David Tronnes Trial: Victim's friend takes the stand in case of alleged murder

ORLANDO, Fla. - Friday marked Day two of the trial that decides whether David Tronnes is guilty of killing his wife.

The types of questioning and the witnesses called to the stand varied widely.

In the morning, lawyers tried to get a feel for David and Shanti-Cooper Tronnes’ relationship, asking a friend of Cooper-Tronnes about the couple, and about David himself.

"How would you describe him?" asked one of the prosecutors. 

"He was always very nice and polite and kind," answered Laurie Cutcher, a friend and coworker of Cooper-Tronnes.

Cutcher says David is the one who called her to let her know Shanti had died.

"He was still crying and, distraught and disheveled and just out of sorts," she recalled.

But a homicide detective with the Orlando Police Department had a different description of Tronnes after his wife’s death.

"Did you observe him crying any physical tears?" the State asked.

"No, not once," answered Orlando Police Homicide Detective Barbara Sharp.

Prosecutors reviewed financial records, going over life insurance policies and transfers between the Tronnes family’s accounts.

 We notated any large transactions," said one of the several witnesses called in to discuss the Tronnes’ family’s finances. "We did notate a lot of money being moved around between accounts, particularly in April of 2018 and beyond that date."

A medical examiner talked about what he found while looking over Shanty’s body after her death.

"Her eyes were closed," recalled Ralph Calatchi, who worked for the Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office at the time of Cooper-Tronnes’ death. "There was actually some bruising on some far that made it difficult to open one of her eyes."

He says her eyes had blood spots on them – something he explained is indicative of asphyxiation. 

The Defense pointed out, asphyxiation and strangulation are not necessarily the same thing.

They still maintain David Tronnes is not responsible for his wife’s death.