Florida Man Dreamed of Going on the Reality Show ‘Zombie House Renovations’ But His Wife Refused, So He Killed Her
He wanted to appear on a reality TV show for home renovations, but his wife didn't. He ended up killing her.
Oct. 20 2023, Published 4:00 p.m. ET
A Florida couple got into a dispute about appearing on a home renovation television show, and now the husband has been convicted of killing his wife, RadarOnline.com has learned.
On April 24, 2018, David Tronnes, 55, fatally beat Shanti Cooper-Tronnes at their home in Delaney Park because of a “dispute concerning home renovations,” as Front Page Detectives reported.
Tronnes spent thousands of dollars on home renovations in an attempt to get on 'Zombie House Renovations.'
Officials said Tronnes “spent thousands of dollars on renovations and had hopes of appearing on the reality television show ‘Zombie House Renovations.’”
However, Tronnes' wife had no interest in appearing on the show, which caused a rift in their relationship.
The more the child's father talked with police, the more his stories changed, officials said.
The couple slept in separate rooms while their home was undergoing renovations, and Tronnes alleged he found his wife dead in the bathtub after he was out cleaning and walking their dogs.
Evidence, however, showed Cooper-Tronnes was beaten to death in her bedroom and then moved after Tronnes tried to scrub the scene.
Tronnes said he found his wife in the bathtub, but evidence didn't support his claims.
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At trial, the medical examiner noted Cooper-Tronnes sustained bruises on her eyes and suffered other facial injuries. Prosecutors also said Tronnes cracked his wife’s skull and then strangled her to death, WESH-TV reported.
Investigators said Tronnes “showed little remorse during the interrogation and never shed a tear over his wife’s death.”
Brian Steven Smith was caught in the double murders after a sex worker stole his phone and used a memory card to take images and videos from it.
Tronnes was arrested on Aug. 30, 2018, in connection with the murder.
After a six-day trial, on Oct. 18, Tronnes was convicted of first-degree murder for killing his wife, officials said. The jury reportedly deliberated for about five hours before convicting the defendant.
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Cooper-Tronnes’ family did not want prosecutors to seek the death penalty against Tronnes, WESH-TV reported.
Instead, Tronnes was sentenced to life in prison after his guilty verdict.