By Cristóbal Reyes
Orlando Sentinel
ORLANDO, Fla. — A former Orange County Sheriff’s Office sergeant forced to resign earlier this year was arrested Friday in the killing of his estranged wife, a lieutenant with the agency detectives initially believed killed herself.
The Sheriff’s Office on Friday afternoon announced Anthony Shea — a 49-year-old sergeant who quit during an internal investigation of an on-duty affair — was in custody days after Lt. Eloilda Shea, 39, was reported dead at their family home on El Prado Avenue.
According to a partially redacted report released to news outlets, Anthony Shea told detectives Monday he left for Publix with his children after he was asked to leave following a text message supposedly from his wife: “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 discovery of an audio recording on Eloilda Shea’s cellphone painted a different picture.
According to investigators — who needed a warrant to search the couple’s cellphones after Anthony Shea revoked consent — the recording began three seconds after the message was sent and lasted just over 54 minutes. Detectives said in the recording they hear a male voice identified as Anthony Shea as he left home and returned about 40 minutes later — in time to make the 911 call reporting his wife’s death.
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At no point was Eloilda Shea heard on the recording nor did detectives hear a gunshot, leading them to believe she was killed by her husband, who then sent himself a message from her phone just before leaving home with their children.
Anthony Shea is currently in the Orange County Jail without bond.
In a statement, Sheriff John Mina mourned Eloilda Shea, affectionately known as “Ellie,” calling her a “rising star” who deeply cared about her work with the agency. She had served at the agency since May 2011.
“We have all struggled this week with feelings of shock, grief and guilt while we tried to make sense of Ellie’s death, which was meant to appear as a suicide,” Mina said. “I want to thank our homicide detectives, who had the extraordinarily difficult job of investigating a colleague’s murder, for their diligence in ensuring justice for Ellie.
“It’s devastating to know we will never again be on the receiving end of Ellie’s kindness or warm smile. We pray for her two girls, the rest of her family, and all of those who love her.”
Anthony Shea had worked at the Sheriff’s Office since October 2006. He was forced to resign for having sex while on duty, a detail not shared in the agency’s press release but mentioned in the affidavit detailing his arrest. According to the affidavit, he told detectives: “I cheated on her, there’s an investigation, I quit because it was too embarrassing.”
The Orlando Sentinel has filed a public records request for the internal investigative report and other records, which has not been fulfilled.
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