Wade Wilson Killed 2 Women and Described the Brutal Murders Over the Phone. Inside the Handsome Devil: Charming Killer Case

In June 2024, a Florida jury found Wade Wilson guilty of killing two women within hours of each other in Cape Coral, Fla.

Wilson — sometimes dubbed the “Deadpool Killer” because he shares a name with the Marvel character — had prior encounters with law enforcement before the violence escalated on Oct. 7, 2019. Prosecutors said he killed Kristine Melton, 35, and Diane Ruiz, 43, in two separate attacks the same day.

“The evidence showed both murders were heinous, atrocious and cruel,” 20th Judicial Circuit Court Judge Nicholas Thompson said during Wilson’s 2024 sentencing hearing in Florida. “And that the second murder was cold, calculated and premeditated.”

The case — and the online fixation that followed Wilson’s mugshot — is now the focus of the Paramount+ docuseries Handsome Devil: Charming Killer. The three-part series, which premiered on Jan. 20, examines the crimes, the investigation, and how the case caught fire online.

Who is Wade Wilson?

Wilson was born to teenage parents in Florida on May 20, 1994, according to The News-Press. He was adopted shortly after by Steve and Candace Wilson and raised in Tallahassee, where he attended Chiles High School, Newsweek reported.

During Wilson’s murder trial, his biological father, Steven Testasecca, testified that they reconnected when Wilson was 18 and stayed in “sporadic” contact, per The News-Press.

By his 20s, Wilson had built up a criminal record, including burglary and battery convictions.

In early 2019 — months before the murders — an ex-girlfriend accused Wilson of stealing her laptop and cellphone and alleged he kidnapped and raped her. The News-Press reported that the two were under a no-contact court order at the time and that authorities ultimately did not investigate the kidnapping and rape allegations.

Who were Wade Wilson’s victims?

On Oct. 7, 2019, Wilson killed Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz within hours of each other, authorities said.

Melton was living in Cape Coral and working as a waitress, Fox 4 reported. After meeting her at a Fort Myers bar the night before, Wilson returned to her home, where he later strangled her in her sleep, according to the outlet. Prosecutors said he then stole Melton’s car and fled.

Later, Wilson spotted Diane Ruiz walking to work and stopped to ask for directions. Ruiz was a mother of two, engaged to be married, and worked as a bartender at a Cape Coral eatery.

According to USA Today, prosecutors said Wilson lured Ruiz into his car under false pretenses, beat and strangled her, pushed her out of the vehicle, and then ran her over multiple times.

“This case was about killing for the sake of the killing,” Assistant State Attorney Andreas Gardiner said in closing arguments in June 2024, per Fox 4. “Strangulation is the epitome of life slipping through someone’s hands.”

How did Wade Wilson get caught?

Wilson was arrested on Oct. 8, 2019, after he confessed in a series of phone calls with his biological father, Testasecca, The News-Press reported.

“The first time, he said he needed help. He had done something that he couldn’t take back,” Testasecca recalled, per Fox 4. “There was two people gone that would not be back. He said I’m a killer.”

After Wilson described what he said he had done, Testasecca contacted authorities and reported the confession. He then persuaded Wilson to surrender “peacefully.”

What sentence did Wade Wilson receive?

In June 2024, Wilson was found guilty by a Florida jury after a lengthy trial.

According to USA Today, he was convicted on six charges, including battery, burglary, and two counts of first-degree murder. In August 2024, he was sentenced to death.

After the guilty verdict, Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore issued a statement describing the reaction from the victims’ families.

“This afternoon in the Lee County Courthouse, I sat with the families of Diane Ruiz and Kristine Melton as the verdict was read: Wade Wilson was found guilty on all counts,” Sizemore said. “The families expressed to me their gratitude for the hard work of our team.”