Jury selection got under way this week in the trial of a Florida man accused of killing two Cape Coral women in 2019, but not until after he was given make-up to cover some of his swastika and stitch tattoos and street clothes to look more “presentable” for potential jurors.
Wade Wilson, 30, is charged with the murders of Kristine Melton, 35, and Diane Ruiz, 43, along with charges of grand theft, battery, burglary, and petty theft, the Fort Myers News-Press reported.
Wilson arrived at the courtroom Monday in an orange jump suit but but soon left to change clothes and apply make-up after his attorneys presented motions to allow him to do so. He returned to court wearing a red-striped shirt, yellow tie, and blue blazer, but images from the courtroom showed that Wilson looked like a defendant with makeup barely covering his tattoos.
The makeup covered a little more on subsequent days, but he still resembled nothing more than a man with makeup caked on his face.
Prosecutors say that Wilson killed Melton on October 7, 2019, stole her car, and used her cell phone to call another woman, 41-year-old Melissa Montanez. He met up with Montanez and attacked her, then fled in Melton’s car. Then he encountered Ruiz in Cape Coral, killed her, and repeatedly drove over her body in the stolen car.
After killing Ruiz, Wilson reportedly went into a nearby business and told an acquaintance that he’d killed two women, but he fled on foot when the acquaintance called 911. He broke into a nearby home, leading to the burglary and petty theft charges.
The two women were killed days apart; Melton was found dead in her home, and Ruiz was found dead in Melton’s car, abandoned in a field near her home. Both women’s cell phones were in the car.
This year, Wilson’s attorneys have thrown everything they can think of at the judge: They challenged recent changes to death penalty laws, sought separate trials for each charge, tried to bar victim impact statements, and alleged the aggravating factors on some of the charges were unconstitutional.
Lee Circuit Judge Nicholas Thompson denied all the motions, although he did allow Wilson to wear street clothes and hide his hideous tattoos.
Jury selection is expected to last until June 11, followed by a three week trial.
Before diving into jury selection, Thompson asked prosecutors if they’d offered a plea deal to Wilson.
“Absolutely not,” Assistant State Attorney Andreas Gardiner replied.
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[Featured image: WINK screenshot]
