Wade Wilson, a facial-tattooed Floridian who is on death row for the savage murders of Diane Ruiz and Kristine Melton, has asked for a second trial or an acquittal in relation to Melton’s murder.
Legal representation for Wilson asserts in a July 3 court filing that the new death sentence statute in Florida infringed upon Wilson’s fundamental rights.
If eight out of twelve jurors support the death sentence, the recommendation can be made, according to a statute that Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law in April of last year.
During the June trial for Melton’s murder, nine out of twelve jurors called for Wilson’s execution.
Wilson will join three other men from Florida on death row as a result of the new statute if Judge Nick Thompson sentences him to death on July 23. Whether or not Thompson will consider the new motion is presently uncertain.
Grand theft, violence, burglary, and petty theft were among Wilson’s convictions, along with two first-degree murder guilty verdicts. He broke into Melton’s house, burglarized, stole her automobile, and murdered her.
The court rejected Wilson’s request to separate the murder and burglary charges before trial, according to his attorney’s most recent petition, which declares that the state failed to prove that Wade Wilson was in possession of Melton’s car without her consent.
As a result, Wilson’s legal team is requesting either a dismissal of the charges or a new trial over the murder, burglary, and grand theft allegations.
On October 6, 2019, Wilson and Melton were seen visiting a pub with live music. That night, he took her home with him. The next day, her body was found in her Cape Coral home, where she had been strangled to death.
Someone reported Diane Ruiz missing on October 7th. While he was riding shotgun in Melton’s stolen car, Wilson stopped the bartender on her way to work and asked for directions. According to Wilson’s dad, Ruiz got in the car and was strangled to death.
Her corpse was discovered in a field adjacent to a Sam’s Club on October 10th.
