When a jury was about to sentence a murderer known as the “Deadpool Killer” to death for his crimes, he was seen making a series of mysterious hand gestures in the courtroom.
Now there is speculation about what they could mean.
On October 7, 2019, Wade Wilson – also known as the “Deadpool Killer” – strangled Kristine Melton, 35, and Diane Ruiz, 43, in Forty Myers, Florida.
Wilson had met Melton and her friend Stephanie Sailors the night before at a local bar and were on their way to Melton's house together.
After the sailors left the next morning, the Deadpool Killer strangled Melton and stole her car.
Later that day, he saw Diane Ruiz walking down the street and managed to lure her into the stolen vehicle.
Wilson then attacked Ruiz, strangled her and ran over her body ten to twenty times.
When a jury recommended that the “Deadpool Killer” Wade Wilson be sentenced to death, the killer made a strange hand gesture (YouTube/Court TV)
Earlier this year, the killer, who shares the same name as Ryan Reynolds' antihero, was found guilty on six counts, including two counts of premeditated murder, assault, burglary, theft and car theft.
The jury recommended that he be sentenced to death for his crimes.
After learning of his possible fate, the heavily tattooed defendant – he has swastikas, a Joker-like mouth tattoo, the numbers 666 and the words “Bred for War” – made a strange hand gesture.
He held out his left palm and, grinning, ran his right fingers over it.
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Social media users have been speculating ever since about what the signal could mean (YouTube/Court TV)
After recordings of the signal were shared online, observers of his trial attempted to decipher its meaning.
Some social media users believe he was most likely “signaling to someone he knows is watching.”
Others claim that Wilson was actually talking to a police officer who was “standing right in front of him” but was not visible in the photo.
One TikTok user said: “The cop waves to him that it’s time to go and he does that [the hand gesture] to say, “Time for fingerprints?” And the cop nods.”
On Tuesday (August 27), Wilson was sentenced to death for the murders, which he committed “for the sake of killing,” the court said.
Florida County District Court Judge Nicholas R. Thompson said, “The evidence shows that the murders were heinous, cruel and savage and that the second murder was cold-blooded, calculated and premeditated.”
Wilson sat emotionless in the courtroom as Judge Thompson announced his verdict.
His lawyer later said: “I understand there are other cases pending against him here and elsewhere … but Mr. Wilson has asked me to ask the court, within its powers, to place him on death row as soon as possible.”
