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Activists Call on President Biden to End the Federal Death Penalty Before Leaving Office

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A conversation with Death Penalty Action Co-founder and Executive Director Abe Bonowitz. Now that Joe Biden is a lame duck president, activists are holding him accountable to make good on his promise to end the federal death penalty during his remaining six months as president. Biden’s election campaign in 2020 had pledged to end the federal death penalty and incentivize the remaining 27 states that still allow executions to do the same. While he made history as the first president in the United States to openly oppose the death penalty, there has been no movement to actually end federal executions during his nearly four years in office.

Florida | “Deadpool Killer” Wade Wilson Sentenced To Death for Heinous 2019 Murders

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The 30-year-old's crimes were described by Circuit Judge Nicholas Thompson as “heinous, atrocious, and cruel,” with one murder deemed cold, calculated, and premeditated.

Wade Wilson, infamously dubbed the “Deadpool Killer,” was sentenced to death on Tuesday for the 2019 murders of two Florida women.

The 30-year-old's crimes were described by Circuit Judge Nicholas Thompson as “heinous, atrocious, and cruel,” with one murder deemed cold, calculated, and premeditated.

Wilson was found guilty in June for the murders of Kristine Melton, 35, and Diane Ruiz, 43. The jury had recommended the death penalty, a decision Thompson upheld, citing the severity of the crimes.

Wilson was initially expected to be sentenced in July. However, it was postponed after the defense asked for more time, saying doctors needed to do brain scans on Wilson.

According to prosecutors, Wilson strangled Melton following a drug-fueled sexual encounter before stealing her car and assaulting his girlfriend, Melissa Montanez, 41.

He later encountered Ruiz, whom he invited into his car under the pretense of asking for directions. Wilson then strangled Ruiz and ran her over, leaving her body mutilated.

Assistant State Attorney Andreas Gardiner described the crimes as an act of killing “for the sake of killing,” highlighting the brutal nature of the strangulation.

Despite the gravity of his actions, Wilson received numerous love letters and explicit photos from admirers during his incarceration. Some correspondents and Wilson’s adoptive parents appealed to the court to reconsider, citing his brain damage from drug addiction and issues stemming from his adoption.

Wilson’s defense argued for leniency, claiming he had a troubled background and sought to depict him as a changed man under medication. However, his adoptive parents also requested the court to spare his life, stating, “the human is still in there.”

In addition to the murder charges, Wilson was convicted of grand theft, burglary, battery, and petit theft.

Source: The Associated Press, Staff, August 28, 2024

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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."

— Oscar Wilde



Location: Florida, USA
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