Gretchen Stoughton Anthony (January 8, 1969 – March 21, 2020) was an American woman from Jupiter, Florida, who was murdered by her estranged husband, David Ethan Anthony, in the early morning hours of March 21, 2020. David Anthony had attempted to persuade Gretchen Anthony to travel with him to Costa Rica, where he believed they could escape the COVID-19 pandemic. When Gretchen declined, David entered her house in Abacoa, Florida, and stabbed her to death in her garage. He then discarded her body in a nearby wooded area before fleeing the state.
| Murder of Gretchen Anthony | |
|---|---|
| Location | Abacoa, Florida, U.S. |
| Date | March 21, 2020 |
Attack type | Homicide by stabbing |
| Victim | Gretchen Crain Anthony, aged 51 |
| Perpetrator | David Anthony Deutsch |
| Charges | |
| Sentence | 38 years in prison |
David Anthony was apprehended in Las Cruces, New Mexico, less than a week later. He was initially charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping; however, the charges were lowered to second-degree murder and kidnapping after David revealed the location of Gretchen's body. Per the conditions of a plea agreement, David Anthony was sentenced to 38 years in prison on January 14, 2021.
Background
editPeople involved
editGretchen Stoughton Anthony (January 8, 1969 – March 21, 2020) was born Gretchen Stoughton Crain in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. At the time of her murder, Gretchen was 51 years old and had a 12-year-old daughter from a previous marriage.[1]
David Ethan Anthony, originally David Anthony Deutsch, was a trainer at a gym. He served a brief stint in jail after holding up a Blockbuster video store with a squirt gun and assaulting a police officer. Anthony was fired in 2017; his manager allowed him to return in 2020, though was forced to fire him again. David was 44 years old at the time of Gretchen's murder.
Gretchen and David were married at a chapel in Las Vegas in March 2015.[2]
Events prior to murder
editIn late 2019, Gretchen and David separated after five years of marriage. The couple filed for divorce on February 28, 2020, weeks before Gretchen's murder.
Just over a week prior to Gretchen's murder, the COVID-19 virus was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. David, believing the pandemic to be an end-of-the-world prophecy, unsuccessfully attempted to convince Gretchen to travel with him to Costa Rica, where he believed they could escape the virus.[2]
A week before Gretchen's murder, David was reported to have been following teenage girls at a shopping center. He was charged with resisting arrest with violence after slamming a car door on the arm of a responding officer. David spent a few days in jail before posting $3,000 bond; he was released three days before Gretchen's murder.[3]
Murder
editIn the early morning hours of March 21, 2020, David, dressed in dark clothing, entered Gretchen's home in Abacoa, Florida. Surveillance footage captured David lurking on Gretchen's patio. The footage also captured muffled audio from Gretchen, who unsuccessfully attempted to call 911 through Amazon Alexa. A neighbor of Gretchen's later claimed to have heard a woman screaming as if she was being attacked. Additional footage captured David subsequently loading items into Gretchen's car.[4]
Aftermath
editInvestigation
editGretchen's family became aware of her disappearance after she failed to show up for lunch with a friend and work, respectively.[5] During a search of Gretchen's home, law enforcement discovered signs of a struggle, including a broken picture frame, shards of glass on Gretchen's bed, and a stained towel.[2]
Following the search of Gretchen's home, law enforcement contacted David, who claimed that Gretchen had become infected with COVID-19 and was receiving treatment at a CDC facility in Jupiter, Florida, despite there not being a CDC facility in that location.[2]
On March 23, 2020, Gretchen's family began to receive text messages, supposedly from Gretchen, which corroborated David's claims.[6] Gretchen's coworkers also claimed to have received an email from her with the same information.[7] Gretchen's vehicle, which contained her purse, was discovered in the parking lot of a medical center in Jupiter.[8]
Arrest
editDavid Anthony was apprehended in Las Cruces, New Mexico, on the evening of March 31, 2020, while he was walking his dog. David was arrested at a gas station and charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping in connection with Gretchen's disappearance.[9][10]
David initially insisted that Gretchen was still alive, claiming that she was on the run due to discovering illegal activities at the company she worked at and fearing that someone was after her. However, as part of a plea agreement that reduced his charges to second-degree murder and kidnapping, David admitted to stabbing Gretchen to death in her garage before discarding her body in a wooded area near her house. On December 21, 2020, Gretchen's remains were discovered about three miles from her home, behind a Walmart and near a retirement home.[11][12][13]
Sentencing
editAt his sentencing hearing, David Anthony claimed that the COVID-19 pandemic was a contributing factor to his crime, as he viewed it as an Armageddon that he had to escape. According to family members, David had suffered from bipolar disorder for a number of years.[14]
Per the conditions of his plea agreement, David Anthony was sentenced to 38 years in prison on January 14, 2021.[15]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Radel, Dan (April 10, 2020). "Florida police suspect missing West Long Branch native was murdered". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Van Sant, Peter (March 26, 2022). "Estranged husband tries to use COVID-19 as a cover for murder". CBS News. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
- ^ Carrega, Christina (April 14, 2020). "Florida man used coronavirus quarantine rules to cover up his wife's murder, police say". ABC News. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- ^ "Court Cam: Murderer Blames His Crimes on COVID-19 | A&E". YouTube. A&E. November 19, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
- ^ "Florida Man to Be Sentenced to 38 Years in Prison in Murder of His Wife He Said Was Hospitalized With COVID-19". Inside Edition. December 30, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
- ^ Majchrowicz, Michael (April 1, 2021). "In Texts, Gretchen Anthony Said She Had COVID. Then She Disappeared". Miami New Times. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ "Florida man accused of killing wife, blaming disappearance on coronavirus infection". Jupiter, Florida: ABC11. May 17, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- ^ Braden, Beth (January 17, 2023). "A Florida Man Used COVID-19 To Hide The Murder Of His Ex-Wife". Investigation Discovery. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
- ^ Li, David K. (April 13, 2020). "Florida man charged with murder after wife disappears amid suspicious coronavirus messages". NBC News. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- ^ Brunelle-Raja, Bethany (May 5, 2020). "Extradition hearing scheduled in Las Cruces for Florida man accused in wife's murder". Las Cruces Sun-News. Las Cruces, New Mexico. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ Rhett Miller, Joshua (December 23, 2020). "Body of missing Florida mom found as husband pleads guilty to killing her". New York Post. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
- ^ "Man pleads guilty to killing wife, leads police to remains". Las Cruces Sun-News. West Palm Beach, Florida: Associated Press. December 22, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ Winston, Hannah (December 21, 2020). "Jupiter police say missing woman's remains found after husband takes second-degree murder plea". The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ Winston, Hannah (May 7, 2021) [January 14, 2021]. "Jupiter man says mental illness led him to kill estranged wife Gretchen Anthony". The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
- ^ Papaycik, Matt (January 14, 2021). "Jupiter man sentenced to 38 years behind bars for wife's kidnapping, murder". Jupiter, Florida: WDIV-TV. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
