Juror speaks on Wade Wilson double murder case

Being a juror on such a high-profile case as that of convicted double-murderer Wade Wilson is no easy task.

WINK News reporter Maddie Herron spoke exclusively with one woman on the jury who said there was a lot of pressure on top of reliving traumatic pieces of evidence in these murders.

She said what helped her keep a clear head was getting justice for the families of the two women killed.

Sitting feet from a murderer and expected to help decide his fate.

• RELATED: Wade Wilson wants new trial after jury recommends death

“I mean, there were times where, you know, he and I would lock eyes and just stare at each other,” the juror recalled.

Wade Wilson, the man convicted of murdering two Cape Coral women back in 2019, held an empty gaze for most of his trial.

Maddie spoke to the juror on the other end of those stares.

For privacy, she asked to be identified only by her assigned jury number: “Juror 87.”

“There’s definitely a very noticeable weight in the room when you’re sitting with somebody that did the horrific things that he did,” she said.

The jury spent weeks hearing testimony and reviewing evidence detailing the brutal nature of Wade Wilson’s actions.

Haunted by the things she’d seen, she said, “There are certain images that we had to see during this trial that you can never unsee.”

Nearly a month of trial, still only a glimpse into the nightmare families of the women murdered have lived in for years.

“I only had to put a month into this; they had to put in five years, and they’re never gonna get their loved ones back, so I felt really honored to be able to give them some sort of justice.”

Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz, both killed by Wilson in Cape Coral back in 2019, had a village of support in court.

Hearing loved ones mourn the women yet still fight for their justice was one of the biggest challenges for Juror 87.

• RELATED: Jury recommends death for Wade Wilson

“I think the hardest part every day was seeing the families there and seeing how they’ve been impacted by their losses.”

Emotions aside, Juror 87 said she still had a job to do.

“You kind of have this really big sense of responsibility,” she said, “and putting, you know, any of your personal feelings aside and just being able to focus on facts.”

Deciding Wilson’s guilt was the easy part; recommending a punishment was not as simple.

“There were things thrown out, like, you know, do we want to have the death penalty, because he’s just gonna get appeal after appeal, and the family has already been through enough, you know, is that something that we want to put this family and continue to put them through as well?”

The jury’s decision?

Death, and not everyone agreed to it.

But this juror said there were no hard feelings towards the three people who voted to save Wilson’s life.

“We were very lucky to get the group of people that we did,” said the juror. “We’re having discussions, and they would be — could be very, you know, they had the potential to be not volatile, but, you know, make people uncomfortable, and we were with such a wonderful group of people that, you know, everyone’s opinions were heard.”

After receiving his death penalty recommendation, Wilson has requested a new trial, something that would put all the jury’s hard work to waste.

When we asked Juror 87 her thoughts, she said she has faith in the justice system and is grateful she was able to have any part in the trial.