Wade Wilson was removed from the investigation months before the murders

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Authorities did not find probable cause to arrest Wade Wilson after the reporting woman did not follow directions; contacted Wade Wilson, the new girlfriend.

A Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy has not followed through on allegations that convicted felon Wade Wilson beat and choked a woman months before the 2019 slayings of two Cape Coral women.

A Lee County jury last month recommended by 9-3 and 10-2 votes for each of the victims that Wilson, 30, of Fort Myers receive the death penalty. The same jury convicted him on June 12 of the murders of Kristine Melton, 35, and Diana Ruiz, 43, and other charges related to the murders.

According to a 21-page report provided by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, Wilson was investigated in an incident that occurred in February of that year, reports said. Authorities found no probable cause for his arrest.

The victim told Palm Beach sheriff’s deputies that in the early afternoon of February 19, 2019, she got into an argument with her ex-boyfriend, Wilson, “because he was going to rehab.”

The woman, whose identity is being redacted in the report, told authorities that Wilson was initially willing to go, but before heading to the appointment, the two had to retrieve money from the woman’s mother’s home.

While Wilson was driving the SUV, the report said, he decided he no longer wanted to go to his rehab appointment and “became enraged.” He asked the victim to pawn his laptop for money, according to the report.

The two drove to several pawn shops, but were unsuccessful.

“Wade became enraged and began choking her with both hands,” the report said. The woman said she was not knocked unconscious but had bruises around her neck.

The woman told police that Wilson punched her several times and grabbed a pocket knife, which he used to cut her shirt and bra to blindfold her, according to the report.

With the woman blindfolded, Wilson drove for about two hours, she told authorities. During that time, Wilson sold her cellphone for $50 without her consent, authorities noted.

Wilson then bound the victim’s legs and hands with a belt and tried to silence her using a plastic garbage bag. He punched her after he failed, the report said.

Wilson apologized, untied the woman and allowed her to use the restroom at a Key Largo gas station, according to the documents.

Wilson then drove to a separate gas station in Key Largo and got into a separate vehicle and drove away, authorities said. The woman drove to her mother’s residence and called the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office.

Meanwhile, deputies responded to the woman’s mother’s home, recovered a sports bra; a tank top; a pair of shorts; and a plastic garbage bag.

Authorities said they did not recover the pocket knife.

Deputies took her to Wellington Hospital, where Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Detective Louis Potter of their Special Victims Unit took over the investigation.

Detective Louis Potter interviews Wade Wilson, the victim’s contact

According to Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office reports, when Potter contacted the woman at the hospital, he asked if he could contact Wilson. She refused.

She, however, told Potter that she had been in contact with Wilson via email, according to the documents.

Potter asked him to refrain from contacting Wilson until authorities spoke with him.

Two days later, on Feb. 23, 2019, Potter noted, he received a call from Brittney Lozada, whose age and hometown are not included in the report. Brittney Lozada told Potter that Wilson was staying with her sister without consent.

Brittney Lozada said Courtney Lozada, 31, snuck up on Wade at night “without her knowing.”

Wade Wilson arrives at the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office

According to a supplemental report, Potter said Wilson arrived at Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office headquarters, where detectives from the Violent Crimes Unit interviewed him.

Wilson told authorities he works as a personal trainer in Palm Beach County.

When Wilson and the woman started driving toward the Florida Keys, Wilson said, he started driving south from Miami.

Wilson told authorities he encountered a woman — later identified as Courtney Lozada — in the parking lot of a gas station in Monroe County and walked to her car. As he made his way, he said, the complainant asked him to turn around.

According to the report, Wilson did not mention tying her hands or blindfolding her.

Authorities asked him if he would provide a saliva sample. Wilson agreed.

The report indicates that Wilson complained to authorities that the woman threatened to imprison him if he did not leave Courtney Lozada and threatened to harm them both.

Potter asked Wilson to speak with the reporting woman in his presence, the report states.

The first woman told Potter that her intention in contacting the Lozadas and the Wilsons was to discover Wilson’s location.

Potter noted that he used three screen names to contact the Lozadas and the Wilsons.

After interviewing all parties, Potter said, he concluded that the case became inactive given that “there were no witnesses to the alleged crime and no evidence to establish probable cause.”

Therese Barbera, spokeswoman for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, said Potter began working as a deputy in July 2000 and continues to work in a road patrol role with the sheriff’s office’s Alternate Response Unit.

The documents do not indicate that Potter was disciplined.

What’s next for Wade Wilson?

Lee Circuit Judge Nicholas Thompson set Wilson’s sentencing for July 23. On July 3, Wilson’s legal team filed a motion for a new trial or acquittal on the murder, burglary and grand larceny charges.

Wilson has two pending charges related to preventing a prison break and drug trafficking while incarcerated.

Tomas Rodriguez is a breaking/live news reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can contact Tomas at [email protected] or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran and Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews.