Wade Wilson officially moved to Florida’s death row

Wade Wilson is officially on death row.

The 30-year-old Florida man who was sentenced to death last week for murdering two women was transferred from the Lee County Jail in Fort Myers to the Union Correctional Institution in Raiford on Friday where he now awaits execution.

The photo attached to his Inmate Population Information profile appears old as Wilson appears fresh-faced and without his infamous tattoos.

Newsweek has contacted Wilson’s lawyers and the Florida Department of Corrections for comment.

On August 27, the families of Wilson’s victims Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz clapped, laughed, and hugged each other when Judge Nick Thompson decided that Wilson would be put to death for strangling both women within hours of eachother in October 2019.

Wilson is the first convicted killer in Florida to be put to death after Gov. Ron DeSantis’ controversial law change. DeSantis signed a law in April 2023 reducing the requirement for jurors to recommend a death sentence from a unanimous decision to an 8-4 vote in favor. Experts argue that this change has turned capital resentencing and trials into a “quintessential game of chance” for those facing the death penalty.

In June, nine of the 12 jurors in Wilson’s case recommended the death penalty for the murder of Melton and 10 recommended death for the murder of Ruiz.

Life on Death Row

The 274 Florida male death row inmates are housed at Union Correctional Institution in Raiford which has a capacity of 1,486 inmates. Raiford is a Union County town located in the northern part of the county and southwest of Jacksonville.

The two female Florida death row inmates are housed at Lowell Annex in Lowell.

Death row cells measure 6-by-9 feet with a height of 9.5 feet. Inmates awaiting execution, after the governor signs a death warrant, are housed in death watch cells, which measure 12-by-7 feet with a height of 8.5 feet.

Death row inmates are served three meals a day: at 5 a.m., from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., and from 4 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Meals are prepared by prison staff and delivered to the cells in insulated carts. Inmates use sporks to eat from a provided tray.

Before execution, inmates can request a last meal with a maximum budget of $40, and the food must be purchased locally to prevent extravagance.

Death row inmates can have visitors but they must be approved in advance. Inmates receive mail daily, excluding holidays and weekends. They are allowed snacks, radios, and 13-inch televisions in their cells but do not have cable television or air-conditioning. Inmates cannot gather in common areas but can watch church services on closed-circuit TV.

While on death watch, inmates may have radios and televisions positioned outside their cell bars. They’re allowed to shower every other day and are counted at least once an hour.

Death row inmates are handcuffed whenever they are outside their cells, except during their time in the cell, exercise yard, or shower. Inmates remain in their cells except for medical appointments, exercise, social or legal visits, and media interviews. When a death warrant is signed, the inmate is placed on death watch status and is allowed a legal and social phone call.

Death row inmates wear distinctive orange T-shirts, while their pants are the same blue pants worn by regular inmates.

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