He was also accused of attempting to escape from prison. In addition to his death sentence, he must also serve a twelve-year prison sentence for drug offenses.
Two days after a judge sentenced a Fort Myers man to death for the brutal deaths of two Cape Coral women, the convicted killer pleaded no contest in a prison drug trial and received immediate punishment.
On Thursday morning, convicted murderer Wade Wilson, 30, was found guilty and sentenced to attempted trafficking in 28 to 200 grams of amphetamine or methamphetamine (a second-degree felony) and conspiracy to traffic amphetamine or methamphetamine (a first-degree felony).
He pleaded not guilty to the charges and was sentenced to 12 years in prison and ordered to pay more than $50,000 in fines to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
The court action will allow Wilson to be transferred to death row more quickly rather than waiting in the Lee County Jail for the charges to be resolved at trial.
Prosecutors said the sentences will run concurrently with the two death sentences he received Tuesday in connection with his June conviction of two counts of first-degree murder in the Oct. 7, 2019, deaths of 35-year-old Kristine Melton and 43-year-old Diane Ruiz.
Following his capital crimes trial, a Lee County jury recommended the death penalty for all victims by votes of 10 to 2 and 9 to 3, respectively.
More: Wade Wilson, who is incarcerated for murder, is involved in a new plot, according to LCSO
More: Florida murderer Wade Wilson allegedly planned to escape from prison
Deputies said Wade Wilson was involved in drug trafficking while in prison
According to a police report from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, at approximately 6:00 a.m. on April 20, a sniffer dog was conducting an open-air sniffing tour in front of the Lee County Main Jail (2115 Martin Luther King J. Blvd.) because narcotics had allegedly been planted there.
The sniffer dog spotted narcotics near an area where rocks are laid out for landscaping, the report said. Authorities found a gray grocery bag with two Ziploc bags inside.
Each bag contained loose cigarettes, suspected narcotics, lighters and pills. Methamphetamine was found in both bags.
An anonymous inmate stated that the drugs were brought by 35-year-old inmate Bobby Hitchman, the report said.
According to the police report, Hitchman delivered the drugs to another inmate, 38-year-old Daniel Mulcahey, who then distributed them to Wilson and a second inmate, 34-year-old Edmilson Martins.
Correctional officials subsequently found a handwritten note in the laundry room indicating where the drugs had been dumped, the report said.
The sheriff’s office then used surveillance footage taken near the courthouse that showed a car driving up to the reception area.
Prosecutors said Wilson survived a drug overdose in the Lee County Jail before the Lee County Sheriff’s Office launched an investigation that included a review of jail mail. That review of correspondence revealed a conspiracy to traffic drugs.
Prison escape charges dropped as part of plea agreement
As part of the agreement, the state dropped charges in another case in which Wilson was accused of plotting a prison break.
In October 2020, Wilson’s escape attempt from the Lee County Jail was thwarted, as was that of a man accused of domestic violence.
Wilson and his then-cellmate, 33-year-old Joseph Katz, were both involved in the incident, authorities said.
When their cell, which was approximately 3 by 3 meters in size, was inspected, the unit’s only window showed signs of tampering: the metal frame holding the window had been removed and the thick safety glass window had several cracks.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office report states that Wilson was the main planner and instigator of the attack and that Katz could not have known about the attack or participated in it. Both men refused to give a statement to officers after the tampered window was discovered.
Tomas Rodriguez is a breaking/live news reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. Reach Tomas at [email protected] or 772-333-5501. Reach him on threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran and Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews.
