Wade Wilson pleads to jail crimes Thursday, clears way for transfer to Florida death row
Two days after a judge sentenced a Fort Myers man to death in the brutal deaths of two Cape Coral women, the convicted killer pleaded no contest to charges in a jail drug case, and received an immediate sentence.
On Thursday morning, convicted killer Wade Wilson, 30, was adjudicated guilty and sentenced for one count of attempted trafficking in amphetamine or methamphetamine between 28 and 200 grams, a second-degree felony, and one count of conspiracy to traffic in amphetamine or methamphetamine, a first-degree felony.
He pleaded no contest to the charges and was sentenced to 12 years in prison. He was also ordered to pay more than $50,000 in fines to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
The court actions allow for Wilson to transfer to death row more quickly instead of remaining at the Lee County Jail waiting to resolve the charges in trial.
The State Attorney's Office said the sentences are to be served concurrent with the two death sentences he received Tuesday for his conviction in June of two counts of first-degree murder in the Oct. 7, 2019, deaths of Kristine Melton, 35, and Diane Ruiz, 43.
A Lee County jury had recommended death sentences in 10-2 and 9-3 votes for each of the victims following his capital murder trial.
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Deputies said Wade Wilson was involved in narcotics trafficking at jail
According to an arrest report from the Lee County Sheriff's Office, around 6 a.m. April 20, a K9 conducted a free air sniff outside the main Lee County jail, 2115 Martin Luther King J. Blvd., because of narcotics allegedly placed there.
The K9 identified narcotics near an area where landscaping rocks are laid, the report says. Authorities recovered a gray grocery bag with two Ziploc bags inside.
Each bag contained loose cigarettes, suspected narcotics, lighters and pills. Both bags tested positive for methamphetamine.
An anonymous inmate trusty reported the narcotics were brought by inmate trusty Bobby Hitchman, 36, the report indicated.
According to the arrest report, Hitchman was providing the narcotics to another inmate trusty, Daniel Mulcahey, 40, who then distributed them to Wilson and a second inmate, Edmilson Martins, 35, according to the report.
Then, corrections deputies located a handwritten note in the laundry room, indicating a location where the drugs were dropped, the report says.
The sheriff's office then turned to security footage near the courthouse, which showed a car pulling in front of the receiving area.
The State Attorney's Office said Wilson survived a drug overdose in custody at the Lee County Jail before the Lee County Sheriffโs Office launched an investigation that included the review of jail mail correspondence. That correspondence review revealed a conspiracy to traffic illegal drugs.
Jail escape plot charges dropped as part of no contest plea
As part of the plea agreement, the state dropped the charges in a separate case that accused Wilson of plotting a jail escape.
In October 2020, Wilson, along with a man accused in a domestic violence case, was thwarted in a bid to escape Lee County Jail.
Wilson and his cellmate at the time, Joseph Katz, 34, were both involved, authorities said.
When their roughly 10-foot-by-10-foot cell was checked, the only window in the unit showed signs of tampering with the metal frame holding the window removed and the thick security glass window showing several cracks in it.
The Lee County Sheriff's Office report said Wilson was the primary planner and instigator of the attempt and that Katz could not have been ignorant of the attempt or not have taken part in it. Both men refused to make a statement to deputies after discovery of the tampered window.
Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at [email protected] or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran and Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Wade Wilson on way to Florida death row after settling jail charges