectives began an investigation.

Forensic tech Jaclyn Fordham stated there were tire impressions in the grass, but argued actual impressions were not possible due to the height of the grass.

Dr. Thomas Coyne was deputy chief medical examiner in Lee County back in 2019.

He assisted in both Ruiz’s and Melton’s autopsies.

“She had some evidence of animal or scavenging activity. Portions of ears and nose removed likely from birds,” Coyne said about Ruiz’s body.

Coyne said there were a lot of significant internal injuries as well.

He testified Ruiz also had bruising on the back of her left forearm, bruising on the back of her left hand, fracture of the fourth finger, bruising on the right, hyoid bone fracture and thyroid partially fractured, and a large number of rib fractures.

“Would an automobile driving over a body cause that to happen?” asked Prosecutor Andreas Gardiner.

“Certainly,” said Coyne.

Coyne said it only takes about 10 to 15 seconds to make a person pass out by holding them around the neck. He added within 30 seconds, a person may not have a return of consciousness

Coyne said Ruiz would not have been able to survive the injuries to the neck.

DNA evidence

Daniel Baker, a Former FDLE DNA analyst, took the stand to explain possible evidence linking Wilson to the scene.

Baker tested knots in the shirts that were tied around the bedding Melton was allegedly put in after her death.

He stated Wilson and Melton are included as possible contributors to the mixed profile.

He testified that the chances of DNA matching anyone else is one in 700 billion.”

Wade Wilson’s biological father takes stand, recounts the chilling moments he confessed to the killings
[NBC 2 6/11/24 by Summerleigh Stones and Samantha Serbin]

“By the time police found the body of Diane Ruiz in a field in Cape Coral, Fla., on Oct. 10, 2019, the man who’d eventually be sentenced to death for killing her was already in custody.

Wade Steven Wilson—dubbed the “Deadpool Killer” because Wade Wilson is the Marvel character’s regular-guy name—was arrested Oct. 8 after sharing grisly details about his crimes in a phone call with his father, who helped relay the information to police.

But when officers first picked Wilson up at an unoccupied residence he’d apparently broken into, the 25-year-old wasn’t arrested on suspicion of murder.

Rather, Wilson was charged with burglary, larceny and damaged property, as well as with battery for attacking a woman (identified during his June 2024 murder trial as his then-girlfriend Melissa Montanez) on the morning of Oct. 7 in Fort Myers, Fla.

Days later, the Cape Coral Police Department confirmed that Wilson was a person of interest in the deaths of Ruiz, 43, and Kristine Melton, 35, both of whom were killed that same morning.”

“And on Nov. 19, 2019, Wilson was indicted on two counts of first-degree murder.”

“Melton, who was originally from Illinois, worked as a waitress and was helping to care for her mother, Katie Melton, who was starting to show the effects of Alzheimer’s disease, according to the victim’s brother Richard Melton.

“Kristine was her best friend,” Richard told Newsweek after Wilson was sentenced on Aug. 27. “They had coffee every morning.”

He described his sister as a “fun-loving and super light-hearted person, as well as “super kind” and “non-judgmental.”

The brother said that their mom hadn’t processed that Melton is dead and persists in believing she’s “alive, well, and married.”

Melton met Wilson on the night of Oct. 6, 2019, at Buddha LIVE, a bar in Fort Myers, according to the prosecution’s accounting of events during Wilson’s trial.

Melton was with her friend and co-worker Stephanie Sailors. Per prosecutors, they stayed until closing and, along with Wilson, went to the home of Jayson Shepard, where they they spent a few hours before Sailors and Wilson went back to Melton’s place in Cape Coral.

Sailors and Shepard both testified at Wilson’s trial that the defendant and the victim had sex while at Shepard’s house.”

“Wilson told his father he met a girl at a bar and strangled her while she was sleeping, according to a sentence order obtained by E! News. (The prosecution later argued at trial that Melton had injuries indicating she woke up and tried to defend herself.)

Police found Melton’s body at her house on the night of Oct. 7 after her car was found in Fort Myers and they went to check on her.

Wilson’s now ex-girlfriend Montanez testified at his trial in June that she had been with him at Buddha LIVE but didn’t want to go back to Shepard’s house, and Wilson drove off in her car without permission. He started calling her the next morning before 8 a.m., she told the court, and he came to her business in downtown Fort Myers.

He was driving Melton’s black Nissan Versa when he showed up, a vehicle Montanez didn’t recognize. Wilson tried to pull her into the car, Montanez continued, and when she resisted he punched, slapped and choked her.

She testified that Wilson then dragged her upstairs to her business and held her against the wall by her throat. But when he hit her again, she continued, he seemed startled by all the blood and she took the opportunity to run. He left in the Versa after that, she said.”

“Ruiz’s body was found three days later in a field behind a Sam’s Club.

Cape Coral Police Sgt. Justin DeRosso, one of the officers who found her, testified that they saw “a single vulture circling an area to our east,” and that’s what led them to the right spot. ”

“On June 12, the jury came back with guilty verdicts on all charges, including two counts of first-degree murder, after two hours of deliberations, according to CourtTV.com.”

“On June 25, the jury came back after about 90 minutes voting 9-to-3 in favor of death as punishment for killing Melton and 10-to-2 for Ruiz, agreeing in both cases that the offense was, per Florida law’s definition of aggravating factors, “heinous, atrocious or cruel.” (In 2023, Florida joined Alabama as the only states where juries don’t have to be unanimous to recommend death; the vote must be at least eight in favor.) ”

Inside the Gruesome “Deadpool Killer” Case That Led to a Death Sentence for Wade Wilson
[E Online 9/7/24 by Natlalie Finn]

REFORM Puzzle Piece