The Case of Diane Ruiz

Diane Ruiz was 43 when she encountered Wade Wilson in Cape Coral on October 7, 2019. Wilson, driving the vehicle he had stolen from Kristine Melton after killing her earlier that day, approached Ruiz and asked for directions. He then forced her into the vehicle and brutally attacked her before leaving her body in a secluded area. Wilson was convicted of her murder and sentenced to death.

Diane Ruiz was a 43-year-old mother who worked as a manager at a restaurant in Cape Coral, Florida. On October 7, 2019, Ruiz was walking home from work when she encountered Wade Wilson. Wilson was driving Kristine Melton's stolen vehicle, having killed Melton earlier that morning. Wilson approached Ruiz and asked her for directions. According to the prosecution, Ruiz entered the vehicle after Wilson asked for assistance navigating to an address. Once Ruiz was inside, Wilson attacked her.

Wilson forced Ruiz into the vehicle and attacked her. According to evidence presented at trial, he strangled her and repeatedly struck her. Wilson subsequently drove to a secluded area where he continued the assault. Ruiz suffered severe facial injuries and multiple fractures. Wilson eventually abandoned her body in a field off Owen Avenue in Cape Coral. Her body was discovered later that day. The condition of the body indicated that Ruiz had suffered an exceptionally violent attack.

Investigators quickly began reconstructing Ruiz's final movements. Witnesses reported seeing Ruiz with Wilson shortly before her disappearance. Surveillance footage and other evidence showed Wilson driving the vehicle he had taken from Kristine Melton. Investigators recovered forensic evidence connecting Wilson to Ruiz and the vehicle. The discovery that Wilson had been driving Melton's vehicle was particularly significant because Melton had been murdered earlier that same day. The two murders were consequently linked. Wilson was arrested and ultimately charged with both killings. At trial, prosecutors argued that Wilson deliberately targeted Ruiz after approaching her under the pretext of needing directions. Evidence included DNA, surveillance footage, witness testimony and Wilson's own statements concerning his movements.

Wade Wilson was convicted of first-degree murder in Diane Ruiz's death. He was also convicted of the first-degree murder of Kristine Melton. In 2024, the jury unanimously recommended the death penalty for Melton's murder and recommended death by a 10–2 vote for Ruiz's murder. Wilson was formally sentenced to death for Ruiz's murder on August 27, 2024. He remains on Florida's death row while his convictions and sentences proceed through the appeals process.

Ruiz was the second person Wilson murdered on October 7, 2019. Her murder occurred only hours after he killed Kristine Melton and stole her vehicle. The connection between the two murders was established through Wilson's use of Melton's vehicle during the attack on Ruiz.