Wade Wilson trial. Florida man found guilty of double murder
Wade Wilson was convicted in Florida for the premeditated murder of two women. He was permitted to cover the swastika tattoos on his face in court.
5:07 PM EDT, June 14, 2024
30-year-old Wade Wilson was found guilty of murdering two women from Florida, who were brutally strangled within just a few hours of each other. The jury in Cape Coral deliberated for only two hours and seven minutes before delivering the verdict on June 12. Wilson was found guilty of all charges against him.
Florida man convicted for killing two women
In the closing argument, the prosecution argued that Wilson killed 35-year-old Kristine Melton and 43-year-old Diane Ruiz on October 7, 2019, with the sole motive of taking their lives. Melton was found dead in her Cape Coral home; she was bound, her skin blue, and her fingernails broken. According to the police, Ruiz was found dead on an empty plot of land the same day. Both women were strangled.
Wade Wilson, who was allowed to wear makeup in court to cover the swastikas tattooed on his face, refused to testify in the double murder trial. His defense attorney, Wilson Lee Hollander, did not deny that his client was guilty of the murders but argued that there was no premeditation and that Wilson was under the influence of drugs. Hollander told the jury, "I'm not arguing insanity, I'm arguing the state is claiming premeditation, I'm arguing he's whacked out of his mind for any of this."
Wilson boasted about the murders
Wilson previously denied killing the woman in an interview with NBC2. However, during the trial, his biological father, Steven Testasecca, testified that his son not only confessed to the crimes in detail but also boasted about them. The prosecution claimed that Wilson also boasted to the police about the murders three days after his arrest, with his biggest concern being getting a hamburger and fries.
Wilson's trial lasted five years and was plagued by many delays, including the death of his first lawyer and a brief escape from jail. Since October 2019, he has been in Lee County Jail in Florida. The jurors will now have to recommend whether to sentence Wilson to death or life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Judge Nick Thompson will make the final decision. The sentencing phase will begin on June 20.
