Orlando man accused of beating wife to death claims he's being targeted over commissary

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — An Orlando man accused of beating his wife to death is claiming he's being targeted and attacked for his commissary money.

Officials claim 51-year-old David Tronnes beat his wife Shanti Cooper-Tronnes to death in the shower of their Delaney Park home in April 2018.

Channel 9 learned Thursday that Tronnes is now in protective custody after he told a judge in a letter that he's a target.

Tronnes claimed he was attacked in the jail on March 1.

The jail wouldn't confirm if he was attacked, but he was later moved into a cell by himself that day.

Tronnes would later be released back into general population, where he claimed he was attacked for a second time in July.

According to a jail incident report, Tronnes claimed other inmates found out he had money on his commissary account and started ordering items.

The same report showed inmates Tierre Charles and Cornelius Walker beat him when he canceled the orders.

In the letter to the judge, Tronnes claimed to have injuries to his head, jaw, ear, eye and neck.

Tronnes claimed that he's now marked a "snitch" and was told he would be killed and that he was unsafe anywhere in the jail.

Tronnes remains in jail on a first-degree murder charge.

Cox Media Group

Jeff Deal, WFTV.com