Florida man convicted of murdering wife over refusal to appear on reality TV show
Share and Follow

A Florida man who prosecutors say strangled his wife to death after she learned he had lied about his multimillion-dollar fortune and refused to appear on a home renovation reality show, was sentenced this week to life in prison. 

David Tronnes initially claimed that his wife, Shanti Cooper-Tronnes, 39, had slipped and fallen in the bathtub of their Orlando home, where she was found covered in blood by police in April 2018. Tronnes was arrested four months later.

“Evidence presented during the trial showed [Cooper-Tronnes] was killed in the bedroom and Tronnes attempted to clean up prior to police arriving on scene,” read an Orange-Osceola State Attorney’s Office press release issued this week. 

MARYLAND JUDGE KILLED IN ‘TARGETED ATTACK’ AFTER SUSPECT’S DIVORCE, CUSTODY HEARING: OFFICIALS

David Tronnes mugshots

David Tronnes, now 54, is pictured at left in a 2018 mugshot and at right in a mugshot from this year. He was sentenced to life in prison this week in the death of his wife of one year, Shanti Cooper-Tronnes. (Orlando Police Department)

“Tronnes claimed he found his wife in the bathtub after spending the day cleaning and walking his dogs, but the medical examiner testified that facial injuries, blood evidence and bruises on the victim’s eyes told a different story,” according to the office.

An autopsy revealed that Cooper-Tronnes had died of blunt force trauma and strangulation.

According to audio of Tronnes’ police interrogation after the discovery of his wife’s body, obtained by the state attorney’s office and played for jurors at trial, responding officers doubted the now-54-year-old’s claims surrounding her death from the beginning. 

“Common sense would tell you if you pull a woman — soaking wet — out of a tub at 3 o’clock and call the police within six minutes, that everything will be soaking wet when police arrive within three minutes of that,” Orlando police Detective Teresa Sprague told Tronnes. “That’s common sense.”

NURSING STUDENT KIDNAPPED, KILLED BY DOCTOR EX IN MURDER-SUICIDE SPANNING 3

Shanti Cooper-Tronnes

Shanti Cooper-Tronnes, 39, did not want to appear on the A&E reality show “Zombie House Renovations” with her new husband, and was disillusioned with her marriage after learning that he lied about his multimillion-dollar fortune and had anonymous sex with men in bathhouses, according to PEOPLE. (Orlando Police)

Tronnes, seemingly puzzled, asked, “So how did everything dry out?”

“That’s our question,” Sprague replied.

Sprague also accused Tronnes of “faking [crying] for about seven or eight hours” in a concocted emotional reaction to his wife’s death. 

“Not one tear came out of your eyes — not one. You have fake cried over this woman’s death since we made contact with you,” the officer said. “There is not a lick of remorse for what you did to this woman.”

Despite a diagnosis of schizophrenia, according to Fox 35, Tronnes was found fit to stand trial; despite his not-guilty plea, he was sentenced to life in prison this week. A jury delivered its guilty verdict after five hours of deliberations.

When Cooper-Tronnes married her accused killer, whom she had met on Match.com, she believed he had inherited a fortune between $4 million and $6 million, PEOPLE reported. 

JORAN VAN DER SLOOT’S WHIRLWIND PLEA DEAL: ‘HE WON THE GAME,’ BUT FAMILY ACCEPTS CLOSURE

David Tronnes and wife Shanti Cooper-Tronnes

David Tronnes, left, and Shanti Cooper-Tronnes, right, had been married for about a year before the woman was found bloodied and dead in the couple’s Orlando home, prosecutors said. (Orange-Osceola State Attorney’s Office)

That belief was cast into doubt after she was saddled with wedding costs and later home renovation bills, friends and family testified in the trial that began on October 12. 

“He always talked about how he had a ton of money, but [Cooper-Tronnes] couldn’t figure out why he was such a miser,” one of the slain woman’s friends, Melissa Burzinski, told police, according to PEOPLE.

Tronnes, according to the state attorney’s office, had spent hundreds of dollars on renovations in hopes of appearing on the A&E reality TV show “Zombie House Flipping.”

“Cooper-Tronnes’ refusal to appear on the show upset Tronnes to the point that it led to her murder,” the office wrote in a press release. 

Witnesses testified in court about the couple’s disagreements regarding the home renovation process, including one of Cooper-Tronnes’ friends and neighbors.

“Whenever we had them over, or my kid’s pool party, or I guess at the Super Bowl, they came over to our house, just the two of them,” the friend recalled, FOX 35 reported.

VIRGINIA AU PAIR CHARGED IN MAN’S MURDER AT HOME OF DOUBLE HOMICIDE: POLICE

Tronnes family

Police interrogating Tronnes after his August 2018 arrest accused him of “fake crying” and doubted his claim that she had fatally fallen into their bath tub. (Orange-Osceola State Attorney’s Office)

“We all thought we knew David Tronnes,” one of the accused killer’s former friends previously told PEOPLE. “Come to find out, what we knew was a facade. He was living a total lie.”

Share and Follow
You May Also Like
Missiles hit hospitals, homes and families: Inside Israel's terrifying Iranian bombardment

Missiles hit hospitals, homes and families: Inside Israel’s terrifying Iranian bombardment

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! CENTRAL ISRAEL – At…
ICE agents denied entry to Dodger Stadium

Agents from ICE were not allowed to enter Dodger Stadium

() Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents attempted to access Dodger Stadium on…
Michelle Obama enjoys intimate lunch with longtime male friend

Michelle Obama has a close lunch with a longtime male friend

Michelle Obama and her daughters were pictured enjoying lunch at an exclusive club…
50% of Americans disapprove of RFK Jr.'s vaccine panel decisions

Disapproval of RFK Jr.’s vaccine panel decisions voiced by 50% of Americans

() New polling from the Economist and YouGov found that 50% of…
Smoke rises from buildings

Iran Attacks Israeli Hospital Amid US Contemplations of Intervention

() The fighting between Israel and Iran reached new heights overnight Thursday…
Illinois doctor's quick thinking saves teen's life at Disney World

Doctor in Illinois uses fast decision-making to rescue teenager at Disney World

NEW LENOX, Ill. (WGN) An Illinois doctor saved a young woman’s life…
‘I still want to serve’: Transgender servicemembers face uncertain future under Trump admin

“Transgender Servicemembers’ Future Uncertain Amid Trump Administration”

IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site…
REO Speedwagon singer Terry Luttrell injured after falling asleep behind the wheel hours after band’s farewell concert

Terry Luttrell, singer of REO Speedwagon, gets hurt in a car accident after dozing off following the band’s final show.

Terry Luttrell, the singer of REO Speedwagon, was injured in a car…