'Deadpool killer' flashes hand signals as jury recommends death penalty for sickening double murder

A man dubbed the 'Deadpool killer' who sickeningly strangled two women to death was seen making mysterious hand gestures as a jury called for him to be sentenced to death.

Wade Wilson - who shares a name with Ryan Reynolds' popular Marvel character - was convicted of the October 2019 murders of Kristine Melton, 35, and Diane Ruiz, 43, which shook the community of Forty Myers in Florida, US.

Prosecutors said the heavily-tattooed defendant - who has inkings of Swastikas, a Joker-like mouth tattoo, the digits 666 and the words 'Bred for war' - killed both of the Cape Coral women in the span of a few hours just 'for the sake of killing'.

He was convicted of six charges, including two counts of first-degree murder, battery, burglary, theft and grand theft auto, on 12 June, before the jury voted to send Wilson to death row for his crimes.

It is now up to the trial judge, Judge Nicholas Thompson, to decide whether to impose the death sentence during another sentencing hearing on 23 July.

After hearing what fate the jury had decided for him, Wilson was seen flashing a strange hand signal - which saw him stretch out his left palm and wiggle his right fingers across it - while smirking inside the court room.

Footage of the Deadpool killer's eerie gesture went viral, as those who have been intently following the trial were keen to try and decipher what it might have meant.

Social media users reckon the 30-year-old was most likely 'signalling to someone he knows is watching'.

However, others say another angle shows that Wilson was actually conversing with a police officer who was 'stood directly in front of him' but couldn't be seen in this shot.

One TikTok user said: "The cop waves at him that it's time to go, and he does that [the hand gesture] as a means to say, 'Time to fingerprint?' And the cop nods."

Wilson's case - and his striking appearance - has drawn attention from across the globe as people were left horrified by his crime spree which took place on 7 October 2019.

The then-25-year-old had met Kristine Melton and her pal Stephanie Sailors at a local live music bar in Fort Myers, before all heading back to Melton's home together.

Sailors subsequently left her pal's house in the morning, which is when the Deadpool killer struck - strangling Melton to death as she slept in her bed, before stealing her car.

Just a short time later on the same day, Wilson had fled the property when he saw 43-year-old Diane Ruiz walking down the street while behind the wheel of Melton's vehicle and approached her to ask for directions as she walked to work.

He managed to lure her into the car before attacking her as she tried to escape and also strangling her to death.

Ruiz was also horrifically ran over 10 to 20 times, the court heard, with Wilson's biological father claiming that his son wanted to 'run her over until she looked like spaghetti'.

The killer then drove Melton's car further and went on to attack his former girlfriend, Melissa Montanez, 41.

He then called his father Steven Testasecca, who gave him up for adoption as a teenager, to confess to his horrid crimes.

The dad informed authorities of his son's admissions and Wilson was arrested on 8 October 2019.

He remained behind bars without bail until he went on trial and was convicted this month.

Testasecca said of Wilson's demeanour after the killings: "He was excited. He was wanting me to feel the same way he was feeling... he would've done it again."

Melton's heartbroken cousin Samantha Catomer paid tribute to her kind relative who dreamed of becoming a mother, saying: "Kristine will never experience motherhood, a role she was born to play."

One of Ruiz's 19-year-old twin sons, Zane Romero, 19, told how his mother passed away just days before he was due to join his school marching band - adding: "'I never got to see her in the crowd. My mom will never get to see me get married."