Disturbing meaning behind Deadpool killer's face tattoos as pictures show what he looked like before
If you've spent any time in true crime corners of the internet, you've probably come across Wade Wilson.
The 30-year old from Fort Myers, Florida became an unlikely internet fixation after he was arrested in 2019, partly because he shares a name with Marvel's wisecracking antihero Deadpool, and partly become of something far darker: the transformation of his face over five years in custody.
Wilson was convicted on 12 June, 2024 for the brutal murders of two women: Kristine Melton, 35, and Diane Ruiz, 43, both strangled just hours apart in Cape Coral, Florida in October 2019.
On 25 June, jurors voted in favor of the death penalty for both counts, with 10 of 12 jurors recommending execution for the murder of Ruiz, and nine of 12 for Melton - a verdict families of both women have waited nearly five years for.
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But as Wilson's sentencing date approaches, attention has returned to the man himself, and specifically, what's happened to his face.
When Wilson was first arrested in 2019, the tattoos stopped as his chin.
Now, they cover every inch of his face, and the symbolism behind them is deeply disturbing.
The meaning behind Wade Wilson's tattoos
His original mugshot showed a 25-year-old with heavy ink up to his jawline, with the words 'bred for war' written in bold lettering beneath his chin.
A court appearance that same year revealed a swastika tattooed on the right side of his scalp, a symbol of Nazi ideology and hatred that gave an early indication of the worldview Wilson harbored.
Five years later, the transformation is startling.
The phrase 'HA HA HA' is now scrawled under his left eye, and he also has the infamous Joker quote from the Dark Night, with 'why so serious' tattooed around his left eye.
Details of Wade Wilson's crimes
On the night of 7 October, 2019, WIlson went home with Khristine Melton and her friend after a night out at a bar. When the friend left, Wilson strangled Melton in her sleep, stole her car and drove away.
Within hours, he encountered Diane Ruiz, a mother of two who was walking to work.
He lured her into the vehicle by asking for directions, and when she realized what was happening and tried to escape, he strangled her, beat her, and ran her over with the car up to 20 times.
His defence team cited mental illness and drug addiction, with a forensic psychiatrist arguing Wilson suffered from 'some kind of psychotic disorder' - but the jury wasn't convinced, with him being found guilty and later being sentenced to death.
Thomas Bamford