Keith Oli, host of A&E's “Zombie House Flipping,” testified that the victim was “unhappy” when he met her a week before she was killed, and during questioning, police called the victim's explanation for her husband's death “bullshit.”
A man who claimed he found his wife dead in the bathtub has been convicted of her murder after “tension” allegedly arose between the couple over her appearance on A&E's home renovation show “Zombie House Flipping.”
David Trones was convicted Wednesday of the first-degree murder of his wife, Shanti Cooper Trones, in Orlando, Florida, and sentenced to life in prison.
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According to the Orange-Osceola State Attorney's Office, Cooper Trones was beaten and strangled to death in the couple's home on April 24, 2018, “following an argument over home renovations.” Prosecutors said Trones' desire to appear on the A&E show after spending “thousands of dollars on renovations” had caused “problems in their marriage.”
They claim that Cooper-Tronnes' “refusal to appear on the show” “infuriated Tronnes, which led to her murder.”
During the trial, prosecutors explained that the two met online shortly after each had divorced from another. He soon moved to Florida to be closer to her and bought a house that eventually fell into disrepair. “The plan was that he would buy the house and they would live there and eventually renovate it as they lived in it,” prosecutor Michael Smith said. Smith argued that after the move, Tronnes stopped working entirely and Cooper-Tronnes became the “sole breadwinner.”
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Mr Smith said the continuing deterioration of the home “created obvious strains in their relationship”, leading to them “arguing and arguing about the house” and eventually living in two wings of the house for “extended periods”.
The Thrones then contacted the producers of Zombie House Flipping, who weren't interested when they first inspected the property, but saw its state of disrepair on a second visit and saw potential. Smith said the Thrones saw the show as “kind of a lifeline” because appearing on the show would help increase the value of the house and “upgrade the structure.” The only problem, Smith said, was that appearing on the show would require them to drop their current renovation plans and leave the house in a “state of demolition” for months until filming could take place.
This “led to further frustration,” he said.
The show's host, Keith Oli, testified that he had met with the couple about a week before she was murdered. Oli said it was difficult to find time to meet with them in person, but that his appearance on the show depended on it, and he wanted to make sure they didn't run away.
“She was unhappy being there and was under stress. We explained everything and she said she was totally in support of the renovations and then she left,” Oli said on the witness stand. “It was clear she was unhappy about something. She was only there when absolutely necessary and then she left.”
“She seemed nervous, a little upset, a bit annoyed, annoyed about something,” he added. “I had no idea what the reason was, but she didn't want to be at the meeting.”
Oli said he had no further contact with the victim, but received a text message from the attacker the day after her death: “I told him I didn't know what was going on and I didn't want to get involved,” he said.
“This house show, this zombie house flipping, was her lifeline to get out of this house mess,” the prosecutor said. “And at that point, a week before she was murdered, she just wasn't interested in it.”
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According to the State Attorney's Office, evidence at trial indicates Cooper-Tronnes was killed in her bedroom, but Tronnes claims he found her in the bathtub after a day of cleaning and walking his dog. “The medical examiner testified that the injuries, blood stains and bruising on the victim's face told a different story,” the State Attorney's Office wrote, noting that evidence also showed “Tronnes attempted to clean up before police arrived on the scene.”
During questioning, investigators accused Tronnes of “showing little remorse” and “shed no tears over his wife's death.”
A video of the interrogation shows the detective explicitly telling Tronnes that his story was “bullshit,” adding: “Nobody is going to believe that. Nobody. You'll look like a fool if you insist on saying that. It's complete bullshit.”
After five hours of deliberation, the jury returned a guilty verdict. Before Trones was sentenced, Cooper-Tronnes' son from a previous marriage, Jackson, read a statement impacting the court.
“My mother was the best person I've ever known and I feel like there's a hole in my heart that can never be filled or fixed,” he said, before tears quickly began to flow. “She did not die in peace and she never deserved anything that happened to her that night.”
“My family and I have waited five years to see justice. I miss my mother so much,” he continued. “I never thought the day before would be the last time I would see her alive. She was the best mother I could ever hope for, and that's all.”
Trones reportedly has 30 days to appeal the judge's decision.