A mother of two who worked as a deputy sheriff in Florida has died, and her ex-husband, who is now no longer a deputy sheriff, is in jail.
Orange County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Eloilda “Ellie” Shea, 39, was shot and killed on Monday. Anthony John Shea, 49, is charged with one count of murder in the first degree with a firearm.
They worked for the same business until this year. According to a press release from the sheriff’s office, the accused killer quit as a sergeant in August, after working as a police officer for almost 18 years. This was during an internal investigation that could have led to his firing.
A police report obtained by Orlando-based CBS station WKMG says that Anthony Shea made the 911 call on Monday afternoon. The husband is said to have told police that he found his wife on their bed, covered in blood, with a gun on her chest.
The defendant told a story that many people had heard before.
According to the sheriff’s office, he quit because he was having an adult relationship at work. He also seems to have lost his wife because of this affair.
Anthony Shea is said to have told detectives that Ellie Shea had become more hopeless and depressed since the revelation and the investigation that followed. The husband also said that he and his wife fought all the time about the affair.
“We had a bad night last night, arguing about my affair,” Anthony Shea is said to have told police, according to an affidavit that Orlando-based ABC station WFTV obtained.
The accused person took their children to a Publix store on the day of the murder. At the same time, the victim is said to have called in sick to work.
When the defendant got home, he said he saw his wife with a single wound to the head. He said he did CPR until the ambulance came.
The sheriff’s office says Anthony Shea reportedly said that the dead body found in the bedroom “appeared to be a suicide.”
But investigators quickly changed their minds.
The affidavit says that detectives thought the victim had been killed after looking at cell phone records and footage from a body-worn camera that is said to have included an audio recording that was made by mistake.
The defendant reportedly sent messages to his own phone from his wife’s phone, didn’t call 911 right away after the shooting, and lied to deputies at the scene of the crime.
According to Orange County Sheriff John Mina, Ellie really cared about the office and the work we do. He also said, “I saw her as a rising star.” “This week, we all dealt with shock, grief, and guilt as we tried to make sense of Ellie’s death, which was staged to look like a suicide.”
I want to thank our homicide officers for their hard work in getting justice for Ellie. They had the very hard job of investigating the murder of a coworker.
In a different press release, the sheriff’s office remembered the killed lieutenant with fondness for the things she did outside of work:
She lit up every room she entered with her infectiously bubbly personality, beautiful spirit and kind smile.
Ellie was a mentor, teacher, advocate, protector, cheerleader and an inspiration to women aspiring to be leaders.
A loving mommy of two little girls, Ellie served her community with grace, integrity and pride, and she will be profoundly missed.
The defendant was arrested and booked into the Orange County Jail with bond on Friday, sheriff’s office records show.
