FL v. Wade Wilson: Strangled Women Murder Trial

CAPE CORAL, Fla. (Court TV/Scripps News Fort Myers) — A Florida man is facing the death penalty if convicted of murdering two women.

FILE – Wade Wilson (Lee County Sheriff’s Office via Scripps News Fort Myers)

Wade Wilson is charged in the 2019 deaths of 35-year-old Kristine Melton and 43-year-old Diane Ruiz. Melton was found dead in her Cape Coral home on Oct. 7. That same day, Ruiz vanished while walking to work. Her body was found three days later in a field behind a Sam’s Club.

In Nov. 2019, Wilson was indicted on multiple charges, including two counts of first-degree premeditated murder. Court documents accuse Wilson of strangling the women to death.

At the time of the indictment, Wilson was already in custody on unrelated battery charges . He was hit with additional charges in Oct. 2020 after he and another inmate allegedly tried to escape jail.

While awaiting trial, Wilson has contacted Scripps News Fort Myers multiple times. In 2020, he told them “that he used to be connected to a high-level human trafficking ring and that he would groom women for them.” Wilson claimed the group was framing him for the murders as punishment for trying to leave.

In a pretrial motion, Wilson asked the court for facial makeup to cover up his tattoos “that might be objectionable to members of the potential jury pool.” The judge granted his request.

Opening statements are scheduled to begin on June 10.