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00:00What we first heard was that there was a deceased female.
00:09This is David and Shanti.
00:12Who is it that's not breathing?
00:14My wife and I are Shanti.
00:17Shanti and Dave had a very passionate and volatile relationship.
00:23The house where Shanti and David lived, it literally was tore down to studs.
00:29You could easily describe the house as a money pit.
00:32They were going to start filming the zombie house flippers show.
00:35David Tronis had looked at as sort of a lifeline to get them out of this situation with the house.
00:40We had a couple of plates.
00:41Now, because now we've got the added stress of the renovation.
00:44Of course, what she wanted is so bad.
00:46That made me happy.
00:47There was a cell phone video, and you could tell that it was just very cold between them in that video.
00:55She had at least five blows to her head.
00:59There were marks around her neck.
01:01What did you think happened?
01:02Well, either she slept or she fell, or she blacked out.
01:10I believe that the cause of her death is a combination of the strangulation and the blunt head trauma.
01:16This is a tragedy.
01:17That little boy sitting in the courtroom, lost his mother sitting in the top trough.
01:22It's like a hole in my heart that I can't fill or fix.
01:26She was the best mom I could ever ask for.
01:28She's the best mom I could ever ask for.
01:58I can't get hurt.
01:59Okay, listen to me.
01:59I need help.
02:01And who is it?
02:02This is David Trotas.
02:05Okay, your name is David.
02:06Okay, who is it that's not breathing?
02:08My wife, and I'm Shanti.
02:11David and Shanti Trotas had been married only a year when tragedy struck.
02:16According to David, they had a great relationship.
02:20They were very in love and had big plans for the future.
02:24My name is Barbara Sharp, and I was a homicide detective on this case for the Orlando Police
02:29Department.
02:29What we first heard was that there was a deceased female and that it was unknown cause.
02:37She had maybe slipped and fell in the bathtub.
02:40Tell me exactly what happened.
02:43I came all over.
02:45Oh my God, I had to try.
02:47Okay, what happened?
02:49I found her in the shower.
02:52And she passed away?
02:53This thing?
02:57Okay, can you get her out of the shower?
03:00I can.
03:01I pulled her out.
03:02Okay, is she laying flat on her back?
03:06Yes, yes, yes.
03:08Okay, and you don't know what happened or when anything happened?
03:13No.
03:14Okay.
03:14Yes, but she is not breathing.
03:20She is not breathing.
03:21Yes, I'm breathing.
03:23Take a deep breath.
03:29Take a deep breath.
03:29I have help responding to your emergency, okay?
03:33We found out when we got there that that was not a slip and fall in the bathtub.
03:37Her injuries were far too severe for something like that.
03:40She had abrasions on her hands, on her legs that were obviously fresh.
03:46Her eye was swollen shut, black and blue.
03:50Pretty significant injuries.
03:52Within hours, David Shornos was brought to police headquarters to give a better description
03:57of what had happened to Shanti.
03:58All right, I'm just having you come on in here for right now.
04:05Just have a seat.
04:06I don't know how long they will be, okay?
04:09He came down voluntarily for an interview.
04:12I'm Detective Teresa Sprague.
04:14I work for the Orlando Police Department, and I was the lead investigator on the murder
04:17of Shanti Coupatronis.
04:19He was very cooperative with talking to us and allowing our crime scene investigators
04:24to photograph him and obtain his clothes.
04:30Hey.
04:31I'm Detective Sprague.
04:33Can I get your first name?
04:34First name is David.
04:35David?
04:35Okay.
04:36First of all, on behalf of the Orlando Police Department, we want to say how sorry we are
04:42for your loss, David, and also for everything that you're going through.
04:49I know this is very traumatic for you, okay?
04:53And it's just a terrible, terrible thing.
04:57I think everyone's a suspect in the beginning of a homicide, but certainly you start with
05:01the people closest to the victim.
05:03My understanding of you is that you've been very cooperative.
05:06We just need to, obviously we need you, or we've got to figure this out together, okay?
05:11Of course.
05:11Shanti and David lived in Delaney Park, which is a historic neighborhood.
05:40The homes there are 100-plus years old.
05:43It's a very quiet community where families and professionals live.
05:48I am Ryan Vecchio.
05:50I was the initial lead homicide prosecutor assigned to the case.
05:54The house where Shanti and David lived really epitomizes their relationship.
06:01It was purchased in cash, but David refused to put the house in Shanti's name.
06:07David called himself his own general contractor.
06:11And through David's desire to remodel the home, it literally was tore down to studs.
06:20Hi, family.
06:22During the construction, David shot this video inside the home with Shanti and her son from
06:27a previous marriage, 8-year-old Jackson.
06:30Shanti and her son had to move into an apartment over the garage, where her body would later be found.
06:57David spent all of his money on this house, but relied upon Shanti to spend over $200,000 to improve it.
07:12So, you could easily describe the house as a money pit.
07:16You're not under arrest, okay?
07:18I want you to understand that, okay?
07:20But we do need to raise you your rights because you are in a police department with two detectives in this room.
07:26You have the right to remain silent.
07:28Do you understand that?
07:30I'm sorry?
07:31Yes.
07:32I'm...
07:32Yes.
07:33The detectives began with a focus on the home renovation.
07:38It was just an older, Victorian-style home.
07:42And Shanti wanted to completely open up a concert home, totally.
07:49And, you know, completely do it.
07:53We weren't sure what we were going to do, but as we got into it, we found more and more issues.
07:58We had to, you know, kind of...
08:01Our goal right now is to finish the house as soon as possible.
08:04Have you ever broken up?
08:06We had a couple fights.
08:08And has that happened since you moved where you are now?
08:11Because now we've got the added stress of the renovation?
08:14No, we're pretty...
08:16We love it.
08:17We love...
08:18We love the...
08:19We love what we're doing to the house.
08:23We love the vision that we have for the house.
08:25It's totally...
08:26I mean...
08:31She was frustrated with it in the, you know, being that she had to stay in that apartment
08:44for so long.
08:45My name is Dana Duran, and I am one of her best friends.
08:50Sorry, I just get a little bit teary a little bit.
08:52She was super, super smart.
08:55She was an awesome mom.
08:57She was doted on him, and everything that she could do or give him, she gave to him.
09:03She was very outspoken, very strong, very determined.
09:08If she didn't like something, she certainly would tell you.
09:10He was a little different.
09:11Just, he didn't open up a lot, and he kept to himself.
09:15She wanted to include him.
09:16She wanted to...
09:17You know, you want to make a relationship work.
09:20She wanted to make that marriage work, but it was a little tough.
09:24The Tronuses had just agreed to let their home be used on a home improvement program,
09:28Zombie House Flipping, working with the program host, Keith Horry,
09:33in hopes it would help cover some of the escalating costs.
09:36Great.
09:36Keith had given us the assurance on Sunday that we were officially on the show.
09:45We were super, super, super excited.
09:46He told you this this past Sunday?
09:48Yeah.
09:49So they hadn't started filming you?
09:51No, this is a long process.
09:53This is a long, long process.
09:54It just seemed like everything was coming together,
09:57and she has been anxious to get the house done,
10:01but she also wanted to be on the show really bad and do it up.
10:07So it just felt like the first time in a while that all the stars had really aligned.
10:11It was great.
10:12We were really, really, really happy.
10:14That was not how everyone remembered it.
10:24So we were with Mr. Tronus for several hours,
10:27and most of that was just nailing down the timeline of events leading up to Shanti's death.
10:34His initial story was that he had last seen her in the morning and didn't really check on her.
11:01I'm William Jay, and I'm a homicide prosecutor in Orlando, Florida.
11:05He went about his own business.
11:07He took the dogs to the park and maybe ran some errands and went for a walk, perhaps gardened.
11:13And then towards the middle of the afternoon, he said he heard the water running,
11:17and she wasn't responding, and that he went in and saw her face down in the bathtub.
11:23She's submerged partially, but she's also partially not submerged.
11:28And her legs is kind of sticking up and out a little bit.
11:32And it's just extremely awful and doesn't look natural.
11:37Obviously, she fell or something happened.
11:41Shanti's arm was up in a 90-degree angle, fixed, so that rigor had began.
12:11The medical examiner said the sign of rigor mortis indicated Shanti had been dead for most of the day.
12:17And it was actually a very important clue to investigators and myself as the lead prosecutor.
12:23As best as we could determine, the death had to likely have happened near midnight or the first few hours of the morning.
12:35She had at least five blows to her head.
12:52She suffered an injury where she had fractures in the backs of her eye orbits.
12:57And there were marks around her neck that were consistent with a hand.
13:01What do you think is her cause of death?
13:09Well, either she slipped or she fell, or she blacked out, or something caused her to collapse.
13:26So do you think when she slipped, what would have happened to her physical?
13:32When she slipped, how would the injuries have been caused?
13:36She would have had to have struck her head.
13:38On what?
13:39If she was outside the tub, on the edge of the tub, or the tile wall, or the tub spout.
13:53What do you think would have caused the significant injuries to her eye?
13:59I don't know.
14:04Okay.
14:06Did you ever have your hand on her neck where you would have had to have squeezed it for any reason?
14:13Possibly when we were, when I was trying to pull her out of the tub.
14:18So, prior to her being deceased, do you have any reason to have your hand around her, hands around her throat?
14:30No, absolutely not.
14:31That's not happening?
14:32Absolutely not.
14:33Okay.
14:34What do you think caused, or what do you think the injury is to her eye, the discoloration in the swelling?
14:44I don't know.
14:46I don't know.
14:47Well, his response was always, I don't know what you want me to say.
14:50Just the truth.
14:52Mr. Tronis, just the truth.
14:53What happened between the two of you, Monday night, going into Tuesday morning, where only the two of you were together?
15:02If inconsistencies start to emerge, then that's when it can turn into an interrogation.
15:08Shanti did not fall and get those injuries.
15:11Okay.
15:12Without question.
15:13Okay.
15:14They're much more significant than that.
15:16And, um, it's inconsistent with her injuries hitting and striking anything.
15:25That is just inaccurate.
15:28Okay.
15:29Her injuries are very severe.
15:31Okay.
15:31So, the trouble I'm having with your story is you're there.
15:46Well, first of all, you're not really sharing the same residence.
15:48You're kind of living downstairs.
15:50She's living upstairs with her son.
15:51Uh, but her son's not there.
15:53So, even when her son's not there, you're still not sleeping together.
15:57You're not in the same residence.
15:59So, spending a lot of time apart, it seems.
16:04The issue I'm having with her is I absolutely think that she was deceased before you left to go to the park.
16:15And I think whatever happened to her, happened before you went to the park.
16:20Now, if there's an explanation, I want to hear it.
16:23I've told you everything.
16:29But you've left out something, David, because this woman has significant injuries.
16:36So, I need you to explain to me and Detective McClellan what happened this morning before you left to take the dogs.
16:45It was exactly as I stated.
16:47It wasn't, I haven't left one thing.
16:51Okay.
16:53Okay.
16:54Did you two argue?
16:56No, absolutely not.
16:58Did you fight?
16:59Absolutely not.
17:01Okay.
17:03Did you harm Shanti in any way?
17:06Absolutely not.
17:08Did you choke her?
17:09Absolutely not.
17:10Did you strangle her?
17:11Without question, no.
17:13Would you mind showing me your trust in her?
17:15Sure.
17:16I don't need to see anything else, just your chest, back, and arms.
17:19Sure.
17:21David's interview really became a war of wills between David, who had his story and was going to hold to his story,
17:30versus the law enforcement detectives, who were using a lot of tactics to try to get a confession or get admissions.
17:38There were no signs of injuries on his body.
17:41I can assure you there's nothing about the house or anything.
17:50The types of fights that we've had have been so minor, almost trivial.
17:57Do we get irritated with each other?
18:00Are we both busy?
18:01Of course.
18:02We sometimes take things out of Heather's.
18:04Sometimes people who have never, ever, ever harmed the flag, never been arrested, have never had any problems, just snap.
18:13Things happen.
18:15Things happen, especially between couples.
18:17It's not, it's not, it's not, it doesn't make you a bad guy.
18:20I'm sick to death about what happened, but nothing happened today because of, there was no endless treatments whatsoever.
18:28Are you saying that you did not harm her?
18:32I am.
18:33Would you mind, just for me to be able to say, David is a perfect gentleman and is in the clear and did not harm his wife,
18:44would you mind taking a polygraph and proving that to us?
18:47Absolutely.
18:47No one's ever going to accuse us of not giving you ample opportunity to explain your side of what happened.
19:04David, you're going to get one shot at telling the truth, and you're really, really making this difficult on us, and it's not going to go well for you.
19:12Detective Barbara Sharp moved to the front seat as they tried to turn up the heat on David Tronis.
19:19You've got to tell us what happened between the two of you.
19:21This is not looking good for you.
19:23Her injuries are way too severe.
19:25I don't have any, I don't have any explanation for her, the severity of her injuries.
19:31There's not, there's nothing I can do to explain that without making something up, which is not a great thing to do.
19:40You strangled her.
19:53That's what the medical examiner is going to tell us.
19:56What did she do that made you so mad?
20:02Nothing.
20:02You just strangled her for no reason?
20:05You're not a cold-blooded killer, David.
20:07That didn't happen.
20:08You're not a cold-blooded killer.
20:09And I don't think you're a bad guy.
20:11I don't think you're a cold-blooded killer.
20:13But I do think you killed your wife.
20:15And I don't think you meant to do it.
20:16I think David needs to tell the truth.
20:19David's going to feel better about that.
20:20And then we're going to deal with what that truth is.
20:24And we're going to be able to figure it out together.
20:26Okay?
20:27We can figure it out together.
20:29But I've got to know the truth, Dave.
20:31Just get it off your chest.
20:32The two sides went at it for hours and hours.
20:36David didn't break and confess or admit to having committed the crime.
20:41I don't know what happened when I was up there.
20:44You fake cried for about seven or eight hours today.
20:48Not one tear came out of your eyes.
20:49Not one.
20:51Not one.
20:51Not on the scene with the officers.
20:53Not in this room.
20:54So we're just going to prove you're full of s*** and solve this case.
20:59And I'm glad you think that's funny.
21:02I'm glad you think that's funny.
21:08I'm glad you think that's funny.
21:09I'm glad you think that's funny.
21:11Because every time you smirk and smile, okay?
21:15And then a final effort to get a confession
21:18as Detective Sharp pulled out a photo with Shanti and her eight-year-old son, Jackson.
21:24He's motherless.
21:28Motherless.
21:29He's an eight.
21:30Look at him.
21:34Look at Jackson and how happy he was.
21:37Now think about what you took away from her and from him.
21:40Now what do I tell Jackson?
21:42David's a monster.
21:44I think he was very close to wanting to say it,
21:47and he just could not bring himself to say it.
21:49Look at his picture, David.
21:51I hope I don't know.
21:55How do you explain this?
21:58What are you going to tell Jackson?
22:01If you're going to sleep, I'm going to start writing.
22:09By all means, take a nap while your life's hanging in the mountains.
22:12Since he had not made an admission or a confession,
22:20he was not detained and he was free to go.
22:23We did try to get him to come back for a polygraph exam at a later date,
22:29and that was denied.
22:30So detectives did initially look for other potential suspects.
22:37Shanti was previously divorced.
22:39Law enforcement immediately reached out to the ex-husband
22:43and determined that he had a full alibi.
22:47There was a report that perhaps there was a transient man
22:52who would go through the neighborhood,
22:54and maybe he was the one who did it.
22:58They interviewed him.
22:59He was very open,
23:01and they were able to almost immediately exclude him as a suspect.
23:08And when detectives talked to the host and producer
23:10of the home improvement show, Keith Ori,
23:13they learned Shanti was actually resisting being part of the program.
23:17There was a very contentious meeting a few days before her death.
23:22Shanti was absolutely at the end of her patience about this home,
23:27and when she was demanded to show that she would invest the $200,000 plus
23:33to complete the remodeling, she had had enough.
23:37She stormed out of that meeting.
23:39The investigation also turned up evidence
23:41that David Tronis had led a double life.
23:44We found out that David had a membership
23:48at a local gym that was for gay men.
23:53We did also find a witness at Club Orlando
23:57that was able to tell us
23:58that he had observed sexual relations with men with Mr. Tronis.
24:03So to find out all this other life that he lived is crazy.
24:10It wasn't the renovations.
24:12It wasn't money.
24:13I mean, I think it was ultimately she confronted him.
24:17I bet she threatened she would divorce him.
24:20She found out what was going on,
24:22was probably ashamed and shocked herself
24:26that he was living the second life.
24:29In the end, a diamond earring found on Shanti's night table
24:33gave detectives a working theory of what had happened.
24:37So when she was getting ready to take out this earring
24:40and more than likely sitting on the edge of her bed during this time,
24:44she would have taken out this earring
24:46and placed it next to the other one.
24:48So if the blow came at that time,
24:50that would explain why she wasn't able to see it coming
24:54and wasn't able to defend herself.
24:56After four months of investigation,
24:58David Tronis was arrested at his mother's home,
25:02charged with first-degree murder.
25:04We were completely confident that we had the evidence.
25:09We did not expect, though,
25:10that one of the biggest pieces of evidence
25:13would be discovered in the mom's house that night.
25:16Detectives had been unable to find Shanti's wedding ring
25:19missing from her finger on the day she was killed.
25:23Every picture that we saw of Shanti,
25:26she had her ring on, was beautiful, a gorgeous ring.
25:29It certainly should have been on her hand
25:32the day of her murder.
25:34And it was only during the search of David's room,
25:37127 days later that they found it stashed in a suitcase.
25:42And I get a text message from Detective Sharp,
25:47and I knew they were executing the search warrant.
25:49And the text message read,
25:51got him.
25:52And it was a picture of Shanti's wedding ring.
25:55We think after he killed his wife,
25:58he pried that ring off her cold, dead finger
26:03because he paid for it.
26:05There is a dark, hot place deep inside the earth
26:11for people like that.
26:19Ladies and gentlemen,
26:21you have been selected and sworn as a jury
26:23to try the case of the state of Florida
26:25versus David Tronis.
26:28This is a criminal case.
26:30Mr. Tronis is charged with first-degree murder.
26:33There was a delay in getting to trial for almost five years.
26:38Mr. Tronis was claiming some sort of mental incapacitation.
26:43He had been seen by many medical professionals,
26:45and he was found competent to stand trial.
26:48And by then, there was huge interest on social media.
26:51Well, David Tronis.
26:52This guy named David Tronis.
26:53David Tronis.
26:54David Tronis.
26:55David Tronis.
26:56He has avoided having a trial all these years
26:58because of the claim that he was not mentally competent,
27:00but a judge finally said, yes, you are.
27:03Looks like we have another case of a down-low man
27:06taking the life of his wife.
27:08Her life was tragically stolen from her
27:11by her evil, monster, idiot of a husband, David Tronis.
27:17And in the courtroom every day,
27:19Shanti's son, Jackson,
27:21who is now 13 years old
27:23and insisted on being there.
27:25I wanted to go because I feel like it might help if I went,
27:30or also I wanted to be more a part of trying to give my mom justice
27:33more than I already was.
27:34I got a picture of my mom at every single hearing
27:37as a reminder that even though she's not here physically,
27:41she's always here mentally.
27:42So there's just more than just a name on a paper
27:45and more than just a news headline.
27:47She's more than just that.
27:48I'm Satan, I'm Satan.
27:50Thank you, Your Honor.
27:51David Tronis killed Shanti Cooper.
27:56He did it with a premeditated design.
27:58He intended to do it.
28:00He did it.
28:00And he's guilty of first-degree murder.
28:02This was a sustained attack,
28:05not just like a moment of striking somebody once.
28:08That's why we thought it was a first-degree premeditated murder
28:11as opposed to a manslaughter or something like that.
28:14As a motive, the prosecutors laid out the tensions
28:17between the couple over the zombie house-slipping program
28:20when Shanti didn't want to be part of it anymore.
28:23This home show, this zombie house-slipping,
28:26was the lifeline out of this mess with this house
28:30that they've dug themselves into.
28:33And she, at that point, a week before her murder,
28:35was not into it.
28:36You know, we don't have to prove motive,
28:39but I think juries like to know why something happens.
28:43There was a cell phone video,
28:45and you could tell that it was just very cold
28:48between them in that video.
28:51And the prosecutor closed his opening
28:53by telling the jury about what happened with Shanti's wedding ring.
28:57The evidence will show that he pried that engagement ring
29:02off his wife's lifeless body,
29:05knew he did it,
29:06told the police that the ring should still be on her hand,
29:09all the while, months later, he had it.
29:13When you've heard all the evidence in this case,
29:16you will conclude that the only reasonable explanation
29:19for Shanti's death is sitting right there.
29:22The prosecution began by playing the 9-1-1 call
29:35that David Trotus made.
29:43What was chilling to me and immediately obvious
29:47in David's 9-1-1 call
29:49is that he is inconsolable.
29:52I can't get two words out in a row.
29:58However, a few minutes into the call,
30:00he becomes perfectly coherent, perfectly calm.
30:05The blue dumpster, big blue dumpster in the driveway,
30:09they have to turn in.
30:10Then he goes back into the hysteria
30:15as law enforcement arrives.
30:17Red flags went up immediately
30:22when law enforcement responded.
30:25This was not what it was being purported to be.
30:27Your Honor, at this time, the state calls Keith Horry.
30:34What do you do for work?
30:36I am a real estate investor,
30:38and I appear on the television series
30:41Zombie House Flipping.
30:43Keith Horry testified about a meeting
30:45that they had, you know,
30:48a week before the murder happened in this case
30:52and how Shanti was, you know,
30:55didn't even want to come down and meet with him.
30:57He said, we really need Shanti to come down,
30:59and she had come down,
31:01and she was, by my estimation,
31:06unhappy to be there.
31:09And it was in a sort of a tense state.
31:13What way?
31:13If you could explain to the jury.
31:14She was tense, or even intense,
31:20appeared to be, you know,
31:24mildly upset, annoyed, frustrated at something.
31:28Watching it all was Shanti's son Jackson,
31:31seated next to his father, Jim Cooper.
31:33And although he looked away
31:35during several presentations,
31:37he heard everything that was said that happened,
31:41and he knows we are going to get justice for her
31:43and for you.
31:51State, you may call your next witness.
31:53Gary Utz.
31:54With the defense claiming Shanti's death was an accident,
31:58the testimony of the medical examiner,
32:00Gary Utz, was a key part of the prosecution's case.
32:04Were you able to come to a conclusion
32:06about the cause of her death?
32:08I believe that the cause of her death
32:10is a combination of the strangulation
32:12and the blunt head trauma.
32:15Were you able to decide upon a manner
32:17of Shanti Petronas' death?
32:19Yes.
32:20In this case, the manner of death is homicide.
32:22And why is that?
32:24Because I don't believe that there's any way
32:26that this individual would have sustained
32:28those injuries as a result of an accident.
32:31No other questions.
32:33Thank you, State.
32:35Defense, cross.
32:36You've testified it's your job
32:37to determine the cause
32:39and the manner of death, correct?
32:40That's correct.
32:41Not the who?
32:41No, that's true.
32:44You indicated that you found it
32:46to be blunt force trauma and strangulation.
32:50It could be one or the other, correct?
32:53It could be.
32:54There are other types of blunt force trauma, though, correct?
32:58Yes.
32:59Could a person strike their head on one location,
33:03hit something on the way down,
33:04and then hit the floor,
33:06creating multiple injuries,
33:08multiple blunt force trauma injuries?
33:10That's always a possibility,
33:12but I wouldn't expect to see the injuries
33:14on, you know, both sides of the head
33:16and on the front of the neck.
33:19I am a big fan of the forensic evidence.
33:22People always say things like,
33:25oh, it's just a circumstantial case.
33:27But circumstantial cases don't forget things.
33:30They don't lie.
33:31They're just the facts.
33:32Good afternoon.
33:33You can have a seat.
33:34And then will you say your name
33:36and spell it, please?
33:38Yes, ma'am.
33:38Detective Teresa,
33:40T-E-R-E-S-A,
33:42Sprague,
33:42S-P-R-A-G-U-E.
33:46Do you see the person that you interviewed
33:49at the Orlando Police Department
33:50identified to you as David Tronis
33:52in the courtroom today?
33:52I do.
33:53Do you point out where he is
33:54and what he's wearing?
33:55Yes, Mr. Tronis is seated
33:56at the defense table.
33:57He's wearing a suit,
33:59a tie,
33:59and glasses.
34:01Prosecutors wanted lead detective
34:03Teresa Sprague to explain
34:05one of the key inconsistencies
34:07in David Tronis' version of events.
34:10It was the story of him
34:12dragging her from the bathtub
34:13while she's still soaking wet
34:16and her clothing is still soaking wet.
34:18Is she in the tub?
34:21Her head is all the way in the corner.
34:23She's submerged?
34:25Yeah.
34:26She's submerged?
34:27So she's underwater?
34:28Most of her is submerged,
34:30most of her head
34:31and her submerged.
34:33Okay.
34:34So you're saying
34:36that her head and face
34:37and neck are underwater
34:39and her right side
34:41is kind of on a slant
34:43so her right side's not
34:44as underwater.
34:46She is basically,
34:48for all intents and purposes,
34:49submerged almost completely
34:52by a bump to her torso.
34:54She wasn't wet.
34:55Her skin was not pruned.
34:57Her clothing appeared damp
34:58but not soaked.
35:00On cross-examination,
35:02Tronis' lawyer
35:03question,
35:03the detective's technique
35:05used during the interrogation.
35:07You go from asking questions
35:09to attempts at manipulating.
35:14Manipulating him
35:15to try and get him
35:16to say something
35:16that isn't true?
35:17No, absolutely not.
35:18No.
35:19I think we challenged him
35:21on the evidence
35:22that did not support
35:23his assertion
35:24of what occurred.
35:25Didn't you essentially
35:25look at him
35:26like he was the pool boy?
35:28Did I look at him
35:29like he was the pool boy?
35:30Or did I suggest to him
35:31that she was treating him
35:32that way?
35:33Right, exactly.
35:33I didn't look at him
35:34as the pool boy.
35:35No, sir.
35:35It almost sounds to me
35:37like she treated you
35:39like you were
35:41the help.
35:46That's what it sounds
35:47like to me.
35:48I got to do the yard.
35:50I got to take care
35:50of the pool.
35:51I got to do the work
35:52on the house.
35:53There's only so much
35:55anyone can tell
35:56before they snap.
36:00Maybe you felt like
36:01she got what was
36:01coming to her.
36:02I made a suggestion
36:03to him that that
36:04might have been
36:04how she was treating him
36:06and that he might
36:07have been taking
36:08exception to how
36:08she was treating him.
36:10But he didn't say
36:11that she was
36:12treating him that way.
36:14You made a big deal
36:15about the location
36:16of this ring
36:16because you felt
36:17that you'd been
36:17searching for it
36:18for 127 days
36:19even though it had
36:20been reported missing.
36:23It was pried
36:24off her cold
36:25dead hand.
36:26Yes, I was very
36:26concerned about it.
36:27Says who?
36:28She was wearing it
36:29the day before.
36:30She wore it every day.
36:32Says who?
36:34The evidence
36:35in my case.
36:38Defense,
36:39are you calling
36:39Mr. Tronis?
36:40Do you understand
36:41it's solely
36:42your decision
36:43of whether or not
36:44you testify?
36:46And what do
36:47you want to do?
36:49Okay, thank you.
36:50The case was
36:51coming to an end.
36:52During that trial
36:53it was long days.
36:55We didn't sleep
36:56at night.
36:57We were going
36:57to keep making sure
36:58that everybody
36:59would see her face.
37:02You know,
37:02we weren't going
37:03to go away.
37:10Thanks for being
37:11with us here
37:12on Law and Crime.
37:13We're going to now
37:13head into the murder
37:15trial against
37:15David Tronis.
37:17Tronis is charged
37:17with first degree
37:18murder for the death
37:19of his wife
37:20Shanti Cooper Tronis.
37:21State ready to proceed.
37:24Thank you, Your Honor.
37:25I take the court.
37:26You may proceed.
37:28There was some
37:29discussion in jury
37:30selection that,
37:33you know,
37:34the defendant
37:34had a presumption
37:35of innocence.
37:36And that presumption,
37:38that cloak of
37:38evidence of innocence
37:39has been ripped away
37:40by evidence in this case.
37:42And he sits before you
37:44a proven guilty man.
37:46He didn't appear
37:47to be, you know,
37:48giving any kind of
37:49emotion one way
37:50or the other
37:50just sort of stone-faced
37:53basically the whole time.
37:56This wasn't some
37:57fall in a shower.
37:59The manner of death
37:59was a homicide.
38:01Not an accident,
38:03not undetermined,
38:05but a homicide.
38:07This was a murder
38:08of rage,
38:10of anger,
38:11of extreme violence.
38:12This isn't an intruder
38:14breaking in,
38:16stumbling onto a person
38:17in the middle of the day
38:18that they don't expect
38:18to be there,
38:20you know,
38:20shooting them once,
38:21stabbing them,
38:22picking something up
38:23and hitting them
38:23with the head,
38:24and then running out.
38:26That's not what
38:27happened here.
38:28The only appropriate
38:29verdict in this case
38:30is guilty as charged
38:32of first-degree
38:34premeditated murder.
38:37Thank you, State.
38:38Defense,
38:38you may proceed.
38:39There's ample evidence
38:42that, you know,
38:43suggests this was
38:44a violent encounter,
38:45but it was a violent
38:45fall or violent attack.
38:47There's no direct evidence
38:49as to what happened
38:50in the apartment that day.
38:51This is a circumstance.
38:54And specifically,
38:56that Chante Cooper
38:57was murdered,
38:59and David Chanas
39:00is the person that did it.
39:02And did they prove
39:03beyond a reasonable doubt
39:04that he is the person
39:05that committed this offense?
39:08Submit to you
39:08if you're not.
39:09There's too many gaps,
39:11too many leaps
39:12that you, as a juror,
39:14would have to take
39:15in order to consider
39:16this evidence
39:17beyond the exclusion
39:18of every reasonable doubt.
39:20This is a tragedy.
39:21You've got a little boy
39:22sitting in the courtroom,
39:23lost his mother,
39:24sitting in throughout the trial.
39:26But trials are not
39:27about emotion.
39:29They're about evidence.
39:32You can't prejudge him
39:34if you didn't see
39:34your crime
39:35to your liking,
39:36just like they shouldn't
39:38have prejudged him
39:39because he didn't cry.
39:41They're like,
39:42you don't get to fit
39:43a square peg
39:43in a round hole
39:44because it's convenient.
39:46And that's what happened here.
39:48With the rush to judgment,
39:49with the confirmational bias,
39:51those two detectives
39:52went into a room
39:53with David Chanas
39:54and worked him over.
39:57I'm confident
39:58that after carefully
40:00deliberating,
40:01that you'll come back
40:01and return the only
40:02just verdict in this case.
40:04And that's a verdict
40:04of not guilty.
40:06The jury was out
40:07for some five hours.
40:09It was extremely tense.
40:12I remember my legs
40:13were physically shaking.
40:16And I couldn't stop shaking.
40:18It's my understanding
40:22you've reached a verdict.
40:24Will you hand the verdict
40:25form to the court deputy,
40:26please?
40:27Data, Florida
40:28versus David Chanas.
40:30Case number 2020
40:31CF 12472AL.
40:35My heart was racing
40:36like a couple
40:38hundred thousand
40:39paces a minute.
40:40I was scared
40:41because I didn't know
40:42if it was going to,
40:43I didn't know
40:44if it was going to happen.
40:44I didn't know
40:44if he was going to get let off.
40:46Verdict reads,
40:47we the jury.
40:48Finally defending.
40:57Guilty of first-degree murder
40:58as charged in the indictment.
41:04I was just like,
41:06oh, I'm like, overjoyed.
41:07Probably the best
41:09number of my life.
41:11The sentencing
41:11happened immediately.
41:16Your Honor,
41:16my mom
41:18was the best person
41:19I ever knew.
41:32She worked a lot,
41:33but she never put
41:34her family over work.
41:37Early 2018,
41:38she was taken
41:39from me and my family.
41:40It's like a hole
41:41in my heart
41:41that I can't fill
41:43or fix.
41:43she didn't die
41:45peacefully.
41:47She did not deserve
41:48anything that happened
41:48to her that night.
41:50My family and I
41:51have been waiting
41:52for about five years
41:53for justice.
41:55I miss her so much.
41:57She was the best mom
41:58I could ever ask for.
42:03That's it.
42:06Fence, any questions?
42:08No, Your Honor.
42:09Mr. Tronis,
42:12anything you wish
42:12to say prior
42:13to sentencing?
42:15There's really
42:15no flexibility
42:16for the judge.
42:18If the state's
42:19not seeking
42:19the death penalty
42:20in Florida,
42:21the one sentence
42:22that somebody can get
42:23is life in prison
42:24without parole.
42:25And the death penalty
42:26had been waived
42:27at the family's request.
42:30The court
42:31will adjudicate
42:31you guilty.
42:32They'll sentence
42:33you to life
42:33in prison then.
42:35Fuck to you, sir.
42:36And the court
42:37will be in recess.
42:38Jackson's now
42:39in high school.
42:40It's been important
42:41to Jackson
42:42and his father
42:42that people
42:44don't forget
42:45victims like Shanti.
42:46They've gone
42:47to the beach
42:48and gotten flowers
42:49and handed flowers
42:50out to other mothers
42:51just to say
42:53Happy Mother's Day.
42:54And it's just
42:54such an unbelievable
42:55recognition
42:57and memory
42:58of the mother
42:59that he wishes
43:00was still here.
43:01Yeah, yeah,
43:03yeah, yeah,
43:03yeah, yeah.
43:04Yeah, yeah, yeah.
43:04Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
43:05Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
43:06Yeah.
43:10Yeah.
43:11Yeah.
43:11Yeah.
43:12Yeah.
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