More than two years after a Florida judge sentenced Wade Steven Wilson to death for the 2019 killings of two women, his case remains in the appellate courts — and his attorneys have indicated that they could take a constitutional challenge to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Wilson, who was convicted of murdering Kristine Melton, 35, and Diane Ruiz, 43, is currently held on Florida’s death row.

His convictions are not the primary focus of the current appeal. Instead, his lawyers have challenged the legal framework used to impose his death sentences, particularly Florida’s decision to allow non-unanimous jury recommendations for capital punishment.

The issue has become one of the most important legal questions surrounding Wilson’s case.

THE TWO MURDERS THAT LED TO THE DEATH SENTENCE
The case began on October 7, 2019, when Wilson encountered Melton and Ruiz in Lee County, Florida.

According to evidence presented at his 2024 trial, Wilson met Melton at a Fort Myers bar before accompanying her to her home in Cape Coral.

Prosecutors said Wilson later strangled Melton while she was in bed and took her vehicle.

Later that morning, he encountered Ruiz, who was walking to work.

Investigators said Wilson persuaded Ruiz to enter the vehicle before attacking her.

Ruiz was subsequently found dead in a field.

Medical evidence presented during the trial showed that Ruiz had injuries consistent with strangulation and being struck by a vehicle. Wilson was ultimately arrested after contacting his biological father and making statements about the killings.

Wilson was charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

In June 2024, a Lee County jury convicted him on both counts.

Two months later, the court imposed two death sentences.

THE JURY DID NOT VOTE UNANIMOUSLY FOR DEATH
The death penalty recommendations became particularly important because of a change in Florida law.

When Wilson committed the murders in 2019, Florida required a unanimous jury recommendation before a judge could impose a death sentence.

Florida changed its capital-sentencing law in 2023.

Under the new system, a jury can recommend death when at least eight of the 12 jurors support the sentence.

Wilson’s jury voted 9-3 in favor of death for Melton’s murder and 10-2 in favor of death for Ruiz’s murder.

Because the murders occurred years before the new law took effect, Wilson’s attorneys argued that applying the newer sentencing procedure to his case raised constitutional concerns.

That argument became the centerpiece of his direct appeal.

THE APPEAL WAS AUTOMATIC
Because Wilson received death sentences, his case automatically went before the Florida Supreme Court for mandatory review.

The appeal was docketed as Wade Steven Wilson v. State of Florida, SC2024-1345, in September 2024.

The official court record describes the proceeding as a mandatory death-penalty appeal and shows that the case remains open.

Wilson’s attorneys raised seven issues seeking reversal of the death sentences.

The constitutional challenge involving Florida’s revised capital-sentencing law was among the most significant.

THE FLORIDA SUPREME COURT HEARD THE CASE IN FEBRUARY 2026
On February 5, 2026, Wilson’s attorney Michael Ufferman appeared before the Florida Supreme Court for oral arguments.

The hearing was unusually brief.

Rather than spend extensive time repeating arguments that had already been addressed in earlier Florida death-penalty cases, Ufferman acknowledged that recent decisions by the state’s highest court had affected the legal arguments available to Wilson.

He nevertheless made clear that the defense wanted to preserve the constitutional questions for possible review by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The state’s attorney asked the Florida Supreme Court to affirm the lower court’s ruling.

The hearing therefore did not represent a new trial or reconsideration of the evidence surrounding the two murders.

Instead, the focus was on whether Wilson’s death sentences were legally valid under the sentencing law that was applied to him.

WHY THE U.S. SUPREME COURT COULD BECOME INVOLVED
Wilson’s legal team has argued that Florida’s newer death-penalty procedure should not have been applied to crimes committed before the law changed.

Their argument relies on constitutional protections against retroactive changes in criminal punishment, as well as provisions of Florida law concerning retroactivity.

The defense’s position is that Wilson committed the murders at a time when a unanimous jury recommendation was required.

His death sentences, however, were based on jury votes that were not unanimous.

The state has defended the use of the newer sentencing framework.

Florida’s Supreme Court had already considered similar challenges involving the state’s revised death-penalty law, which made Wilson’s path through the state court more difficult.

That is why his attorney indicated during the February hearing that the constitutional arguments could ultimately be presented to the nation’s highest court.

THE APPEAL IS NOT AN ATTEMPT TO RETRY THE CASE
An important distinction in Wilson’s current legal situation is that an appeal is not another criminal trial.

The defense is not simply asking another jury to reconsider whether Wilson committed the killings.

Instead, appellate lawyers examine whether significant legal or constitutional errors occurred during the original proceedings.

In Wilson’s case, the death-sentence challenge focuses heavily on the sentencing law.

His attorneys have also raised additional appellate issues, with the Florida Supreme Court record identifying seven issues presented in the direct appeal.

WILSON’S TWO DEATH SENTENCES REMAIN IN PLACE
The fact that Wilson’s case is being appealed does not mean his death sentences have been overturned.

He remains convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and remains under two death sentences.

The official Florida Supreme Court docket continues to list the case as Open.

A May 7, 2026 order allowed Wilson’s co-counsel Laurel Cornell Niles to withdraw from the case.

That change in representation did not close the appeal.

THERE IS NO EXECUTION DATE
Despite the two death sentences, Florida has not publicly announced an execution date for Wilson.

That distinction is important because a death sentence and an execution date are two different stages of a capital case.

Before an execution can take place, Wilson’s case must continue through the applicable state and federal review processes.

The Florida Supreme Court case remains open, and the available official docket does not list an execution date.

THE CASE HAS ATTRACTED UNUSUAL PUBLIC ATTENTION
Wilson’s case has received considerable attention outside the courtroom.

Part of that attention stems from his name, which is the same as Marvel’s fictional Deadpool character.

His heavily tattooed appearance and courtroom photographs also generated extensive discussion online.

That attention became particularly controversial because some people appeared to express fascination or admiration for Wilson despite his convictions.

The renewed interest continued in 2026 through true-crime productions, including the Paramount+ documentary “Handsome Devil: Charming Killer” and Netflix’s Worst Ex Ever.

The documentaries have brought the case to a new audience, but they have not changed Wilson’s legal status.

WHERE WILSON IS NOW
Wilson remains incarcerated at Union Correctional Institution in Raiford, Florida, which houses male death-row prisoners.

He has been on death row since receiving his sentences in August 2024.

His current status is therefore straightforward:

Two first-degree murder convictions.
Two death sentences.
An active appellate case.
No publicly announced execution date.

The next major legal development will depend on the courts rather than the documentaries or online attention surrounding the case.

THE U.S. SUPREME COURT QUESTION
The possibility of reaching the U.S. Supreme Court does not mean the nation’s highest court has agreed to hear Wilson’s case.

His attorney has indicated an intention to preserve the constitutional issues for possible federal review.

If the Florida Supreme Court ultimately rules against Wilson on the relevant issues, his attorneys could seek review by filing a petition for a writ of certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court.

The U.S. Supreme Court, however, generally has discretion over which cases it accepts.

Therefore, saying that Wilson’s case could reach the U.S. Supreme Court is more accurate than saying the Supreme Court will hear it.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
For now, Wilson remains on Florida’s death row while the appellate process continues.

The Florida Supreme Court has already heard oral arguments in the direct appeal, and his attorney used that hearing to preserve the constitutional arguments for possible further review.

The official case record remains open.

There is no publicly announced execution date.

And if Wilson’s state-court challenge ultimately fails, the next major question could be whether the U.S. Supreme Court agrees to consider his argument concerning Florida’s non-unanimous death-sentence recommendations.

That would move the case from a Florida constitutional dispute into a potentially broader federal question about the application of capital-punishment laws.

LATEST UPDATE — OCTOBER 6, 2026
As of October 6, 2026, Wade Wilson remains on Florida’s death row.

The official Florida Supreme Court docket lists SC2024-1345 as an open mandatory death-penalty appeal. The most recent listed docket development is the May 7 order allowing attorney Laurel Cornell Niles to withdraw as co-counsel.

The major 2026 development was the February 5 oral argument before the Florida Supreme Court. Wilson’s attorney did not extensively reargue the constitutional issues because similar arguments had already been addressed in prior Florida cases. Instead, he indicated that the defense intended to preserve those issues for possible consideration by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Wilson’s two death sentences therefore remain in effect, but there is still no publicly announced execution date.

The case has also received renewed attention because of documentaries and streaming programs released in 2026, but those productions have not changed the underlying legal status.

For now, the question is no longer whether Wilson will face a trial — that phase is over. The focus is whether his death sentences will survive the remaining appellate process, and whether any constitutional challenge will ultimately make its way to the nation’s highest court.

OFFICIAL / PRIMARY SOURCES
Florida Supreme Court — Wade Steven Wilson v. State of Florida, SC2024-1345