The recordings that Florida death row inmate Wade Wilson made with investigators following his 2019 murders have resurfaced through a new Netflix documentary series. As first highlighted by LADbible, Wilson appears in the second season of Worst Ex Ever, in which those recordings are featured. In them, Wilson, now 31, claimed his actions were driven by uncontrollable impulses and substance abuse.
Speaking to police after his arrest, Wilson attempted to attribute the killings to his mental state while on drugs. “I’m so crazy when I’m on drugs, the rage overcomes me,” he told investigators. He continued: “I’m not thinking properly and I guess you know, what comes across my mind [is] to murder. Just murder, murder, just kill, kill, kill.” Wilson was sentenced to death in 2024 for the murders of Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz.
Wilson, born May 20, 1994, became widely known as the Deadpool killer due to sharing a name with the Marvel character. His criminal history dates to 2012 and includes convictions for burglary, grand theft, and firearm-related offenses. He had been incarcerated multiple times prior to the murders and was also a witness in a separate case against a former cellmate, amid a longer pattern of criminal activity that courts examined closely during sentencing.
The murders were not impulsive, they were escalating
The events of October 7, 2019, began when Wilson met 35-year-old Kristine Melton at a bar in Cape Coral, Florida. He followed her home and strangled her, later telling Detective Nicholas Jones that after her friend left the house, he simply killed her. He explained his thinking by stating, “I was like, you know what? I’ve already done it once, I’m going to do it again.”
Wilson then stole Melton’s car and encountered 43-year-old Diane Ruiz walking down the street. He lured her into the vehicle by claiming he needed directions to a local school. Once inside, he drove to the school but described what followed to Detective Jones in graphic terms, saying he strangled Ruiz, pushed her from the vehicle, and ran her over repeatedly until she stopped moving. The Florida Supreme Court is currently reviewing his appeal, and his case draws renewed attention alongside other Florida death row proceedings that have moved forward in recent months.
Wilson’s father, Steven Testasecca, became central to the investigation after Wilson called him shortly after the murders to describe what he had done. Testasecca testified in court that his son had described running over the second victim in graphic detail, and it was Testasecca who reported Wilson to police. Wilson was arrested on October 8, 2019. While in custody, he showed no remorse, at one point offering to reveal the location of a body in exchange for a burger and french fries.
FlDuring trial, the defense presented evidence of Wilson’s history of head injuries as a potential contributing factor, while prosecutors focused on drug abuse. He was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death in 2024, and is currently housed at Union Correctional Institution in Raiford, Florida. His case has drawn comparisons to other premeditated killings in recent true crime coverage, including a Navy veteran’s murder conviction that concluded just days ago.
Since his incarceration, Wilson has acquired face tattoos including swastikas and accumulated further criminal charges, including an attempted jailbreak in 2020 and a 2023 drug smuggling conviction. He also survived a drug overdose in 2023, which led to an investigation into a broader drug trafficking operation within the jail. His appeal remains before the Florida Supreme Court.
Published: May 8, 2026 07:00 am