Wade Wilson’s lawyer Kevin Shirley spoke out Tuesday after his client was sentenced to death by a Florida judge for murdering two women.
Moments after the sentencing, Newsweek spoke exclusively with Shirley outside of the Lee County Justice Center courtroom as this five-year court ordeal finally cumulated in the death penalty for Wilson – which his team will appeal.
In June, Wilson’s jury voted 9-3 in favor of the death penalty for Kristine Melton’s murder and 10-2 in Diane Ruiz’s murder. A new capital punishment law signed by Governor Ron DeSantis in April 2023 says a jury does not need to be unanimous in their vote and only eight of 12 jurors are needed to recommend death.
“It was kind of anticipated,” Shirley said Tuesday about Judge Nick Thompson’s ruling. “It was a 9-3, 10-2 jury ruling months ago, and it takes quite a bit of extra evidence in a Spencer hearing to convince a judge to override a jury recommendation. The unfortunate thing is we didn’t have a lot of other information to provide to the court. We gave what he have.”
Wade Wilson’s lawyer Kevin Shirley spoke out Tuesday after his client was sentenced to death by a Florida judge for murdering two women.
Law&Crime / Newsweek’s Erin Keller
Wilson, 30, has been notoriously stoic throughout court proceedings and didn’t show any emotion when he learned he will be put to death. Newsweek asked Shirley if the convicted killer muttered anything to his legal team after the ruling. The lawyer replied, “No, not at all.”
“I mean, we’ve been discussing this with him for quite some time. He understands the law, he understands what it takes to override a jury recommendation,” he added.
In an email last month, Shirley told Newsweek that he also worked on the televised State V. Joseph Zeiler capital murder trial, but has never seen the “very unusual” fanfare surrounding Wilson’s case on social media.
“I’ve never been involved in anything like this before. I don’t know how many tens of thousands of people are communicating with him or communicating with each other about him. There’s donations that are set up for him. I think it’s ridiculous, but there’s a lot of people that think otherwise.”
At the time of publication, a FUNDLY fundraiser created to “Save Wade Steven Wilson” and “help us prove his innocence and fight for a new, fair trial” has raised nearly $74,000 of its $100,000 goal. This includes a donor only identified as Jenette contributing a whopping $24,000 and an anonymous donor’s $10,000 contribution.
“Our donation campaign aims to raise funds to help Wade Steven Wilson afford a reputable, specialized, and competent legal defense team to take over his case and appeal his upcoming sentencing on August 27, 2024,” the page, which does not appear to be updated with the news that he was sentenced to death, reads. “This campaign is not a debate about innocence or guilt but about the right to a fair and objective trial.”
Wilson’s Spencer Hearing
Neurologist Dr. Mark Rubino testified for the defense on Tuesday hours before Wilson was sentenced to death. He claimed an MRI and other brain scans he completed on Wilson last week indicated the killer has sustained brain trauma.
Wilson also told him he got two concussions from sports in his teen years and was also “knocked out” in two separate car crashes.
However, Dr. Thomas Coyne, Deputy Chief Medical Examiner in Lee County, also took the stand and contradicted Rubino’s claims, coming to his own conclusion that Wilson’s brain indicates no atrophy.
Wilson’s Lawyers File Appeal
Wilson’s legal team, made up of Shirley, Lee Hollander, and Wendy Perez, immediately filed an appeal for his death sentence on Tuesday.
The appeal goes straight to the Florida Supreme Court but will be a long, lengthy process.
Earlier this month, Judge Thompson denied a motion for Wilson to be acquitted or get a new trial for Melton’s murder.
Was Wade Wilson’s Lawyer Scared Of His Client?
Last month, Shirley told Newsweek in an email, “Mr. Wilson is very intimidating but he also appreciates good representation. Once he realized what we were doing for him he was not adversarial and never has been with the rest of our staff.”
When questioned about Wilson’s tattoo-covered face, which includes three inked swastikas and a Joker-inspired stitch smile, Shirley confirmed Wilson was permitted to use makeup in an attempt to cover them but the products were ultimately “insufficient.”
“Mr. Wilson created his appearance while in custody awaiting trial. He has never expressed his reasons. My colleague successfully argued for a procedure to cover up the tattoos, however, when that did not work, I attempted to use that to show his mental instability.”
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