‘Handsome Devil’ Wade Wilson documentary coming to Paramount+
A new Paramount+ docuseries explores the chilling case of convicted killer Wade Wilson and the social media fixation surrounding him.
- Convicted killer Wade Wilson is one of eight death row inmates connected to Southwest Florida crimes.
- Seven of the inmates are from Lee County, while one is from Collier County.
- Some inmates, like Harold Lucas, have been on death row for several decades.
- The appeals process for a death sentence can take many years, with the national average being over 18 years.
There’s been so much attention on convicted killer Wade Wilson this month thanks to the Paramount+ release of the three-part docuseries about the crimes Wilson committed. It’s called “Handsome Devil: Charming Killer” and it started streaming on Jan. 20.
But Wilson has some company on death row at the Union Correctional Institution, which is located in Raiford, about 45 miles southwest of Jacksonville. Specifically, Wilson shares space there with seven other death row inmates connected to Southwest Florida crimes − seven in Lee County and one in Collier County.
You can see all of their faces in this photo gallery, including Wilson who was convicted in 2024 and sentenced to death for the 2019 murders of Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz in Cape Coral.
Death row faces: Eight killers from Southwest Florida
Who is on Florida death row for SW Florida killings?
In Lee County, seven men including Wilson, are waiting their orders, while Collier County has one man among the more than 200 people on Florida’s death row.
One Lee County man has been on death row nearly 50 years.
∎ Harold Lucas has been imprisoned since 1977, which means he’s been waiting an order for 48 years. He was convicted of killing Anthia Jill Piper, 16, by shooting her seven times in her Bonita Springs home.
Three others have been on death row for decades as well:
∎ Anton Krawczuk for 32 years, who murdered David Staker at his Lee County home in 1990.
∎ Joshua Nelson for 29 years, convicted of killing Cape Coral teen Tommy Owens in 1996. Nelson was arrested on April 2, 1995, after he and his co-defendant Keith Brennan planned to steal Owens’ car and then murder him.
∎ Kevin Foster for 27 years. The Lords of Chaos leader was convicted of the 1996 murder of Riverdale High School band teacher Mark Schwebes. Foster has been on death row since 1998.
Three other Lee County men joined death row in the past five years:
∎ Mark Sievers in 2020 in the 2015 death of his wife, Teresa Sievers in Bonita Springs. A judge recently delayed ruling on his appear, with a decision due soon.
∎ Joseph Zieler in 2023 in the 1990 murders of 11-year-old Robin Cornell and her babysitter, Lisa Story, 32, in Cape Coral.
∎ Wilson was convicted in 2024 for the 2019 deaths of Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz in Cape Coral.
Collier County man dies, leaves one on death row
The sole Collier County man, Mesac Demas, entered death row in 2017 after the brutal 2009 deaths of his family.
One Collier County man died in 2025 while waiting execution. Brandy Bain Jennings, 55, died of cancer on May 18, after 29 years on death row, the Florida Department of Corrections confirmed.
In Jennings case, on Nov. 15, 1995, he and co-defendant Charles Graves, killed three Cracker Barrel employees during a robbery of the restaurant off Collier Boulevard in Naples.
According to deathpenaltyinfo.com, Florida hasn’t scheduled executions for 2026. However, Texas and Oklahoma have executions through 2026, with Ohio scheduled through 2029.
When will Wade Wilson be executed?
Wilson’s attorneys filed an appeal after his death sentence, which went directly to the Florida Supreme Court.
If the Florida Supreme Court affirms the defendant’s conviction and sentence, most defendants will ask the United States Supreme Court to review the case, according to the Florida Attorney General’s office. This is known as a petition for writ of certiorari.
Most capital defendants continue to pursue their cases in court, even after losing their direct and discretionary appeals.
Discretionary appeals can be filed before cases even go to trial. They involve issues that may arise during or before the trial.
If Wilson loses all appeals and is denied executive clemency by the governor, he can be executed once the governor issues a death warrant.
The process can take years. Tommy Zeigler has been on Florida’s death row since 1976.
The Florida Department of Corrections lists the average as 13 to 14 years.
In 2020, the national average time from sentencing to execution was 227 months.
