Changing face of tattooed double murderer Wade Wilson in jail
A US man who brutally murdered two women within hours of each other underwent a terrifying face transformation behind bars.
A US man who brutally murdered two women within hours of each other underwent a terrifying face tattoo transformation while in jail awaiting trial.
Wade Wilson was convicted of two counts of first-degree premeditated murder in the killings of Kristine Melton, 35, and Diane Ruiz, 43, in October 2019 in a Florida court last week.
Judge Nick Thompson will decide whether Wilson will receive the death penalty on July 23 after the majority of jurors recommended he be put to death, Fox 4 reported.
The consideration comes after the US-state’s death penalty laws changed in the five years between Wilson’s initial arrest for the double murder in Cape Coral, a waterside city located between Tampa and Miami, and his ultimate conviction.
A new law allowing a death penalty recommendation of 8-to-4 jurors was passed in 2023. Prior to that, a death sentence could only be given with a unanimous vote among members of the jury.
In Wilson’s case, nine of the 12 jurors in the case recommended Wilson be put to death for the murder of Ms Melton, the publication stated.
Ten of them urged the death penalty for the murder of Ms Ruiz.
It took just two hours for the jury to reach the verdict after the court heard graphic details of the heavily tattooed man’s crimes, the New York Post reported.
‘I’m a killer’
In court, the prosecution said Wilson was bragging about the murders to police and claimed his biggest concern during his interrogation was getting a burger and fries, the UK’s Independent reported.
Wilson’s defence lawyer Lee Hollander did not deny that his client was guilty of the killings, but argued there was no premeditation and that Wilson was under the influence of drugs at the time, the publication added.
He called for Wilson to be convicted of a lesser charge of second-degree homicide.
The 30-year-old was convicted of first-degree premeditated murder on both counts after more than 20 witnesses took the stand, including his father Steven Testasecca, who testified his son called him after the second murder and said: “I’m a killer.”
How Wilson Wade found his victims
Wilson, then 25 years old, met Ms Melton, and her friend Stephanie Sailors at a bar in Fort Myers on October 7, 2019, Yahoo News reported.
After the bar closed, Wilson and the two women went to the home of Jayson Shepard where they stayed for several hours before leaving in the morning.
Wilson, Ms Melton and Ms Sailors then went to Ms Melton’s home in Cape Coral. After Ms Sailors left, Wilson strangled Ms Melton to death as she slept in her bed and stole her car.
Later that day, Wilson saw Ms Ruiz walking along a street, asked her for directions and lured her into the car, the publication stated.
When Ms Ruiz tried to exit the car, Wilson attacked her, beating and strangling her before pushing her out of the car and running her over repeatedly.
After the murders, Wilson called his father Steven Testasecca several times confessing to and narrating the crimes.
Mr Testasecca promptly contacted police and Wilson was arrested on October 8.
“I choked her out until she couldn’t breathe anymore,” Wilson had told cops of one of the murders, according to the New York Post. “I came across my mind to murder, just kill, kill, kill.”
An ex-girlfriend also received a phone call from Wilson confessing to the crimes, NBC reported.
Courtroom bid to hide ‘scary’ jail tattoos
Ahead of his trial, Wilson won the right to hide “disturbing” tattoos covering his neck and face, including swastikas and ones making him look like a skeleton, from jurors.
He wanted to cover the “numerous and varied tattoos” on his face “that might be objectionable to members of the potential jury pool,” his lawyers wrote in a pre-trial motion obtained by the News-Press.
Wilson’s case took five years to go to court due to numerous roadblocks, including the death of his first lawyer and his attempt to escape jail, the New York Post reported.
During his time behind bars pending trial, he had acquired a number of “scary” facial inkings, which experts argued could affect the outcome of his case.
He was granted permission to use makeup to cover the inkings — but most, including a swastika under his right eye and the skeleton-like mouth, were still visible during the start of jury selection, photos showed.
An earlier mugshot revealed Wilson only had a large neck tattoo that read “bred for war” as well as a large swastikas on his skull.
Additional charges while behind bars
Wilson has at least twice faced additional charges since his initial incarceration at the Lee County Jail, News-Press reported.
In April of last year, he faced charges in a narcotics scheme. In October 2020, Wilson, along with a man accused in a domestic violence case, was thwarted in a bid to escape prison.
He was recorded as “the primary planner and instigator” of the escape attempt according to Sheriff documents seen by the publication.
‘Stone cold, emotionless’
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Footage from inside court during sentencing revealed Wilson “showed no emotions when the jury found him guilty of killing the two women”, according to CourtTVLive.
“An animal like this needs to be put away,” Police Chief Anthony Sizemore told Fox 4 after the verdict was handed down, adding he was “relieved that the jury did the right thing”.
Wilson was photographed “smirking in court” as the jury read their recommendation, The Sun reported.
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