Police arrested man who said he stabbed someone Monday, link to recent deaths unconfirmed

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Mugshot of Wade Wilson, 25. (Credit: Lee County Sheriff's Office)
Mugshot of Wade Wilson, 25. (Credit: Lee County Sheriff’s Office)

A man was arrested after being accused of attacking his girlfriend in Fort Myers, then breaking into a home in Cape Coral Monday. Still, authorities will not say whether he is the person of interest in two Cape Coral deaths.

According to sworn statements to police, Wade Wilson, 25, beat up his girlfriend in front of the business she owns. The woman claims Wilson dragged her by the hair, threw several punches at the victim’s face, and tried getting her into a car.

The report goes onto say a witness said, “the boyfriend then fled in a black Nissan Versa, unknown Florida tag.”

According to the victim’s statement, she “believed that if he had gotten her inside the vehicle, that she wouldn’t be alive.”

A separate report states, later that same day, Wilson showed up at a business where his friend works. Wilson’s friend told detectives Wilson arrived in a black vehicle, had blood on him, and admitted to stabbing someone. However, he did not identify who. Wilson fled before the police arrived.

Cape Coral police got a tip that Wilson was hiding out in a nearby home after breaking in through a back window. WINK News spoke with the homeowner, Kent Amlin, who said they had just left on a trip that morning only to get a scary call from the police.

“Saying that somebody was in our house, and they had our house surrounded,” Amlin said. “They wanted to know whether we had any weapons inside and how they could get in.”

Neighbors, including Dawn Fritz, told us they saw police at the home past midnight that day and didn’t know what was going on.

“Then we heard the megaphone, and he said, ‘we have the house surround. Please come out with your hands up,’ and I was like, ‘Oh my God. What’s going on?'” Fritz said. “It was scary.”

Police said Wilson made himself at home. He made popcorn and drank White Claws. After talking to the police on the house phone, the suspect surrendered. He was wearing Amlin’s clothes.

“An odd situation,” Amlin said. “Why he picked my house, I don’t know.”

Wilson faces battery charges for the alleged attack on his girlfriend. In July, the same girlfriend accused Wilson of choking, tying up and raping her in Lee County, but she chose not to prosecute.

Wilson has an extensive criminal history. Since 2010, the suspect has been arrested more than 20 times. Some of these arrests include burglary, sexual assault, trespassing, and fraud that took place all over the state of Florida. He also spent time in a state prison.

One woman was found dead in a home, Kristine Ann Melton, and another person, Diane Ruiz, went missing on Monday. Ruiz was found dead Thursday, family confirms.

Cape Coral police say they have a person of interest in those death investigations, who is already in custody on unrelated charges. They have not confirmed any connection between Wilson and those two deaths.

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