Two prosecuting attorneys are counting a victory while reflecting on the complexities of the capital murder case against a Fort Myers man in the brutal deaths of two Cape Coral women.
A jury's death recommendation for Wade Wilson, 30, of Fort Myers, in the 2019 murders was five years in the making, affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in defense counsel.
It was "very frustrating," they say.
Assistant State Attorneys Sara Miller and Andreas Gardiner prosecuted the case against Wilson for the murders of Kristine Melton, 35, and Diane Ruiz, 43.
Miller, with nearly 17 years with the State Attorney's Office, 20th Judicial Circuit, and Gardiner, with 23 years, work with the homicide unit. Gardiner started on the Wilson case from the beginning, while Miller joined the prosecution soon after.
Brief pause while judge determines Wade Wilson sentence
Lee Circuit Judge Nicholas Thompson set Wilson's sentencing date for July 23, about a month after his conviction.
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on Tuesday, in 9-3 and 10-2 votes for each count, that Wilson receive the death penalty.
The lawyers lauded the patience by the women's families.
"The families have been great," Miller said. "I think the biggest frustration is just the case going through numerous attorneys having COVID shut down the court system."
With the court shutdown during the pandemic, Miller said, every new attorney had to become familiar with the discovery again and had to take depositions, which are used at trial when witnesses answer attorneys' questions.
The State Attorney's Office does not comment on pending cases, and declined to further discuss details of the Wilson case as it moves to the final phase. The lawyers did talk to the media in a short news conference immediately after the verdict, however.
Five years building a case against Wade Wilson
Gardiner said the process has been exhaustive.
"Five years is a long time coming for them to actually get their hopes up and ultimately get the closure that they deserve," Gardiner said.
In addition to the pandemic, Wilson's former defense attorney, Young Tindall, died Nov. 12, 2022, and delays continued right up until the sentencing recommendation phase, when replacement defense attorney Lee Hollander became ill and delayed depositions.
The subject matter also weighed on all those involved.
Miller told jurors that Wilson selected, secluded, tortured and strangled Melton and Ruiz. She described the Oct. 7, 2019, murders as heinous, atrocious and cruel.
"The least we can do for (the families) is to see how best we can work with them to make sure that not only are they are informed and kept abreast of what's going on with the case," Gardiner said.
Miller said, the Meltons faced additional challenges as most of them lived out-of-state.
"There was always somebody in contact with us that was local, and they did the bulk of communication with some family members outside of the area," Miller said, later adding that, "I know the travel was a lot, and then with continuances and the penalty phase being postponed ... that made it more of a challenge."
Sara Miller, Andreas Gardiner build convincing portfolio
Lee County has six men on death row; Wilson would be a ninth.
Gardiner also prosecuted one of the men, Wisner Desmaret − his second death penalty case.
A jury found Desmaret guilty in the 2018 shooting death of Fort Myers police officer Adam Jobbers-Miller while on responding to a call in Fort Myers. Desmaret is appealing his sentence.
The Wade Wilson murder is the first death penalty case Sara Miller has prosecuted, and she has another awaiting trial.
The prosecuting duo have collaborated on several high-profile cases in the district that spans five counties, including Collier, Lee, and Hendry, including that of:
∎ Eliceo Hernandez, then 20, of LaBelle, in 2020 shooting death of Florida Wildlife Commission Officer Julian Keen Jr., 30, in Hendry County. Found guilty last year, he received a life sentence.
∎ Brett Pleasant, then 52, in the 2021 of killing a 77-year-old Bible study teacher in North Fort Myers. He also was sentenced to life in prison.
Wade Wilson has two pending cases
Meanwhile, the duo has unfinished business with Wilson.
Miller said prosecutors had yet to discuss the fate of two pending cases against Wilson.
Wilson has at least twice faced additional charges since his initial incarceration at the Lee County Jail for the 2019 homicides. In April 2023, he faced charges in a narcotics scheme.
In October 2020, Wilson, along with a man accused in a domestic violence case, was thwarted in a bid to escape Lee County Jail.
The sheriff's office report said Wilson was the primary planner and instigator of the attempt.
According to a separate arrest report from the Lee County Sheriff's Office, around 6 a.m. April 20, 2023, a K9 conducted a free air sniff outside the main Lee County jail, 2115 Martin Luther King J. Blvd., with a report of narcotics placed there.
An anonymous inmate trusty reported the narcotics were brought by inmate trusty Bobby Hitchman, 35, the report indicated.
According to the arrest report, Hitchman was providing the narcotics to another inmate trusty, Daniel Mulcahey, 38, who then distributed them to Wilson and a second inmate.
Two more death penalty cases in process
Just last week, a grand jury indicted two Fort Myers men on capital murder charges.
Michael Maree, 66, was indicted for one count of first-degree murder related to the unlawful distribution of fentanyl causing death in the death of Nick Adams, 36, on Jan. 1. Adams died at Maree's Fort Myers home after ingesting fentanyl.
Courtney Parchman, 31, arrested June 5 for his believed role in a June 1 deadly armed robbery at Royal Jacks Arcade, in North Fort Myers, was indicted on capital first-degree murder charge.
Other state attorneys will take on those cases, with Hamid Hunter prosecuting Parchman and John Dommerich Jr., chief of special prosecutions, prosecuting Maree.
Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran and Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews.
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