Convicted Florida murderer Wade Wilson is scheduled to attend a hearing in Spencer on Tuesday, just five hours before he will be sentenced to either death or life in prison.

Wilson’s hearing in Spencer, where he can speak to the judge if he wishes, will take place at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, followed by his sentencing at 2 p.m. The 30-year-old was found guilty of killing Kristine Melton (35) and Diane Ruiz (43) within a few hours in October 2019.

The goal of a Spencer hearing is to ensure that the evidence is not prejudicial to the defendant and meets legal standards of relevance and fairness. The hearing helps protect the defendant’s right to a fair trial by examining evidence that could improperly influence the jury.

Named after the 1993 Spencer v. State At a Spencer hearing, a judge typically assesses whether certain evidence—often related to the defendant’s criminal past or other background information—is relevant and should be admitted during trial.

“Great interest”

Lieutenant Christopher Fine of the Lee County Sheriff’s Department said Newsweek that officials were aware of the “high interest in the conviction of Wade Wilson.”

“As always, extensive security measures will be taken in high-profile cases. We will work closely with our partners at the Fort Myers Police Department to ensure the safety of the public and the orderly conduct of court proceedings,” Fine added.

Neurologist to testify at Spencer hearing

Dr. Mark Rubino, a Naples neurologist, will testify for the defense at Wilson’s Spencer hearing Tuesday morning.

Rubino appeared in a Zoom deposition on Monday, where Assistant District Attorney Andreas Gardiner questioned the doctor about the MRI and brain scans he performed on Wilson last week.

Rubino claimed that his battery of tests showed that Wilson had suffered brain trauma, including “impairments” of short-term memory and “cognitive and emotional problems consistent with psychiatric illness.”

The doctor also spoke to Wilson about his childhood, where he claimed he suffered two concussions while playing football and baseball in high school.

“He ran into a fence — or something like that,” Rubino said of the baseball incident as he checked his notes. “I don’t know, I can’t read my handwriting.”

Wilson also claimed that he was involved in two car accidents “years ago” and was also “knocked unconscious” on three separate occasions when he was “attacked” at a young age.

Wilson reportedly told Rubino that he was “fine until about age 11, when he told his (adoptive) parents he thought he was going crazy.” He also told the doctor that his biological mother, who was 14 when she had Wilson, used drugs while pregnant. Rubino revealed that he never spoke to Wilson’s biological parents because he did not believe drug use affected his test results. He stated that Wilson had previously been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and was prescribed lithium.

Rubino said he would testify: “As a result of his head injuries, Wilson suffered something else – in addition to his mental illness – so his behavior is explained by his head injuries: his impulsivity, his overwhelming emotions, which he pursues without any control or compensation from the frontal lobe.”

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