A Florida man fatally attacked his wife after she showed disregard for his aspirations to participate in a house-flipping reality TV show that he believed would rescue them from the financial troubles their home had fallen into, according to prosecutors.
The trial of David Tronnes, a 55-year-old man from Florida, began this week in Orlando. Prosecutors presented their opening statements, while the defense opted to postpone their statement until a later point in the trial. Tronnes pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the 2018 death of his wife, 39-year-old Shanti Cooper-Tronnes, whom he had been married to for approximately one year.
Prosecutors claim that Tronnes initially told investigators that his wife had passed out and fell in the bathtub on April 24, 2018. This incident occurred one week after she met with a contractor who worked for the reality show “Zombie House Flipping,” a show that Tronnes saw as a lifeline to save their home which he referred to as a money pit.
First responders expressed doubts about Tronnes’ account from the beginning, stating that they immediately noticed evidence of a violent attack on Cooper-Tronnes. She had various injuries, including a significant wound on her face and bruising around her neck. A medical examiner determined that her cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and strangulation.
Prosecutors revealed that Tronnes paid $600,000 in cash for the 4,000-square-foot house in Delaney Park, Orlando, which included a pool and garage apartment. However, he refused to include Cooper-Tronnes’ name on the deed.
After purchasing the house, the major renovation and destruction of the property took place, prosecutors stated.
According to Ryan Vescio, the lead investigator into Cooper-Tronnes’ death, the house became more than just a project to Tronnes. It consumed his life. Meanwhile, Cooper-Tronnes financed the project, investing nearly $250,000 of her own money. Tronnes believed that if the house appeared on “Zombie House Flipping,” its value would significantly increase. However, the catch was that both partners needed to participate. As Cooper-Tronnes was unaware of this plan, prosecutors allege that her husband murdered her.
Cooper-Tronnes, who financially supported their household and had an 8-year-old son from a previous marriage, worked as a financial and accounting consultant. Tronnes, on the other hand, did not have a job. Due to the renovations, Cooper-Tronnes and her son lived and worked in the garage apartment, sharing a bunk bed. Tronnes claimed to be living in another part of the house with their dogs, whom he supposedly walked and took to the park when Cooper-Tronnes was killed.
Keith Ori, the “Zombie House Flipping” contractor, described the state of the house after the interior dividing walls were removed, leaving only a two-story shell.
Authorities claimed that Tronnes led a deceptive life, misrepresenting his financial situation and lifestyle.
According to a report by WFTV, Cooper-Tronnes’ stepfather stated that Tronnes lied about being a multimillionaire and that Cooper-Tronnes was the one who purchased everything.
Throughout their marriage, Tronnes reportedly frequented a gay spa, even visiting shortly after their wedding in 2017 and shortly before his wife’s death. Tronnes met Cooper-Tronnes online while residing in Minnesota and eventually relocated to Florida to be with her.
Tronnes was initially deemed unfit to stand trial due to ongoing manifestations of schizophrenia, according to his defense attorney and assessments by two psychiatrists. However, following treatment at a state hospital, a judge ruled him competent in May 2022, allowing the trial to proceed.