A man from Florida has been declared guilty of brutally assaulting and strangling his wife in their upscale Orlando home after a heated argument about home renovations.
David Tronnes was convicted of first-degree murder in the tragic demise of his wife, Shanti Cooper-Tronnes, according to an announcement from the Office of the State Attorney of the Ninth Judicial Circuit of Florida.
Following approximately five hours of deliberation, a jury rendered the verdict, bringing an end to a six-day trial that concluded on Wednesday. He was swiftly sentenced to life in prison in the Florida Department of Corrections, as stated by prosecutors.
Cooper-Tronnes was discovered lifeless on April 24, 2018, inside their Delaney Park residence. Tronnes had killed her in the bedroom before making efforts to conceal the evidence prior to the arrival of the police. He initially claimed that he had found his wife in the bathtub after spending the day cleaning and walking their dogs, alleging that she had slipped and fallen.
However, an autopsy report contradicted his account, revealing that the 39-year-old had been strangled and had succumbed to blunt-force head injuries, leading to her death being classified as a homicide. Orlando police identified inconsistencies in Tronnes' story, noting his lack of remorse during questioning and the absence of any genuine display of grief for his wife's tragic fate.
A detective confronting him during the interrogation stated, "You've fake cried for about seven or eight hours today. 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. There is not a lick of remorse for what you did to this woman."
The arrest of Tronnes was announced on the Orlando Police Department's Facebook page on August 30, 2018, more than four months after the death of his wife.
The contentious issue of renovation expenses and the possibility of being featured on the reality TV show "Zombie House Renovations" triggered conflicts that escalated to marital problems. When Shanti declined to participate in the show, her husband's anger escalated to the point where it led to her tragic murder, according to the prosecution.
In 2021, Tronnes' legal team argued that he was unfit to stand trial due to ongoing manifestations of schizophrenia, leading to a judge declaring his incompetence for trial and his commitment to a state hospital. Cooper-Tronnes' son, Jackson Cooper, expressed skepticism about Tronnes' mental condition, suggesting, "He's just trying to get out of it because he thinks he's going to a mental hospital and play around."
Less than two years later, the mental hospital where Tronnes was receiving treatment filed documents with the court, indicating they believed he was competent to stand trial. In January, a judge issued a final ruling and scheduled Tronnes' trial to commence in June. However, in early June, Tronnes sent a letter to the judge, stating that he was dismissing his attorney, Richard Zaleski, from his case, citing a serious conflict of interest.
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