Paramount+ has released the three-part docuseries Handsome Devil: Charming Killer, which revisits the case of Wade Wilson, a Florida man convicted of killing two women in a single day. The series premiered on Tuesday on the subscription streaming service.
Wilson, then 25, who became known as the “Deadpool Killer” for sharing a name with the popular Marvel character, killed two women, Dian Ruiz, 42, and Kristine Melton, 35, in October 2019. The murders occurred in two separate but closely timed incidents, underscoring the contrast between the violence of Wilson’s actions and his reportedly charming demeanor and good looks, according to People and the Palm Beach Post.
His case became popular not only in the Florida community but also drew nationwide interest due to the nature of Wilson’s crimes, his infamous smirk and Joker-like tattoos, and his status as a social sensation with supporters backing him, according to the docuseries’ trailer synopsis.
After a nearly five-year legal process, Wilson was found guilty in June 2024 and sentenced to death for Ruiz and Melton’s murders. Now 32, Wilson remains in a Florida prison on death row.
Here’s everything viewers need to know about Handsome Devil: Charming Killer, including Wilson’s whereabouts leading up to the murders, how he met the victims, the alarming details surrounding their killings and everything that unfolded during his trial.
Who is Wade Wilson?
Wilson was born on May 20, 1994, and grew up in Tallahassee, Florida. His biological parents were teenagers when he was born, and the couple later gave him up for adoption, according to the Palm Beach Post.
Steve and Candace Wilson, of Cape Coral, adopted him and provided him with all of the love, care and support he needed to have a good life.
Wilson attended Chiles High School and developed a lengthy criminal history in Leon County beginning in 2012. His prior arrests included charges of sexual assault, burglary, child cruelty and firearms offenses, per the Palm Beach Post and the Tallahassee Democrat.
At 18, Wilson began searching for his biological parents and reconnected with his father, Steven Testasecca, who testified during Wilson’s murder trial.
The Wilsons also wrote a letter to the court, which was read by one of his attorneys, Kevin Shirley, during his sentencing.
“Wade was a joyful child, loved his parents and sisters and was loved immensely in return. But over the teen years, and then especially in the early years of adulthood, Wade began to slip away from us, becoming withdrawn, erratic and depressed at first,” they wrote, per Newsweek. “Then his addiction was added to mental illness and [he] became, frankly, paranoid and delusional and a sense of loss became increasingly sharp.”
The crimes that sent Wilson to death row
On Oct. 7, 2019, Wade, then 25, met a man named Jayson Shepard, Melton and her best friend, Stephanie Sailors, at Buddah LIVE, a Fort Myers bar, according to Gulf Coast News Now and the News-Press.
After the establishment closed, Wilson left and went back to Shepard’s home with Melton and Johnson. They spent a few hours there before leaving early that morning, as Wilson drove the pair back to Melton’s house and Johnson left. After a while, Wilson strangled Melton to death as she was asleep in her bed and stole her car.
Later that morning, Wilson contacted his then-girlfriend, Melissa Montanez, multiple times before showing up to her job. At the time, she was angry at him for stealing her car hours before and wanted it back. He pulled up in Melton’s Black Nissan Versa and tried to coerce Montanez into the car and drive off. However, she resisted, which led Wilson to assault her. According to her trial testimony, there were witnesses at the scene as Wilson dragged her up a flight of stairs and held her by the throat.
“I didn’t know if I was going to be thrown over, or if they were going to have to resuscitate me inside,” Montanez said, per Golf Coast News Now. “I knew I was going to die that day.”
By mid-morning, Wilson came across Ruiz as she was walking to work. Prosecutors stated that Wilson stopped, asked her for directions, and wanted her to get into his car to help him. When Ruiz tried to exit the car, he reportedly beat her, attacked her and strangled her before pushing her out of the car. After realizing she was alive and breathing, Wilson ran her over repeatedly with the vehicle before leaving the scene, per the News-Press.
How did Wilson get caught?
After the murders, Wilson called Testasecca and revealed that he had done something that he could not take back.
“I am a killer,” Wilson said, according to Testasecca’s testimony, News-Press reported.
Testasecca said he was working at the time, and did not believe Wilson since he is a “good storyteller.” When Wilson called a few more times, it wasn’t until 10 p.m. that Testasecca realized his son was telling the truth.
He also stated in his testimony that Wilson confessed to choking and killing both Melton and Ruiz. Testasecca also revealed the gruesome details Wilson shared with him, and that he appeared excited over what he had done to the women.
“He was wanting me to feel the same way he was feeling,” Testasecca said, per News-Press.
Wilson wanted his father to help him leave town before they found him. At first, Testasecca said he wanted to help him, but those feelings changed after he heard everything Wilson had shared.
“What if that was my mom?” Testasecca asked, per News-Press. “He would’ve done it again.”
Testasecca had Wilson on speaker with his wife in the background, relaying information to law enforcement. When he asked Wilson for his location, the police had taken him into custody on Oct. 8, 2019.
After years of legal proceedings, Wilson was found guilty on June 12, 2024, of two counts of first-degree murder, grand theft, battery, burglary and petty theft.
Where is Wilson now?
Wilson is incarcerated at Union Correctional Institution in Raiford, Florida, where the state’s male death row inmates are held under strict confinement, according to People.
While he has been sentenced to death, Wilson’s execution will not happen right away, as his legal team filed multiple appeals with the Florida Supreme Court in August 2024, including one case that began in January 2026, according to WINK News.
Additionally, there is an extensive report on Wilson’s behavior since being behind bars, compiled since September 2024. He had several violations for disobeying orders and those related to drugs.