Florida
Who is the Deadpool Killer? Wade Wilson sentenced to death for ‘atrocious and cruel’ murders of 2 Florida women
Wade Wilson, known as the Deadpool Killer, was sentenced to death on Tuesday, August 27, for brutally murdering two Florida women “for the sake of killing.” The 30-year-old tattooed killer, of Fort Myers, appeared stoic as Lee Circuit Judge Nicholas Thompson sentenced him to death.
“The evidence shows the murders were heinous, atrocious and cruel. and that the second murder was cold, calculated and premeditated,” Circuit Judge Nicholas Thompson told the courtroom, according to New York Post.
Back in June, Wilson was found guilty of killing Kristine Melton, 35, and Diane Ruiz, 43, during an October night in 2019. The jury had recommended that he should be awarded the death penalty.
Who is Wade Wilson?
Wilson shares a name with the Marvel anti-hero that Ryan Reynolds made famous. On the fateful night, he first strangled Melton in her home after a drug-fueled sexual encounter with her, according to prosecutors. He then stole Melton’s car and called his girlfriend, 41-year-old Melissa Montanez, using the victim’s phone. He later went on to assault her, but she refused to enter the car.
Wilson then came across Ruiz, who was asking for directions in Cape Coral. He invited Ruiz into the car, and strangled her and threw her out of the vehicle. He later returned and ran Ruiz over “until she looked like spaghetti,” according to testimony from the trial.
“This case was about killing for the sake of the killing,” Assistant State Attorney Andreas Gardiner previously told the court. “Strangulation is the epitome of life slipping through someone’s hands.”
During Wilson’s five years in prison, he received thousands of X-rated photos and love letters. This bizarre trend isn’t uncommon, as notorious serial killers Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer and Richard Ramirez were among violent people who received such attention while in prison.
In Wilson’s case, the judge received several letters urging him to look past Wilson’s inked face because, as many believed, he was a different person while on medication. Wilson’s attorneys claimed that he suffered brain damage from drug addiction and even had abandonment issues as his biological parents had given him up for adoption.
The killer’s adoptive parents urged the court not to give him the death penalty. In a letter, the parents stated that “the human is still in there.” “Please see it in your heart not take our son,” they wrote.
Additionally, Wilson was found guilty of grand theft, burglary of a dwelling, battery and petit theft.
Melton’s cousin, who asked to be identified as Samantha Kelly, reportedly said that the time between the deaths and the sentencing felt like “five years of agony.” Ruiz’s father, Felix Ruiz, said he would want to be present at Wilson’s execution. “I didn’t get to say I love her,” Felix said, according to The News-Press. “I miss her.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says the league is cooperating with Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier after being issued a subpoena.
Uthmeier sent the subpoena to the NFL on May 13 as his office investigates whether the league has committed potential civil rights violations related to the Rooney Rule and the league’s other employment practices, policies and programs.
“I think we have been very clear about our programs, and we obviously evaluate them all the time, not just for how they get better, but also to make sure that they’re consistent with the law,” Goodell said Tuesday during league meetings in Orlando, Florida. “We’re engaging with the Florida attorney general and will continue to. We’ll share everything we’re doing with them. We think it’s certainly within the law, but also something very positive.”
Uthmeier threatened possible enforcement actions against the league in March if it didn’t suspend the 23-year-old Rooney Rule, which requires NFL teams to interview at least two external minority candidates for head coach, general manager and coordinator positions. At least one minority candidate must be interviewed for the quarterbacks coach position.
Uthmeier said in a letter to Goodell that the Rooney Rule amounts to “blatant race and sex discrimination.”
The subpoena orders the league to appear at the attorney general’s office in Tallahassee, Florida, on June 12. It asks the league to produce extensive documents, including “all diversity reports, coaching census data, or demographic surveys that reflect the race and sex of coaching staffs of the teams from 2017 to the present.”
Among the programs being reviewed by Uthmeier’s office is the accelerator program, which the league created in 2022 as an extension of the Rooney Rule to increase diversity among coaches and front office executives.
The accelerator program gives participants an opportunity to connect with owners and team executives, and attend informative sessions designed to equip them for future interviews.
The NFL held its revamped accelerator program on Monday and Tuesday in Orlando after pausing it last May. It now includes nonminority participants and nearly half of this year’s group were white men.
“There are a lot of candidates up there that are diverse, that are getting the opportunity to improve themselves and to get exposure, to get an opportunity,” Goodell said. “So, the people that are up there are the best of the best and they are a very diverse group, but they are the best of the best. And what we’re trying to do here is to make them even better and to give them opportunities. And that’s what I heard is that one, they appreciate the opportunity; two, it was helpful in that.”
Florida wildlife officials will release more information about the 2026 Florida Python Challenge on Tuesday, which brings hunters from all over to compete for a big cash prize while also helping protect the local ecosystem.
The competition has been held every year since 2013 to help raise awareness of the invasive Burmese python, which has contributed to the decline of small mammals like opossums, bobcats and foxes.
On Tuesday, officials with the Florida Wish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the South Florida Water Management District and partners are holding a news conference to release more information about the unique competition that helps to support the delicate Florida Everglades ecosystem.
It was a record-breaking year for the competition in 2025. The FWC said 934 people from 30 states and Canada removed a record 294 pythons during the 10-day competition.
Last year was also the first time Everglades National Park was included among the official competition locations.
And last year’s winner removed 60 invasive Burmese pythons and claimed the $10,000 Ultimate Grand Prize.
When is the 2026 Florida Python Challenge?
The 2026 Florida Python Challenge starts at 12:01 a.m. on July 10, 2026, and ends at 5 p.m. on July 19, 2026. Those who are interested in participating in the event can register here.
Participants must follow the competition rules and specific area regulations of the eight competition locations.
Those who are taking part will also be required to take the 2026 version of the Required Online Training, and training from a previous year is not valid for the 2026 registration.
The Florida Python Challenge aims to raise awareness, remove the invasive snakes
The Florida Python Challenge, now a yearly event, includes public education and a 10-day competition in which participants attempt to capture and remove Burmese pythons from public lands.
The Burmese python is one of the largest snakes in the world, with adult snakes caught in Florida growing to between 6-9 feet in length, and the largest captured in Florida measuring more than 18 feet long.
Because of their large size, adult Burmese pythons don’t have many predators, with humans being the exception.
They can also pose a threat to human safety, with pythons also preying upon pets like cats and dogs.
A truck driver is accused of hitting a parked car and then driving off, according to Orlando police.
Rakeem Williams, 32, faces a charge of leaving the scene of a crash with property damage, according to an arrest affidavit.
Police said Williams attempted to drive down a narrow road near South Street when he hit the parked car.
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