Wade Wilson could be sentenced to death in Florida
Death penalty in Florida: What you should know
In Florida, convictions for capital crimes are punishable by death. Here you can find out everything you need to know about the death penalty in the Sunshine State.
Wade Wilson’s jury voted for the death penalty after finding him guilty of the 2019 murders of Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz.
It will be Judge Nicholas Thompson who will decide whether to impose the death penalty at Wilson’s sentencing hearing on July 23.
Once Wilson receives the death penalty and other unrelated charges are resolved, he will leave the Lee County Jail and enter the state prison system and eventually Florida’s death row.
Florida’s death row is located at the Union Correctional Institution in Raiford.
Union Correctional Institution: Death Row in Florida
If Wilson is sentenced to death, he will be held in a cell measuring 1.80 x 2.70 x 2.90 meters.
According to the Florida Department of Corrections, inmates on death row are allowed to have snacks, radios and 13-inch televisions, but no cable or air conditioning. They wear orange T-shirts to distinguish themselves from other inmates and the same blue pants as regular prisoners.
Death row inmates receive three meals a day—at 5 a.m., from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., and from 4 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The food is prepared by prison staff and transported to the cells in isolated carts, where inmates are given sporks to eat from the trays provided.
They are allowed to shower every other day and visitors must be approved in advance. Inmates are allowed to receive mail.
Death row inmates are counted at least hourly. They are handcuffed everywhere except in their cells, in the yard, and in the shower. They remain in their cells except for medical reasons, exercise, social or legal visits, or media interviews.
Once the governor signs a death warrant, the inmate is placed on death row and is allowed legal and social calls. A death row cell is 12 x 7 x 8.5 feet.
Where is Union Correctional Institution?
The Union Correctional Institution is located in Raiford, about 45 miles southwest of Jacksonville.
Electric chair or lethal injection? Execution methods in Florida
In 1923, the legislature passed a law replacing execution with the electric chair. That year, a chair was built out of oak by prison inmates.
Florida’s current three-legged electric chair, nicknamed “Old Sparky,” was built from oak by Florida Department of Corrections employees and installed at Union Correctional Institution in 1999.
A law passed in 2000 allows lethal injection as an alternative to the electric chair.
Wade Wilson found guilty of murdering Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz in Cape Coral
On October 7, 2019, Wilson, then 25, met 35-year-old Kristine Melton and her friend Stephanie Sailors at Buddah LIVE, a bar in Fort Myers.
After the bar closed, Wilson and the two women went to Jayson Shepard’s house, where they stayed for several hours before leaving in the morning.
Wilson, Melton and Sailors then went to Melton’s home in Cape Coral. After Sailors left, Wilson strangled Melton in her bed while she slept and stole her car.
A short time later, Wilson saw 43-year-old Diane Ruiz walking down a street in Cape Coral, asked her for directions and lured her into the car.
As Ruiz attempted to get out of the car, Wilson attacked her, punched her, and strangled her before pushing her out of the car and repeatedly running her over.
After the murders, Wilson called his biological father, Steven Testasecca, several times, confessing to the crimes and describing them. Testasecca contacted police and Wilson was arrested on October 8, 2019.
Wade Wilson’s first appearance for first-degree murder
Wade Wilson makes his initial court appearance in Fort Myers on Wednesday, November 20, 2019, via video chat from the Lee County Jail.
Amanda Inscore, [email protected]
Death sentence against Wade Wilson
On June 25, the jury in Wilson’s trial recommended the death penalty for each murder.
The jury, which had the choice between life imprisonment without parole or the death penalty, voted 9 to 3 and 10 to 2 for the death penalty respectively.
It is now up to the judge to impose the death sentence. The verdict is scheduled for July 23.
Contributor: Tomas Rodriguez, Fort Myers News-Press
Bearman looks forward to home race after promising fifth place in Silverstone qualifying
War between Israel and Hamas: Life and death in Gaza’s “safe zone”
Did Prince Harry write the book himself?
About The Author
