From: jcs
David Trronis, a 50-year-old stay-at-home husband, desperately wanted to appear on reality television [00:00:06]. In late April 2018, he secured a spot on the show Zombie House Flipping, where he was to be featured renovating his newly bought house with his then-wife, 39-year-old financial consultant Shanti Cooper [00:00:21]. However, Shanti was not interested in being on TV and refused to sign off on the program [00:00:28]. This refusal led to David beating and strangling her to death in the early hours of the following morning [00:00:32].
Background
David Trronis and Shanti Cooper met online via Match.com in 2013 [00:05:40]. Five months later, David moved to Florida and in with Shanti [00:05:45]. They purchased a house in April 2015 [00:07:20]. The house was placed in a trust, with the names of David and his mother, excluding Shanti [00:07:45]. David claimed this was for “planning and financial reasons” and was a mutual decision [00:07:49].
The couple had experienced arguments in the past, primarily due to Shanti’s work stress, leading to David spending nights at his mother’s house [00:08:15]. David described these as “irritability” from Shanti, and they would take breaks and later reconcile, becoming “stronger” [00:09:14].
Reality TV Ambitions and Conflict
David’s ambition for reality television centered around Zombie House Flipping, a home improvement show [00:13:00]. He believed being on the show would provide “tradeouts” and “promotional sponsorship” for their house renovation, offering higher-end materials like quartz countertops instead of granite [00:13:07]. While David initially claimed the show was “just the house” and “they’re the stars” (referring to the hosts) [00:13:27], he fully understood he would be featured prominently as the main builder [00:13:33].
Keith Ary, the producer of Zombie House Flipping, stated that David was his primary point of contact and that renovating the house was “Dave’s full-time job almost” [00:09:53]. However, David did not work in sales or at a chemical company, despite claiming so [00:10:23]; Shanti was the sole source of income for the family [00:31:44].
Keith Ary insisted on a formal sit-down meeting with both David and Shanti to ensure Shanti was “fully on board” [00:10:29]. This meeting occurred six days before Shanti’s murder [00:11:11]. Keith observed that Shanti appeared “unhappy to be there” and was in a “tense state,” leaving as soon as she could [00:11:07]. This contradicts David’s later claims that they were “so happy” and “never been more in love,” and that the renovation was “a thing that we did together” [00:06:04], [00:11:28].
The last argument between David and Shanti, as admitted by David, occurred on Saturday (two days before her death) over the renovation [00:19:58]. The disagreement centered on whether to tear out the wavy upstairs floor to create a perfectly flat surface, which would cause further delays [00:20:29].
The Murder and Investigation
On April 2018, Shanti Cooper was found dead [00:00:32]. David called 911 approximately 12 hours after her death [00:00:36]. He claimed he found her unconscious in a partially filled bathtub, bleeding from the nose and mouth [00:01:05].
Interrogation
David was taken to the police station as a witness, where his bloodstained clothing was swapped for a custody suit [00:01:10]. He was left alone in an interrogation room for over 4 hours before detectives began their interrogation [00:02:05]. Detectives observed David’s suspicious behavior, including his politeness and apologies for basic requests like using the bathroom, and his focus on hunger rather than his wife’s status [00:01:59].
Throughout the interrogation, David engaged in what detectives described as “fake cries” [00:04:02], “not one tear came out of [his] eyes” [00:28:34]. He described finding Shanti’s body with unnerving casualness, even while eating a snack [00:19:02].
Detectives noted several inconsistencies in David’s story and physical evidence:
- Shanti’s significant injuries, including a swollen head, black eyes, fractured skull, and intense bruising [00:21:29], were “more significant than from a soft tissue fall” [00:21:34].
- Her body was deceased before David supposedly left for his walk [00:21:50].
- Despite claiming to have pulled Shanti out of a bathtub, there was “not a spot of water on the floor” and the carpet was not wet [00:26:55].
- A single diamond earring on the nightstand suggested she was attacked on the edge of the bed before she could remove the other [00:23:58].
David consistently denied harming Shanti, hitting her, choking her, or strangling her [00:23:14]. He also had no injuries indicating a struggle, apart from scratches from plants [00:23:31]. Detectives accused him of killing Shanti, stating, “you fake cried for about seven or eight hours today. Not one tear came out of your eyes” [00:28:34].
Legal Proceedings and Outcome
David was left in the interrogation room for over two hours after being told they would bring a polygraph machine, which never materialized [00:24:37]. He eventually asked to go home, cheerfully obliging a photo request [00:29:44]. Four months later, a grand jury indicted him [00:29:52].
Upon his arrest at his mother’s house and being informed of life imprisonment and overwhelming evidence, David “started acting crazy and went for the insanity defense” [00:30:01]. He spent five years in a maximum-security psychiatric unit before being ruled competent to stand trial [00:30:08].
His trial began on October 12th and lasted six days [00:30:14]. David maintained a plea of not guilty, with his defense arguing an unknown intruder broke in and murdered Shanti while he was out walking the dogs [00:30:22]. The prosecution argued it was an “intentional killing” and “premeditated design,” highlighting the severity of Shanti’s beating and strangulation, and the lack of evidence for an intruder [00:31:30].
The jury found David Trronis guilty of first-degree murder [00:33:13]. Shanti’s son, Jackson, delivered a “heart-rending and dignified” victim impact statement, expressing his sorrow and waiting five years for justice [00:33:45]. David declined to speak prior to sentencing [00:34:22]. The court adjudicated him guilty and sentenced him to life imprisonment [00:34:28]. David Trronis is currently housed at the Graceville Correctional Facility in Maximum Security [00:34:40].