A new true‑crime documentary, “Handsome Devil: Charming Killer,” is set to release Tuesday, Jan. 20, and examine the case of convicted Florida killer Wade Wilson.
Wilson was convicted in 2024 and sentenced to death for the 2019 murders of Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz in Cape Coral. He is currently on Florida’s death row.
The series also explores how Wilson, then 25, drew significant attention online, becoming an unexpected subject of social‑media commentary following his arrest.
Here’s what to know about Florida killer Wade Wilson and how and where to watch the release of “Handsome Devil: Charming Killer’:
What is Wade Wilson documentary ‘Handsome Devil: Charming Killer’ about?
A press release for the docuserie says Wilson’s mugshot “ignited an online frenzy among people drawn to his “bad boy” bravado, surprising tattoos and seductive smile.”
Dubbed the “Deadpool Killer,” he became an object of fascination for online fans, even as the details of his crimes grew more disturbing.
Through police bodycam footage and chilling first-hand accounts from those closest to the case, the series explores how a man who committed unimaginable violence ended up with a devoted online following.
What did Wade Wilson do? Who did he kill?
On Oct. 7, 2019, Wilson met Kristine Melton, 35, and her friend Stephanie Sailors at Buddah LIVE, a Fort Myers bar.
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, Melton and Sailors then went to Melton’s Cape Coral home. After Sailors left, Wilson strangled Melton to death as she slept in her bed.
He stole Melton’s car and went to see his girlfriend at her Fort Myers business and tried to pull her into the car. When she fought back, he viciously attacked her. She got away and called the police.
A short time later, Wilson saw 43-year-old Diane Ruiz walking along a Cape Coral street, asked her for directions to a nearby school and lured her into Melton’s car.
When Ruiz tried to exit the car, Wilson attacked her, beating and strangling her before pushing her out of the car and running her over 10 to 20 times.
Wilson, then 25, was arrested the next day and charged in the killings.
Wade Wilson’s first appearance on first-degree murder charges
Wade Wilson has his first appearance in court via video chat from the Lee County Jail on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019, in Fort Myers.
Amanda Inscore, [email protected]
Five years later, on June 12, 2024, a Lee County jury found him guilty and recommended the death penalty for each murder.The two death sentences were imposed on Aug. 27, 2024.
“The evidence showed both murders were heinous, atrocious and cruel, and that the second murder was cold, calculated and premeditated,” Thompson said during sentencing.
Who was Kristine Melton?
Kristine Melton grew up in Illinois and moved with a friend to Cape Coral where she worked as a waitress.
She reportedly was godmother to her cousin Samantha Catomer’s child, owned a cat and lived in a Cape Coral duplex.
Melton loved to dress up and her favorite holiday was Halloween, Catomer testified during Wilson’s trial.
Melton had a quick wit, made everyone around her feel safe and understood and “was precious, not just to me, but to everyone who knew her,” Catomer said.
Melton was 35 years old when she met Wilson at Buddah LIVE, a Fort Myers bar. After leaving the bar and spending several hours at the home of Jayson Shepard, Melton, Sailors and Wilson went to Melton’s duplex.
After Sailors left, Wilson strangled Melton to death in her sleep and stole her car.
Who was Diane Ruiz?
Diane Ruiz, 43, a mother and engaged to be married, was described as caring and hardworking.
She worked as a bartender at the Moose Lodge in Cape Coral and never missed a shift in five years.
Ruiz was walking to work for her 10 a.m. shift when she encountered Wilson.
A short time after killing Melton, Wilson saw Ruiz walking along a Cape Coral street and lured her into the car after asking for directions.
When she tried to leave, Wilson beat and strangled Ruiz, pushed her out of the car and ran her over repeatedly.
Her body was found in a field three days later.
Where is Wade Wilson now?
Wilson was back in court Aug. 29, 2024, two days after receiving two death sentences for the murders of Melton and Ruiz, to resolve unrelated drug and attempted escape charges he racked up while in custody in the Lee County Jail.
His move to death row was on hold while the criminal charges he accumulated in jail were pending.
As part of a plea agreement, Wilson pleaded no contest to charges of attempted trafficking in amphetamine or methamphetamine between 28 and 200 grams and conspiracy to traffic in amphetamine or methamphetamine.
He received a 12-year sentence to run concurrently to the death sentences. Charges related to the escape attempt were dropped.
Just after 1:30 a.m. the next morning, Wilson was transferred from the Lee County jail to Florida’s death row at Union Correctional Institution.
Union Correctional Institution is located in Raiford, about 45 miles southwest of Jacksonville.
Where to watch ‘Handsome Devil: Charming Killer’ Wade Wilson documentary, release date
The documentary “Handsome Devil: Charming Killer” about Florida killer Wade Wilson will release on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, exclusively on Paramount+.
Do you need a Paramount+ subscription to see ‘Handsome Devil’ documentary?
Yes, you will need a subscription to watch Paramount+, but you may qualify for a free 1-week trial.
Paramount+ plans and pricing:
- Pararmount+ Essential: Ad supported, $7.99 per month or $59.99 per year
- Paramount+ Premium: Ad free, $12.99 per month or $119.99 per year
Watch: ‘Handsome Devil: Charming Killer’ trailer
In the trailer for the docuseries, footage of Amira Fox being interviewed is shown. Fox is the State Attorney for the 20th Judicial Circuit of Florida, covering Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee counties.
There is also a clip of Wilson talking to his biological father, Steven Testasecca, on the phone from jail.
“I am going to be honest with you son,” Testasecca says. “Everyone in the state thinks you are a monster.”
After the murders, Wilson called Testasecca several times, confessing to and narrating the gruesome details of his crimes.
After initially dismissing the calls and attributing the admissions to Wilson being a “good storyteller,” Testasecca, 46, put his phone on speaker with Testasecca’s wife listening in and relaying information to police.
Testasecca asked Wilson for his location and told him he would send an Uber.
Instead, his whereabouts were provided to police who arrested Wilson on Oct. 8, 2019, at an unoccupied home he’d broken into.
At the end of the trailer, Wilson’s voice can be heard. It’s chilling.
“A rage overcomes me to just kill, kill, kill,” Wilson says. “When I get that way I become the devil.”
Wade Wilson photos from Florida killer’s death penalty trial
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