Kriti Mehrotra
After Shanti Cooper-Tronnes was heinously beaten and strangled to death in her Delaney Park home in Orlando, Florida, on April 24, 2018, the entire nation was honestly left baffled to its core. That’s because, as explored in ABC’s ’20/20: A Killer Renovation,’ her husband David “Dave” Tronnes was the one to have slain her simply over her refusal to appear on a home makeover show. Though if we’re being really honest, it was her ex-husband turned co-parent James “Jim” Cooper as well as their young son Jackson Cooper who were affected the most by this whole ordeal.
Who Are Jim and Jackson Cooper?
It was reportedly back around the 2000s when Shanti came across Jim for the first time, only for them to soon realize the genuine, mutual spark between them was quick to turn into deep love. The couple hence blissfully tied the knot before welcoming a beautiful boy into their world in 2010, unaware they’d sadly end up crumbing apart from the inside out within the ensuing three years. She was actually the one to file for divorce in 2013, yet they’d truly managed to remain amicable because they’d decided to co-parent Jackson so as to give him the best possible life imaginable.
According to reports, that’s the same year Shanti met Minnesota-residing David on Match.com, just for them to find common ground over their respective recent divorces until it all became more. We say “more” because following a whirlwind months-long online courtship, the latter decided to relocate to Florida and then later even bought a house for them to live in together in April 2015. Little did either of them know she’d die at this same property three years later, by which point she’d unwaveringly remained “a hardworking, dedicated mom who cared deeply, deeply about her son. Her son was her world.”
Jackson was eight at the time, unaware he’d soon find himself in the middle of many court proceedings not only owing to the manner of his mother’s passing but also over her actual remains. His father Jim had actually filed an emergency petition for Shanti to be released to them following her autopsy, citing a statute clarifying one’s body cannot go to their perpetrator — he’d already gained full custody of Jackson. But alas, a judge ruled against him since David hadn’t even been arrested by this point, leading the two men to somehow decide it would be best if they cremated and gave her young boy her ashes.
Jim and Jackson Cooper Are Now Trying to Move On
It ultimately turned out that Jim’s suspicions of David were absolutely correct as the latter was arrested for strangling Shanti to death a mere four months after the fact, on August 29, 2018. He as well as Jackson thus attended every possible related court hearing to shine a light upon the fact this late 39-year-old wasn’t alone even in death and deserves true justice no matter what. Therefore, of course, they could only breathe a sigh of relief when he was finally convicted as charged (for first-degree murder) and even made emotional statements during his same-day sentencing — on October 18, 2023.
While 12-year-old Jackson said, “It’s like a weight that’s been lifted off of our shoulders. It feels good inside that [David is] finally where he is. We can move on knowing that he’s where he’s supposed to be – where he’s meant to be. Your honor, my mom was the best person I ever knew,” Jim stated, “The only word I come back to is evil. Only evil would do what he did to her.” Therefore, today, from what we can tell, this Orlando, Florida-based father-son duo is doing their best to move on from the past while still keeping Shanti plus her memories alive in their hearts. It’s hard for them and they do genuinely still miss her, yet they’re still making an effort to continue living their lives normally because they know it’s what she would have wanted them to do.
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