Wade Wilson and one of his female supporters are suing the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the District Attorney’s Office.
Wilson and Jesse Tehonica filed a civil lawsuit against the Florida entity on September 20. The complaint is confidential and not available for public viewing.
“In accordance with Florida Statute, the Clerk’s office will keep this case confidential until the court makes a determination,” Lee County Clerk of Courts spokeswoman Meaghan Smith said. Newsweek.
Wilson’s former attorneys Kevin Shirley and Lee Hollander, who represented him in the murder trial, said Newsweek that Tehonica was involved in taking Wilson’s clothes for the death penalty and orchestrating public support for the convicted murderer. The judge ultimately denied a motion to keep him out of his inmate uniform.
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Newsweek have contacted Andrea Mogensen, the attorney representing Wilson and Tehonica in the lawsuit, but have not heard back. Newsweek also made several attempts for comment from Tehonica and the State Attorney’s Office.
The Sheriff’s Office refused to provide it Newsweek any additional information.
Wilson is currently on death row in Florida for the murders of Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz in October 2019. He was sentenced to death on August 27 as the victims’ families applauded and hugged as the judge delivered Wilson’s fate.
The day after the death sentence, Wilson also received a sentence of 12 years for attempting to trade amphetamines or methamphetamines between 28 grams and 200 grams. He was also ordered to pay a $50,000 fine, court costs, and harassment charges.
Wilson survived a drug overdose in the Lee County Jail in 2023 while awaiting trial for the murder. The incident prompted an investigation by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators uncovered a conspiracy to sell illegal drugs to the jail. Four others were also charged in the incident. His case is pending.
He will serve the sentence concurrently with two death sentences.
Wilson has a new attorney, Michael Ufferman, who filed an appeal against the death sentence on September 15.
Ufferman was recognized as the 2024 Tallahassee Lawyer of the Year in Appellate Practice by The Best Lawyers in America. He is also an adjunct professor teaching criminal procedure at Florida State University College of Law.
A status conference hearing is set for Oct. 16 at 1:30 p.m. in the Lee County Justice Center courtroom where Wilson was sentenced to death.
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Fanfare Surrounds Wade Wilson
Shirley said Newsweek that he had never seen the “very unusual” uproar over Wilson’s case on social media.
“I have never been involved like this. I don’t know how many tens of thousands of people communicate with him or communicate with each other about him,” he said. Newsweek in person after the August sentence.
“There was a donation made for him. I thought it was funny, but a lot of people thought otherwise.”
When asked how Robert Melton, the brother of victim Kristine Melton, felt about Wilson’s lack of emotion during his death sentence, he found his amazement difficult to articulate.
“They don’t look like people,” he said Newsweek about the killer. “It’s very scary.”
Robert Melton also didn’t know much about the social media surrounding Wilson.
“A friend of mine sent me a link, like ‘Oh yeah, she’s a TikTok sensation,’ and I was just like, ‘Oh my God.'”
“I want nothing to do with it,” added Robert Melton. “Two really good people died. This shouldn’t end up being about Wade.”
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