ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A former Florida deputy has been indicted by a grand jury for killing his wife, Orange County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Eloilda "Ellie" Shea, and tampering with evidence to stage her death as a suicide.
On Oct. 14, former deputy Anthony Shea, 49, called 911 to report his wife's apparent suicide at their Orlando area home, the Bradenton Herald previously reported.
Deputies arrived to find 39-year-old Ellie Shea with a gunshot wound. She was transported to a local hospital and pronounced dead a short time later.
An affidavit obtained by the Bradenton Herald revealed that Anthony Shea had recently resigned from his position as sergeant amid an investigation that would have resulted in his firing. Anthony Shea reportedly told the sheriff's office that he was having an affair and had sex with a woman who was not his wife while on duty.
According to the news outlet, investigators found that Anthony Shea had sent a text message from his wife's phone to make it appear that she was alive after she had already been killed.
Phone audio recordings and surveillance camera footage also revealed that Anthony Shea told his two children their mom was sleeping and took them to Publix before returning home to call 911, the report added.
Investigators said they determined Anthony Shea "intentionally shot and killed his wife in their home and subsequently attempted to alter evidence."
A grand jury indicted him on one count of first-degree murder with a firearm and one count of tampering with evidence in a capital proceeding.
"Lt. Shea, just 39 years old, joined the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in 2011, quickly making her mark as a compassionate law enforcement officer, rising star and friend to so many she worked alongside," the sheriff's office wrote. "She lit up every room she entered with her infectiously bubbly personality, beautiful spirit and kind smile."
