The Case of Kristine Melton

Kristine Melton was 35 when she met Wade Wilson at a Fort Myers bar on October 7, 2019. Wilson accompanied her to her Cape Coral home, where he strangled her and stole her vehicle. He later used Melton's car while committing a second murder that same day. Wilson was convicted of Melton's murder and sentenced to death.

Kristine Melton was a 35-year-old woman living in Cape Coral, Florida. On the evening of October 6, 2019, Melton was socialising at a bar in Fort Myers when she met Wade Wilson. Wilson was a stranger to Melton, and the two spent time together at the bar before leaving together. Melton agreed to give Wilson a ride to her home in Cape Coral. The following morning, Melton was dead and her vehicle was missing.

After arriving at Melton's home, Wilson remained there overnight. According to the prosecution, Wilson strangled Melton while she was asleep. He then took her Toyota, leaving her body inside the residence. When Melton failed to appear for work, concerns were raised about her whereabouts. Her vehicle was subsequently located in Fort Myers. Investigators discovered evidence inside the vehicle linking Wilson to Melton and established that he had been driving the car after her disappearance.

Investigators began reconstructing Melton's final movements using surveillance footage, witness accounts and forensic evidence. Wilson was identified as the last known person to have been with Melton. Police discovered that Wilson had used Melton's vehicle after her death. The investigation subsequently connected Wilson to a second murder committed later that same day, that of Diane Ruiz. Wilson was arrested in connection with the killings and eventually charged with the murders of both women. At trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Wilson had killed Melton in order to steal her vehicle and that he subsequently used it to facilitate further crimes. Forensic evidence and Wilson's own statements were presented to the jury.

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

Melton's murder was the first of two killings committed by Wilson on October 7, 2019. Her stolen vehicle became a critical link between the two murders, as Wilson used it after killing Melton before encountering Diane Ruiz.