Florida lieutenant shot, killed by husband in alleged staged suicide, Orange County deputies say
ORLANDO, Fla. - A lieutenant with the Orange County Sheriff's Office died earlier this week, allegedly shot and killed by her estranged husband – a former sergeant – and made to look like a suicide attempt, the sheriff's office said.
Orange County deputies responded to a home on El Prado Avenue on Monday, Oct. 14, and found Eloilda "Ellie" Shea dead from a gunshot wound to the head.
"At the time, we responded to those inquiries with the information we had, which was that the call appeared to be a suicide," the sheriff's office said in a news release.
However, through their investigation, deputies now allege that her estranged husband, Anthony Shea, 49, a former sergeant with the Orange County Sheriff's Office, shot and killed his wife in her bedroom – and "attempted to conceal his actions under the guise of a suicide," according to the arrest report.
Anthony Shea was arrested on Friday and booked into jail on a charge of first-degree murder with a firearm. He is being held on no bond.
He resigned from the Orange County Sheriff's Office in August 2024, while under investigation for allegations that would have resulted in his termination, according to OCSO. He joined the department in October 2006.
"Ellie cared deeply about this agency and the work we do, and I considered her a rising star. We have all struggled this week with feelings of shock, grief and guilt while we tried to make sense of Ellie's death, which was meant to appear as a suicide. I want to thank our homicide detectives, who had the extraordinarily difficult job of investigating a colleague's murder, for their diligence in ensuring justice for Ellie," said Sheriff John Mina in a statement.
"It's devastating to know we will never again be on the receiving end of Ellie's kindness or warm smile. We pray for her two girls, the rest of her family, and all of those who love her."
This story is breaking and developing. FOX 35 will continue to update our story as new information and details are released.