Grand jury indicts Wade Wilson on two first-degree murder charges

Writer: Derrick Shaw
Published: Updated:
Wade Wilson in Lee County court is seen with a swastika tattoo on his head, 2019. Credit: WINK News.

A grand jury has indicted Wade Wilson on two counts of first-degree premeditated murder for the deaths of Kristine Melton, 35, and Diane Ruiz, 43.

The Lee County grand jury met Tuesday and returned the indictments, which also included two counts of battery; 1 count of burglary of a dwelling; and 1 count of petit theft.

Melton was found dead in her Cape Coral home on October 7. The body of Ruiz was found in a field in Cape Coral four days after she was reported missing while walking to work.

“These two women were preyed upon by the defendant, and their murders impacted their families and shook our community,” said State Attorney Amira Fox.

The Cape Coral Police Department investigated the homicides and events leading up to them, which led to the arrest of the defendant.

Cape Coral Police Chief David Newlan acknowledged questions of why Wilson remained a person of interest for more than a month without charges being brought. He said, “Securing a successful prosecution and ultimately a conviction in this case is paramount … we had to be sure we provided State Attorney Amira Fox and her team with the best investigation, with all of our I’s dotted and all of our T’s crossed to ensure that justice will be served.”

Wilson will have his first appearance in court on the new charges Wednesday morning.

Watch the full press conference from the State Attorney’s Office below:

A bombshell jailhouse phone call

A phone call is just one piece of evidence that may have led to a grand jury indictment of Wilson.

Melisa Montanez says Wilson beat her up the same day Melton’s body was found, and the same day Ruiz went missing.

But when WINK News reporter Allison Gormly walked into her business last month for an interview, we found her on the phone with Wilson – as he admitted to the murders. READ THAT FULL STORY HERE.

 

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