'Deadpool Killer' Trial: Doctor Details Wade Wilson's Alleged Brain Damage Before Grisly Murders

An MRI was previously ordered by Wilson's lawyer Lee Hollander, who claimed a doctor found possible traumatic brain injury indications with his client. The results were presented by Dr. Mark Rubino during Wilson's Spencer hearing -- during which both the prosecution and defense can present further evidence and make legal arguments as to the sentence -- this morning.

While presenting his findings, Rubino said Wilson told him "he was okay until he was 11 years old and then things went awry" and he "told his parents he thought he was going crazy."

He also broke down the alleged head injuries Wilson told him he suffered over the years, though Wilson couldn't exactly pinpoint when they happened. Wilson allegedly told him that he was the passenger in a vehicle that slammed into a tree not once, but two different times. During the first accident, he said, his head hit the windshield -- and while he went to the hospital, he left against medical advice and didn't wait to get assessed.

The second time, Wilson allegedly said everyone in the car "basically got knocked out." When he came to, Rubino said Wilson told him he "started running" because he was on probation and didn't want to get arrested. Again, Wilson said he was seen by EMS, but wasn't transported to the hospital for treatment.

The doctor also said Wilson told him he had at least one concussion while playing football in high school, and another while playing baseball. He also said Wilson had been diagnosed with and treated for depression, bipolar disorder and Schizoaffective disorder.

As for the MRI, Rubino said it showed signs of small ventricles in the brain, which he said can cause "less thinking," as well as frontal lobe damage. There was also evidence of atrophy, which he said "means you are more likely to get mad and not calm yourself down." He said the frontal lobe impairments can cause one to be more likely to be impulsive and act without regard to consequence, act without plan, and make one more likely to be irritated and agitated.

Medication, however, "can be helpful," he said, adding, "This can be treated."

Rubino noted that there are no records of any of the head injuries Wilson told him about, but said the man's brain itself supports his claims.

"I'm not saying he's incompetent. He has impairments that make him more likely to be impulsive," Rubino said under cross-examination, adding that drug use could make his condition worse. In conclusion, he said Wilson's "brain injuries, his psychiatric disease, as well as the drugs he's on, likely resulted in his awful behavior."

Assistant State Attorney Andreas Gardiner, however, pointed out how radiologists who reviewed MRI and CT scans found them to be normal. In testimony from Thomas Coyne, called by prosecutors, he said he saw no sign of atrophy in Wilson's brain -- disagreeing with Rubino's statements. He also said he didn't see evidence of "significant prior brain trauma," discounting Wilson's self-reporting of past injuries.

Rubino was the only witness called for the defense during the Spencer trial; Wilson himself also declined to speak. When asked if he wanted to address the court, he shook his head no and said, "Later, when I come back, I will. Not today."

A letter from his adoptive parents, however, was read -- in which they pleaded against sentencing him to death.

More to come ...

A jury already recommended the death penalty in Wilson's case back in July, after he was found guilty of two counts of First-Degree Murder, as well as Grand Theft of a Motor Vehicle, Battery, Burglary of a Dwelling, and First-Degree Petit Theft by the same jury back in June.

Wilson, 30, was found guilty after just two hours of deliberation -- following a trial which saw the heavily-tattooed criminal reportedly attempt to cover up swastika ink, as well as skeletal markings around his mouth, with makeup. His tattoos have increased with his time behind bars, with two swastikas, a "Why So Serious? Ha Ha Ha" tattoo, likely inspired by Batman villain the Joker, and others all appearing on his face after his arrest.

He's been dubbed the "Deadpool Killer," as he shares a name with the Marvel superhero made famous by Ryan Reynolds' movies.

According to the prosecution, Wilson murdered Kristine Melton, 35, in her home on October 7, 2019 after the two had taken drugs and slept together. He then allegedly stole her car and used her cell phone to contact another woman, Melissa Montanez, 41; reportedly his girlfriend. After meeting up with her, Wilson allegedly assaulted Montanez and fled in Melton's car.

He then encountered Diane Ruiz, 43, in Cape Coral while asking for directions, according to the case, and murdered her by strangulation, running her over repeatedly with Melton's car "until she looked like spaghetti," per what his father testified Wilson told him during the trial.

According to Assistant State Attorney Andreas Gardiner, Ruiz's body was found only because vultures were circling it. She was found dead in Melton's car, abandoned in a field near her home. Her family had to ID her by tattoos on her back due to advanced decomposition, per the prosecution.

After murdering Ruiz, Gardiner told the jury, Wilson went into a restaurant covered in blood and told the owner, described as an acquaintance, that he'd killed two women. But when the owner called 911, the prosecution noted, Wilson fled. They then argued he broke into the home of a couple who were out of town, completing his deadly crime spree.

Wilson was reportedly expressionless as the guilty verdicts were read. "There is no situation where he's going to be walking the streets. An animal like this needs to be put away," Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore told local Fox affiliate WFTX.