New Delhi: A Florida man, who was convicted of killing two women earlier this year, has been sentenced to death. Wade Wilson, known as the "Deadpool Killer", strangled and killed the women in 2019. The 30-year-old showed no emotion as Lee Circuit Judge Nicholas Thompson delivered the capital punishment.
Wilson, who shares his name with the Marvel antihero, was convicted in June for the deaths of Kristine Melton, 35, and Diane Ruiz, 43, reported the NY Post.
On the night of the murders, Wilson first attacked Ms Melton in her home after a drug-induced sexual encounter. He strangled her, stole her car, and used her phone to call his girlfriend, Melissa Montanez, whom he later assaulted when she refused to get into the car.
Wilson then encountered Ms Ruiz in Cape Coral, who was asking for directions. He invited her into his vehicle, strangled her and dumped her body. He then ran over Ms Ruiz repeatedly with his car "until she looked like spaghetti," as described during the trial.
Judge Thompson described the murders as "heinous, atrocious, and cruel," as per the NY Post, noting the second killing was "cold, calculated, and premeditated."
Assistant State Attorney Andreas Gardiner slammed Wilson's actions as being driven purely by a desire to kill, calling strangulation "the epitome of life slipping through someone's hands.
Despite the severity of his crimes, Wade Wilson received thousands of fan mail, love letters and X-rated photos from admirers during his time in jail. Some even wrote to the judge, asking for leniency and claiming that Wilson's behaviour changed when he was on medication. His attorneys argued that he suffered from brain damage and abandonment issues, stemming from his drug addiction and his being adopted as a child.
Wilson's adoptive parents also pleaded for mercy, stating they believed "the human is still in there" and asking the court not to impose the death penalty. In addition to his murder convictions, Wilson was found guilty of several other charges, including grand theft, burglary, battery, and petit theft.