Life of Florida murderer shows path to death row

Only one date is missing to complete the chronology of convicted murderer Wade Wilson's life and path to death row.

If he is executed.

On Tuesday afternoon (August 27), Wilson sat in a Lee County courtroom where Judge Nicholas Thompson handed down Wilson's death sentence for the 2019 killings of Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz. As a result of the death sentence, Wilson will now serve time on Florida's death row.

According to our court reporter Tomas Rodriguez, who was in the courtroom on Tuesday, “Wilson remained stoic and leaned forward to consult with his attorney as the judge spoke.”

This timeline details Wilson's criminal life since his youth.

Wade Wilson shows no reaction as Judge Nick Thompson sentences him to death for the murders of Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz at the Lee County Courthouse on Tuesday, August 27, 2024.

Wade Wilson Timeline: Convicted Murderer's Life as a Criminal

May 20, 1994: This is Wilson's birth date. His birth parents gave him up for adoption. He grew up in Tallahassee, attended Chiles High School, and is listed in the class of 2012.

2015: Wilson was arrested on sexual assault and kidnapping charges after a woman told investigators he raped her in his SUV after they met at a party in Tallahassee. Wilson denied the charges, and a six-person jury acquitted him at trial.

2018: Wilson appeared in Tallahassee at the trial of Denise Williams, who was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy in the death of her husband, Mike Williams. She and her lover, Brian Winchester, had plotted to frame the incident as a boating accident. His disappearance in 2000 was one of Tallahassee's most baffling mysteries until investigators finally brought charges against Winchester and later Williams.

Winchester, who testified against Denise Williams, told jurors he tried to get Wilson, one of his fellow inmates, to tamper with evidence in the case. He said Wilson went so far as to offer to murder Denise Williams, who was eventually sentenced to life in prison.

February 19, 2019: Wilson's ex-girlfriend accused him of stealing her laptop and cell phone in January. The following month, she told investigators he kidnapped and raped her. But Wilson and his ex-girlfriend were under a restraining order, and investigators decided not to pursue the rape and kidnapping allegations.

September 2019: According to media reports, Wilson pleaded guilty to pawning stolen property in his ex-girlfriend's case and received credit for time already served and probation. According to a media report, another woman in Lee County also accused him of rape and kidnapping, but later decided not to press charges.

July 1, 2019: Wilson was arrested by the Lee County Sheriff's Office and charged with assault.October 7, 2019: Wilson, then 25, met Kristine Melton, 35, and her friend Stephanie Sailors at Buddah LIVE, a bar in Fort Myers. Steven Testasecca, Wilson's biological father, said he received a call from Wilson at work on Oct. 7, 2019. According to Testasecca, Wilson asked for help and said he had done something he couldn't undo.

October 8, 2019: Wilson was arrested for the gruesome crimes he committed.

11 October 2019: Cape Coral Police have confirmed that 25-year-old Wade Steven Wilson of Fort Myers is the person suspected in connection with the deaths of Diane Ruiz and Kristine Melton.

30 September 2020: Officials at the Lee County Jail received information about a possible escape attempt involving Wilson and his cellmate Joseph Katz. Wilson was charged with attempted escape and criminal damage.

April 20, 2023: A sniffer dog discovered narcotics in the Lee County Jail near an area where rocks are laid out for landscaping. Authorities recovered a gray grocery bag with two Ziploc bags inside. Each bag contained loose cigarettes, suspected narcotics, lighters and pills. Both bags tested positive for methamphetamine. Authorities determined that Wilson was working with other inmates to plant the narcotics in the Lee County Jail.

June 12, 2024: Wilson was found guilty of the murder of Kristine Melton (35) and Diane Ruiz (43) in 2019.

June 25, 2024: The jury in Wilson's trial recommended the death penalty for each murder.

15 August 2024: Lee Circuit Court Judge Nicholas Thompson on Thursday denied Wilson's request for a retrial.

27 August 2024: Wilson is sentenced to death by Judge Nicholas Thompson in the Lee County Courthouse.

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