On Tuesday, a murderer who ruthlessly killed two people and had tattoos of a Nazi face received a death sentence.
As the sentence was delivered in the Lee County, Florida courthouse, Wade Wilson, 30, stood still while applause and cheers from the audience broke out. Earlier that day, Wilson had declined to address the court.
Regarding the murders of 35-year-old Kristine Melton and 43-year-old Diane Ruiz, Wilson was found guilty on two charges of first-degree felony murder and two counts of first-degree premeditated murder in June. In Cape Coral, he strangled the women within hours of one another on October 6, 2019.
In Melton’s case, the jury decided 9–3 in support of the death penalty; in Ruiz’s murder case, the result was 10–2. Here in Florida, just eight of the
Wilson’s lawyer, Lee Hollander, asked the court to impose two life sentences rather than the death penalty at a motion hearing on Tuesday morning.
Hollander requested that County Circuit Judge Nicholas R. Thompson take into account whether his client was significantly disabled at the time of the crimes or possessed the mental capacity to understand that the actions were illegal.
Assisting State Attorney Andreas Gardiner, Hollander stated, “We’d ask the court to take into consideration that death is permanent.”
During the motion hearing, Gardiner stated, “Mr. Wilson’s decisions were not only mindless and consciousness-less, but they tragically reduced Ms. Melton and Ms. Ruiz to nothing more than memories and photographs.”
Wilson allegedly met Melton at a live music venue and killed her by strangling her in her Cape Coral home, where her corpse was found, according to the prosecution.
Wilson went outside and discovered Ruiz strolling down a Cape Coral street. He drove up to her in the vehicle he had taken from Melton’s house. Ruiz got into the car when Wilson asked her for instructions. Wilson “ran her over until she looked like spaghetti” then strangled the woman as she attempted to exit the car, according to testimony given in court.
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