Inside the Gruesome “Deadpool Killer” Case That Led to a Death Sentence for Wade Wilson

Wade Wilson of Florida, dubbed the “Deadpool Killer” because he shares the Marvel character’s name, was sentenced to death for the murders of two women in 2019.

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.

The CCPD said in a news release at the time that detectives, working closely with the State Attorney’s Office, were awaiting test results from the crime lab and conclusions from the Lee County Medical Examiner’s Office before they brought “additional criminal charges” against Wilson.

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

Announcing the charges at a press conference alongside State Attorney Amira Fox, Cape Coral Police Chief Dave Newlan acknowledged that there had been “questions as to why Wilson was not immediately charged with the deaths of Melton and Ruiz.” (The suspect was also charged with one count each of battery, grand theft of a motor vehicle, burglary of a dwelling and first-degree petty theft.)

“Let me be clear: Securing a successful prosecution, and ultimately, a conviction, in this case is paramount,” Newland said. “A hastily conducted investigation, simply for the sake of speed, where steps could be missed, benefits no one.”

Here are all the details on the case that resulted in Wilson being convicted of murder and sentenced to death almost five years later