“48 Hours” Investigates in “Home Renovation Homicide”

Saturday, Sept. 12, 10:00 PM

(L-R) Shanti Cooper and David Tronnes; David Tronnes

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Home renovations can be a nightmare for some. In the case of one Florida couple, authorities suspect an expensive and out-of-control home renovation may have led to the murder of Shanti Cooper. Erin Moriarty and 48 HOURS investigate the death of Cooper and the case against her husband, David Tronnes, in “Home Renovation Homicide,” to be broadcast Saturday, Sept. 12 (10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

It’s a case that that shook the upscale Orlando, Fla., neighborhood where Tronnes and Cooper undertook a massive and unconventional remodeling of a home. Behind the home’s façade is a story of the couple’s relationship, Tronnes’ apparent secret life and an expensive home renovation that went terribly wrong.

Although Tronnes had paid for the house, Cooper was footing the bill for the renovation that was soaring into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Authorities suspect Cooper was angry with Tronnes and was ready to turn off the money spigot the day she was killed.

“But she would be killed because of a house?” correspondent Erin Moriarty asked former prosecutor Ryan Vescio.

“Well,” he answered. “What would somebody do when they were about to lose the most important thing in their life? Because in April of 2018, the most important thing in Dave’s life was that house.”

“This house became more than just a project to David Tronnes,” says Vescio. “It was his life. … He obsessed on it – this house is the center point to the story, and it led to Shanti’s demise.”

But that’s the prosecution’s story; Tronnes has his own tale to tell. Tronnes called 911 on April 24, 2018 and said he arrived home to find his wife floating in the bathtub.

Investigators immediately noticed some inconsistencies between what Tronnes told them and the condition of Cooper’s body. Tronnes was considered a suspect and went to police headquarters for questioning. He did not ask for an attorney and consented to swabs, clippings and a search. He remained at Orlando Police Headquarters for some 14 hours. He was released the next morning, but four months later he was arrested and charged with Shanti’s murder.

“It seems pretty clear,” says Tronnes’ attorney Richard Zaleski. “These two detectives – they went into this room, decided that David was a murderer, and then went the extra mile to try to put a file together to prove such.”

What happened inside the home? Was the home renovation a factor? Moriarty tells the story through interviews with investigators, those who knew the couple, family members and a local contractor who was trying to rebuild the house from the inside out.

48 HOURS: “Home Renovation Homicide” is produced by Paul La Rosa and Dena Goldstein. Ryan Smith is the development producer. Marlon Disla, Joan Adelman and Greg Kaplan are the editors. Peter Schweitzer is the senior producer. Nancy Kramer is the executive story editor. Judy Tygard is the executive producer.

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