Ex-deputy kills wife, stages it as suicide after he’s caught cheating, Florida cops say

A deputy cheated on his wife while on-duty at the sheriff’s office where they both worked, then he killed her and staged her death as a suicide, Florida authorities said.

Anthony Shea, 49, was charged with first-degree murder with a firearm in connection with the death of his wife, Eloilda “Ellie” Shea, a mother of two and a lieutenant at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office alongside her husband until he resigned over a cheating scandal, deputies said.

McClatchy News could not locate Anthony Shea’s attorney’s information in Orange County records.

“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,” deputies said in an Oct. 18 news release. “She lit up every room she entered with her infectiously bubbly personality, beautiful spirit and kind smile.”

Anthony Shea, an 18-year veteran of the sheriff’s office, resigned from his post as sergeant in August in the middle of an investigation into accusations that would have resulted in his firing, according to the sheriff’s office and an arrest affidavit.

He said he had an affair and had sex while on-duty, deputies wrote in the affidavit.

On Oct. 14, deputies responded to a call from Anthony Shea about an apparent suicide at the Shea’s Orlando home. But investigators said an accidental audio recording revealed Ellie Shea hadn’t killed herself.

Earlier that morning, Ellie Shea called out of work sick and told her boss she suspected food poisoning.

Text messages continued to be sent from her phone, appearing to tell her husband what to get at the grocery store.

One of her messages said: “Just the Brussels. Tony I can’t do this anymore please understand it’s too much what you did to me I can’t anymore. Take the girls for a drive give me space please.”

But investigators said this message was actually sent by her husband, and that she was already dead.

After Ellie Shea called out of work, deputies said they believe her husband went upstairs and shot her in the head, then sent a message from her phone to his own phone so investigators reviewing their communications would believe she was alive at the time.

Three seconds after Anthony Shea is accused of sending a message to his own phone, he “inadvertently activated the audio recorder” on his wife’s phone, and it recorded for 54 minutes, investigators said.

During that time, no gunshot is heard, and deputies said “there is no evidence to suggest Eloida Shea was alive during the recording.”

Anthony Shea is heard talking to his children, telling them their mom is sleeping, before the door is heard closing, and the next 39 minutes of the recording are silent, according to deputies.

Anthony Shea was captured on surveillance camera taking his kids to Publix, going through self-checkout and driving back home, investigators said.

Then he is heard on the recording walking into the upstairs bedroom before calling 911 about 50 seconds later, deputies said.

He tells dispatch his wife is shot and he’s performing CPR, according to investigators. When first responders arrived, he tried to show them an iPad with timestamps of his messages with his wife, deputies reported after reviewing body camera footage.

He told investigators his wife was “depressed and overwhelmed,” deputies wrote in the affidavit. They accused him of establishing a fake alibi through text messages and video surveillance.

“It’s devastating to know we will never again be on the receiving end of Ellie’s kindness or warm smile,” Sheriff John Mina said. “We pray for her two girls, the rest of her family, and all of those who love her.”

This story was originally published October 21, 2024 at 1:06 PM with the headline "Ex-deputy kills wife, stages it as suicide after he’s caught cheating, Florida cops say."