Even after Wade Wilson was convicted of strangling Kristine Melton while she slept and then beating, strangling, and repeatedly running over Diane Ruiz until her remains were unrecognizable, a dedicated group of women began flooding him with letters, pH๏τos, money, and marriage proposals from behind bars. In the month following his June 2024 conviction alone, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office reported that Wilson received 3,903 messages, more than 750 pH๏τographs (163 of which were rejected for explicit content), and dozens of physical letters. Many of these admirers, who call themselves “Wade’s Wives,” have professed love, offered to have his children through various prison arrangements, and claimed they could “fix” him or that he was simply misunderstood. Prison phone calls, later detailed in 2026 documentaries, turned explicit, with Wilson reportedly discussing impregnating admirers and making graphic Sєxual comments while the women on the other end ignored or excused the details of the murders.

One former girlfriend had previously escaped violence, yet the online following continued to grow, fueled by Wilson’s smirking mugsH๏τs, facial tattoos including a swastika, and the coincidental name he shares with the Marvel character ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool. This phenomenon is a clear example of hybristophilia, the documented Sєxual or romantic attraction to individuals who have committed violent crimes. Experts have noted that social media and the true-crime boom amplify it, allowing women to form parasocial bonds with incarcerated men who pose no immediate physical threat because they are locked away. Some letter-writers have described falling “in love” after seeing trial footage or viral images, while others sent money at Wilson’s request, which he used for commissary items. Fundraisers for his legal defense have also appeared online, raising thousands despite widespread outrage. The Paramount+ series Handsome Devil: Charming Killer, released in January 2026, and the Netflix Worst Ex Ever episode “Dating the ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool Killer” from May 2026 both explore this side of the story, interviewing women who maintain contact and contrasting their statements with raw testimony from the families of Melton and Ruiz.

Wilson’s biological father testified that his son showed no remorse during the fateful call in which he described one victim as looking like spaghetti and declared himself a killer. Judge Nicholas Thompson, in imposing the death sentences, left no ambiguity about the deliberate nature of the crimes. Critics argue that the media cycle and fan attention revictimize the families by turning the perpetrator into a main character while the working women who lost their lives risk becoming footnotes. As of mid-2026, Wilson continues to reside on death row at Union Correctional Insтιтution, and the flow of correspondence has not fully stopped even as appeals proceed. Criminologists interviewed for the documentaries have pointed out that some women drawn to such cases have histories of trauma or abuse themselves and may confuse intensity or danger with connection, especially when the object of that attention is safely confined. Wilson, for his part, has engaged with the attention, according to reports from the series, telling admirers he loves them while continuing to request financial support.

The contrast remains stark: two women murdered in a single day in 2019, their families grieving and preparing to witness an execution if one is ever carried out, while a subset of the public treats the convicted killer like a celebrity. The 2026 documentaries do not shy away from this uncomfortable reality, presenting both the letter-writers’ perspectives and the unfiltered horror of the crimes and their aftermath. Whether the phenomenon represents a genuine psychological condition, a product of algorithmic true-crime consumption, or something else entirely, it has kept Wilson’s name circulating long after the jury delivered its verdicts. The victims’ loved ones have made clear that their pain is permanent and not content for consumption, even as the fan mail continues and the legal process drags on without an execution date.