This man has been sentenced to death. Thousands of women are still writing to him.

Content warning: This post includes descriptions of violence against women.

Wade Wilson murdered two women in cold blood, on the same night, "for the sake of killing".

It all unfolded on October 6 and 7, 2019. Wilson, then in his mid-20s, met Kristie Melton at a live music bar in Cape Coral, Florida. The pair went back to Melton's home together later that evening. 

There, he strangled her to death. She was 35. 

Mere hours later, Wilson came into contact with Diane Ruiz. She was a 43-year-old bartender, a mother of two and she was engaged to her loving partner. 

That night she was walking to her night shift when Wilson approached her. He did this by driving up to the curb near the footpath where she was walking and asking for directions. The car he was driving in had been stolen from his first victim's home.

Wilson managed to subdue Ruiz and he strangled her in the car. He dumped her body outside the vehicle onto the road, and "ran her over until she looked like spaghetti", according to court testimony.

Ruiz's body was found days later in a field behind the bar.

The victims, Kristie Melton and Diane Ruiz. Image: Supplied/Police.

Ruiz wasn't able to see one of her sons graduate from high school, nor did she see her other son's debut in the school marching band, which she'd told friends she was looking forward to. 

Wilson's violent spree didn't stop here. In between the two killings, Wilson drove to Florida's Fort Myers in his first victim's car and attacked his ex-girlfriend, Melisa Montanez.

The pair had been in a relationship earlier that year, before Montanez managed to leave. In June 2019, Montanez called the police on Wilson for allegedly beating her up, choking her and sexually assaulting her. 

"He blamed it on drugs, alcohol," Montanez later told Wink News. "He kept reaching for something in his pants saying, 'I'm going to kill you right now, I'm going to kill you right now.'"

During his murderous rampage, Wilson drove to his ex-girlfriend's workplace, where he physically assaulted her.

"I didn't even get to call my son and wish him a happy birthday, and I'm about to die on his 15th birthday," Montanez recounted about the attack. "That's the only thing you think about as a mum, how you're going to leave your child, and how badly that would mess him up for the rest of his life."

On October 8, Wilson was arrested and charged with two counts of murder. 

Despite this, Wilson has received thousands of love letters from women while behind bars. He's even been dubbed online as the 'Deadpool Killer' for having the same name as Ryan Reynolds' character in the movie franchise. 

According to Newsweek, the Lee County Sheriff's Office said Wilson had received 3,903 messages — just since June 2024. Wilson was also sent over 750 photographs, 163 of which were rejected due to their alleged x-rated nature, as well as 65 physical letters. 

Wilson, who was already heavily tattooed, has got more tattoos in prison, including a swastika etched on his face.

During the trial, Wilson's lawyers argued that he had suffered brain damage from excessive drug use and addiction, and that he also had abandonment issues stemming from being adopted.

The judge disagreed that it was an adequate defence. 

On June 12, 2024, 30-year-old Wilson was found guilty of two charges of first-degree murder. He was also found guilty of all other counts, including grand theft, burglary and violence.

Watch: Wade Wilson in court. Post continues below.

Even once Wilson was convicted, infatuated women wrote desperate letters to the court and the sentencing judge. 

"As someone who cares unconditionally for Wade, I have deeply reflected on the gravity of the situation and impact of your decision," wrote one woman. 

"Impose a lighter sentence that reflects the possibility of recovery and rehabilitation," wrote another.

"If you look past his tattoos to his face structure since being in prison and medicated he is healthier, his face is fuller compared to his booking picture where his face is gaunt, pale and he looks unhealthy."

Ahead of sentencing, his adoptive parents said to the court: "Despite everything, Wade is still our son and we love him. The hopes and dreams of his life are already lost, but the human is still in there somewhere, tortured beyond what most of us can even imagine. In those tragic moments when the cancer of severe mental illness and addiction won, we lost our son, grandson, brother, nephew and uncle."

The victims' families felt otherwise.

Melton's loved ones described the time since her murder as "five years of agony".

Ruiz's father said he misses his daughter very much, adding: "I didn't get to say I love her".

This week, Wilson was sentenced to death, with capital punishment still legal in Florida. 

"This case was about killing for the sake of the killing," said Assistant State Attorney Andreas Gardiner. "Strangulation is the epitome of life slipping through someone's hands."

The judge called the murders "heinous, atrocious, and cruel," adding that the second murder was "cold, calculated, and premeditated". 

Throughout the trial and sentencing, Wilson was "emotionless and stone cold the entire time," according to court reporters. After handing down the death sentence, the judge asked if there were any other matters to discuss before dismissal. 

Wilson's lawyers replied: "Mr. Wilson asked me to ask the court within whatever authority you have to get him to death row as soon as possible."

A date for Wilson's execution is yet to be set. The victims' families have vowed to see him at his execution.

"This is not the end. The end is when the accused takes his last breath and I will be there at the execution. That's a promise," said Ruiz's father.

If this has raised any issues for you, or if you just feel like you need to speak to someone, please call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service.

Mamamia is a charity partner of RizeUp Australia, a national organisation that helps women, children and families move on after the devastation of domestic and family violence. Their mission is to deliver life-changing and practical support to these families when they need it most. If you would like to support their mission you can donate here. 

Feature Image: Court TV / Law & Crime.