The victims included a mother who was repeatedly run over, an act the perpetrator later gloated about, likening her remains to "spaghetti" on the road.
According to The New York Post, 30-year-old Wade Wilson stood emotionless as he was convicted on Wednesday of two counts of first-degree premeditated murder. The victims, Kristine Melton, 35, and Diane Ruiz, 43, were killed in October 2019. The verdict, which took the Cape Coral jury merely two hours to reach, makes Wilson eligible for the death penalty.
Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore expressed relief at the outcome, telling Fox 4, "An animal like this needs to be put away." He added that he was "relieved that the jury did the right thing."
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In a surprising turn, even Wilson's defense attorney did not mince words about his client, who had boasted during police interviews that he "would do it again." Attorney Hollander told Fox 4, "None of this was not depraved," adding that the defense had only argued against the premeditation of the crimes, not their depravity. "I’m not arguing insanity, I’m just arguing that state’s claimed premeditation. And I’m saying he’s whacked out, he’s just out of his mind for any of this."
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The court heard that Wilson had taken Melton home from a bar on October 7, 2019, strangled her, and left her tied up in her home. On the same day, Ruiz was reported missing. Wilson later confessed to his father that Ruiz had entered his car when he asked for directions. He admitted to strangling her as well, before discarding her body from the car and running her over "until she looked like spaghetti," as he chillingly described to the jurors.
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"I choked her out until she couldn’t breathe anymore," Wilson had confessed to the police about one of the murders. "I came across my mind to murder, just kill, kill, kill."
Assistant State Attorney Andreas Gardiner told the court, "This case was about killing for the sake of the killing. Strangulation is the epitome of life slipping through someone’s hands."
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In addition to the murder charges, Wilson was found guilty of grand theft, burglary of a dwelling, battery, and petit theft. Despite being granted permission to cover his tattoos and groom himself for the trial, his tattoos were still clearly visible to the jurors.
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The state is now seeking the death penalty for Wilson, who will first undergo a medical examination. The penalty phase commences on June 20, and a majority of the jurors, at least eight out of 12, will need to vote in favor of the death penalty.
Assistant State Attorney Sara Miller summed up the case during her closing arguments, stating, "This is a man with no respect for women and no respect for human life."
