A juror in Wade Wilson's double murder trial has spoken out for the first time since he was convicted on June 12 of killing the Florida women.
The woman, who only wanted to be identified as "Juror 87," spoke to WINK News about sitting just feet from Wilson, 30, who now faces the death penalty, as the jury heard gruesome details about how he killed Kristine Melton, 35, and Diane Ruiz, 43, within hours of each other on October 7, 2019.
"There are certain images that we had to see during this trial that you can never unsee," she told the outlet.
Wilson met Melton at a live-music bar and went home with her on Oct. 6, 2019. The next day, he strangled her to death in her Cape Coral home where her body was discovered.
Ruiz was a bartender and walking to work at a nearby bar when Wilson approached her, asking for directions in a car he stole from Melton's home. Ruiz got in the car where Wilson strangled her and "ran her over until she looked like spaghetti," Wilson's dad said his son admitted during his testimony. Ruiz's body was found on October 10 in a field behind a Sam's Club.
"I mean, there were times where, you know, he and I would lock eyes and just stare at each other," the juror said about being in the same room with Wilson. "There's definitely a very noticeable weight in the room when you're sitting with somebody that did the horrific things that he did."
Florida law requires at least eight jurors to vote for the death penalty. Ten out of the 12 jurors at the Lee County Courthouse in Fort Myers voted for the death penalty last week for Ruiz's murder. Nine out of 12 jurors voted the same for Melton's murder.
"You kind of have this really big sense of responsibility," Juror 87 told WINK News about playing a role in Wilson's fate, "and putting, you know, any of your personal feelings aside and just being able to focus on facts."
While determining Wilson's guilt was easy, the woman said recommending a punishment was not as simple.
"We were very lucky to get the group of people that we did," said the juror. "We were with such a wonderful group of people that everyone's opinions were heard."
The juror said she has faith in the justice system and was grateful to be part of the trial. However, she acknowledges it was not an easy process for the victims' loved ones.
"I think the hardest part every day was seeing the families there and seeing how they've been impacted by their losses," she told the outlet. "I only had to put a month into this; they had to put in five years, and they're never gonna get their loved ones back, so I felt really honored to be able to give them some sort of justice."
Wilson was originally set to be sentenced on July 23, but his lawyers have argued that the doctors who will testify need more time. Therefore, Wilson is now expected to be sentenced on August 27 with a 9 a.m. hearing and sentencing at 2 p.m.
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