From: jcs
In April 2018, David Trronis, a 50-year-old stay-at-home husband, murdered his wife, 39-year-old financial consultant Shanti Cooper, after she refused to sign off on a reality television program he wanted to appear on [00:00:01].
The Incident
David Trronis had secured a spot on the show Zombie House Flipping, where he was to be featured renovating a newly bought house with Shanti [00:00:11]. However, Shanti was not interested in being on TV and refused to sign the program documents [00:00:23]. This refusal led to David beating and strangling her to death in the early hours of the morning [00:00:28]. Roughly 12 hours later, at 3:51 p.m., David called 911 [00:00:33].
Discovery and Initial Account
Upon arrival, police and paramedics found a “hysterical” David performing CPR on Shanti in the living room [00:00:54]. His immediate explanation was that he found her unconscious in a partially filled bathtub, bleeding from the nose and mouth [00:01:00]. David was taken to the police station as a witness, where his bloodstained clothing was swapped for a custody suit [00:01:07].
Police Interrogation
David was placed in room six at the police station and left alone for over four hours before knocking on the door to use the bathroom [00:01:15]. His behavior, including being polite and apologetic about using the bathroom after hours in a cold room, was noted as suspicious [00:01:37].
Initial Interactions with Detectives
Detectives Sprag and Mclland entered the room at 9:08 p.m. to begin the interrogation [00:02:04]. They maintained a sympathetic and non-confrontational tone, despite being certain David had committed murder, to encourage a confession [00:02:49]. During this initial phase, David exhibited what the video describes as “fake cries,” with no tears observed [00:03:57]. These acts of crying steadily diminished as the detective made it clear she knew he was lying [00:04:09].
Relationship and Financial Background
David provided basic information, stating he and Shanti met online in 2013 [00:05:36]. They moved in together about five months later and purchased a house in April 2015 [00:07:11]. The house was put into a trust under David’s and his mother’s names, excluding Shanti, for “planning and financial reasons,” a decision David claimed was mutual but whose true nature was unclear [00:07:41].
David described their relationship as “so happy” and that they had “never been more in love” [00:06:03]. He admitted to a couple of fights when they lived in Brier Cliff, where he would spend a few nights at his mom’s [00:08:07]. He attributed these arguments to Shanti being “overworked and tired,” leading to her being “snippy or short” [00:08:41].
The Reality TV Show
David’s primary point of contact for the Zombie House Flipping show was Keith Ary, the producer [00:09:28]. David was the one who communicated Shanti’s desires [00:09:42]. Keith Ary stated that David made the show almost his “full-time job” [00:09:50]. David had claimed to work in sales or for a chemical company up north, but these claims were false; he had never worked in sales or at a chemical company [00:10:10].
Keith Ary insisted on a formal sit-down with Shanti to ensure her full participation [00:10:27]. Six days before her murder, this meeting occurred [00:11:10]. According to Ary, Shanti appeared “unhappy to be there” and was in a “tense state,” leaving as soon as she could [00:10:52].
David, however, claimed Shanti “wanted divorce what she wanted so bad it made me happy” regarding the house renovation, implying she was enthusiastic about it and wanted to “quit her job” when the house was done [00:11:24]. He quickly pivoted from showing despair to discussing the show [00:12:12]. David tried to downplay his role, stating it was “just the house” and the hosts were the “stars” [00:13:25], but he fully understood he would be prominently featured [00:13:29].
David’s Account of the Murder Day
David established a timeline for the days leading up to the murder:
- Sunday: Family day with Shanti and her son, an early meal, and a movie [00:13:40]. Everyone went to bed early on school nights [00:14:04].
- Monday night: They made dinner together and watched American Idol [00:14:31].
- Tuesday morning: David woke up in the garage on the couch [00:14:41]. Shanti came downstairs after 7:00 a.m., then went back upstairs [00:14:46]. Around 9:15 a.m., Shanti said she was going to the dentist, and David said he was going for a walk [00:15:29].
David then recounted finding Shanti’s body [00:15:58]:
- He heard water trickling from the bathroom [00:16:12].
- He found her “laying with her head in the right hand corner” of the bathtub [00:17:34].
- The water was “rose colored,” indicating blood [00:18:28].
- He turned off the water, which drained [00:17:49].
- He pulled her out by her arm, noting she felt “cold” and “stiff” [00:18:18].
- He recounted this in “precise detail” while casually crunching on a snack [00:18:58].
Intensification of Pressure
The detective shifted questioning to recent arguments [00:19:37]. David admitted to a brief argument on Saturday over renovation issues, specifically about the wavy upstairs floor [00:19:51]. He denied any physical altercations ever occurring between them [00:20:45].
The detective intensified the pressure, highlighting the severe nature of Shanti’s injuries [00:21:08].
Detective Sprag: "Um her injuries to me, David, seemed um really significant, more significant than from a soft tissue fall, more significant than from um me tripping and falling and hitting my head and being knocked unconscious." [00:21:13]
She stated her belief that Shanti was deceased before David left for his walk [00:21:48]. David maintained his denial, claiming he told “everything” [00:22:42]. He denied choking, strangling, beating, or hitting Shanti [00:23:04]. He also claimed he had no injuries from a struggle, only scratches from his plants [00:23:17].
The detective suggested the attack occurred on the edge of the bed where blood was found, proposing Shanti was removing an earring when she was attacked [00:23:48]. David agreed to take a polygraph test [00:24:11]. However, instead of administering the test, detectives left him alone for over two hours before ramping up the confrontation [00:24:29].
Confrontation and Lack of Remorse
The detectives directly challenged David’s story, pointing out inconsistencies:
- His living arrangement primarily downstairs while Shanti slept upstairs in the “semi comfortable” part of the house [00:25:16].
- Shanti’s severe injuries: swollen head, black eyes, and her inability to purge [00:26:22].
- The absence of water or blood on the carpet, despite David claiming he pulled her from a bathtub filled with bloodied water [00:26:37].
The detective directly accused David:
Detective Sprag: "David, you killed this woman." [00:28:04]
Detective Sprag: "You cooperated because you thought that your language would would overwhelm us and you thought you could pull the wool over our eyes." [00:28:10]
Detective Sprag: "You fake cried for about seven or eight hours today. Not one tear came out of your eyes. Not one. Not one. Not on scene with the officers. Not in this room. You have fake cried over this woman's death since we made contact with you for hours. And every single time you fake cried, we wrote it down. Not one tear came out of your eyes. Not one." [00:28:29]
Detective Sprag: "Because there is not a lick of remorse for what you did to this woman. Not even a little bit." [00:29:00]
Arrest and Trial
After the interrogation, David was left alone for two more hours before asking to go home [00:29:34]. He “cheerfully obliged” to have his photograph taken, appearing to believe he had gotten away with murder [00:29:43].
Four months later, a grand jury indicted David Trronis, and he was arrested at his mother’s house [00:29:50]. When informed he faced life imprisonment and overwhelming evidence, he started “acting crazy” and opted for an insanity defense [00:29:57]. He spent five years in a maximum-security psych unit before being ruled competent to stand trial [00:30:03].
His trial began on October 12th and lasted six days [00:30:13]. David maintained a plea of not guilty, with his defense claiming an unknown intruder broke in and murdered Shanti while he was walking the dogs [00:30:17].
Prosecution’s Argument
The prosecution presented a strong case:
- The unusual sleeping arrangement, with David in the garage and Shanti in a separate apartment for over a year, indicating marital issues [00:30:25].
- The nature of the murder, arguing a “random stranger” would not take the time to strangle someone, move them to a tub, and leave no signs or fingerprints [00:30:44].
- The severe injuries to Shanti, including a “severe beating,” injuries to both sides of her face, a “fractured skull,” a swollen eye, and intense bruising and bleeding in her mouth [00:31:02].
- The prosecution inferred that David intended to cause death and acted with “premeditated design” [00:31:27].
Defense’s Argument
The defense attempted to evoke empathy for David, highlighting Shanti as the sole source of income and David’s role as a stay-at-home husband who only cared for the pool and dogs [00:31:41]. They argued the case was based on “circumstantial evidence, pure supposition,” and that Detective Sprag prejudged the case based on “crocodile tears” [00:31:53]. They accused the detectives of a “rush to judgment” and “confirmational bias,” claiming they “worked him over” during his 16-hour interrogation [00:32:26].
Verdict and Sentencing
On October 18, 2023, the jury returned a verdict of guilty for first-degree murder [00:33:09].
Shanti’s son, Jackson, delivered a “heart-rending and dignified” victim impact statement, expressing his longing for his mother and the five years his family waited for justice [00:33:25].
David Trronis chose not to speak before sentencing [00:34:12]. The court adjudicated him guilty and sentenced him to life imprisonment [00:34:25]. He is currently housed at the Graceville Correctional Facility in Maximum Security [00:34:36].