ORANGE COUNTY, FL – The Office of the State Attorney of the Ninth Judicial Circuit of Florida announces that David Tronnes has been found guilty of first degree murder in the death of his wife Shanti Cooper-Tronnes in 2018.

On April 24, 2018, Cooper-Tronnes was beaten and strangled to death in the couple’s Delaney Park house after a dispute concerning home renovations. Tronnes had spent thousands of dollars on renovations and had hopes of appearing on the reality television show, “Zombie House Renovations”. This led to the couple experiencing problems in their marriage. Cooper-Tronnes’ refusal to appear on the show upset Tronnes to the point that it led to her murder.

During the renovation of their home, Tronnes slept in the garage while the victim slept in a one-bedroom studio on the property. Evidence presented during the trial showed the victim was killed in the bedroom and Tronnes attempted to clean up prior to police arriving on scene. 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.

From the beginning, investigators with the Orlando Police Department noticed inaccuracies with Tronnes’ story. Investigators also noted Tronnes showed little remorse during his interrogation and never shed a tear over his wife’s death. Detectives did their due diligence and once they collected all the necessary evidence, they arrested Tronnes four months later and charged him with murder.

His six-day trial concluded Wednesday, and the jury began deliberations late afternoon. After nearly five hours they came back with a verdict of guilty as charged. Tronnes was immediately sentenced to life in prison in the Florida Department of Corrections.