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By Erin Keller
Reporter (Live News)
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Convicted murderer Wade Wilson will undergo MRI scans one week before he could be sentenced to death, as doctors have found potential evidence of brain damage.
Wilson, 30, and his lawyers Kevin Shirley and Lee Hollander appeared in a Florida court on Tuesday, where Judge Nick Thompson granted a motion to transport the killer to a facility for tests on his brain including an MRI without contrast, diffusion tensor imaging and NeuroQuant.
Wilson will either be sentenced to death or life in prison on August 27 at 2 p.m. for the killings of Kristine Melton, 35, and Diane Ruiz, 43, in October 2019. Last week, Thompson denied a motion for Wilson to get a new trial or acquittal for Melton's murder.
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At 9 a.m. that same day, he has a hearing on evidence, called a Spencer hearing. Shirley told Newsweek that the lawyers will decide Friday if a physician will be testifying at the Spencer hearing.
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A psychologist and a neurologist have already interviewed Wilson, but neurologist Dr. Mark Rubino has requested further testing as he found evidence "possibly indicating traumatic brain injury," Hollander said Tuesday. The Lee County Sheriff's Office will transport Wilson to the tests, the time and locations of which are being kept private for security reasons.
In July, Wilson's sentencing was delayed because "two additional mental health experts were not able to modify their schedule to testify at the penalty phase proceedings," court records say. Shirley said at the time that one doctor wanted to do brain scans on Wilson but that would mean taking him to another facility. The other doctor needed more time to run his tests on Wilson, which were different to the other ones completed by doctors who testified during the trial.
Forensic psychiatrist Dr. Mark Mills testified on behalf of Wilson, claiming he suffers from a psychotic disorder and is "chronically and severely" mentally ill. Neuropsychologist Dr. Hyman Eisenstein also testified that Wilson has been diagnosed with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder and other mental illnesses. Eisenstein added that Wilson has a neurocognitive impairment and that his brain is not functioning like a normal, healthy person.
Wilson met Melton at a live-music bar and went home with her on October 6, 2019. The next day, he strangled her to death at her home in Cape Coral, where her body was discovered. He took her car and was driving when he saw Ruiz walking down the street. She got into the car after he asked her for directions. Wilson strangled her then ran over her repeatedly with the car.
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