David Anthony Wiki, Biography
In January 2021, a Jupiter, Florida resident named David Anthony pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder in connection with the puzzling disappearance of his estranged wife Gretchen, who went missing during the early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak. 19 in March 2020. He then led authorities to his remains in December 2020.
The 44-year-old defendant received a 38-year prison sentence with credit for 295 days already served after he admitted to the murder in December. Investigators initially used surveillance footage and other evidence found in his truck when he was first seen during the missing person investigation. Supposedly, he ambushed his estranged wife inside her home and then disposed of her body.
David Anthony is reportedly currently serving time at the Martin Correctional Institution in Florida.
An upcoming episode of Call From the Inside on ID is scheduled to chronicle the case of Gretchen Anthony this Tuesday, January 17 at 9 p.m. m. ET. The synopsis for the new episode, titled The Covid Killer, reads as follows:
“In March 2020, Gretchen Anthony disappears after texting loved ones to let them know she’s been diagnosed with COVID-19; when a search at her home suggests foul play, investigators rely on jail-recorded phone calls to unravel the mystery of what happened.
Disclaimer: graphic details of a sensitive case ahead. Read with discretion.
Months after the estranged wife’s disappearance and murder, David Anthony pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder.
In connection with the disappearance of Gretchen Anthony on March 21, 2020, David Anthony pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and kidnapping before Circuit Judge Jeffrey Gillen. He confessed to the crime in exchange for lesser charges. The sources stated that investigators claimed that he killed his wife separated from her and disposed of her body at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As part of the plea agreement, David provided investigators with the location of Gretchen’s remains, which were found about three miles from her Abacoa home nine months after her initial disappearance, following a search for a hour.
According to sources, David Anthony was linked to Gretchen Anthony’s disappearance through surveillance footage of his home, accounts from neighbors and various other pieces of evidence. Also, on March 21, a neighbor reported hearing screams coming from the victim’s house.
Additional footage captured by a camera in the home’s garage revealed a head with light hair and a bowl of water with what appeared to be blood seen nearby. After that, David Anthony was seen on footage reaching for the garage camera while he was wearing gloves and pulling down.
The next day, neighbors reported smelling a mixture of water and chemicals coming from Gretchen Anthony’s garage. The garage had significant bleach marks, and authorities discovered what appeared to be blood at various points inside the home. They also discovered broken glass, blood on the wall, and towels stained with a blood-like substance inside a washing machine.
David Anthony sent text messages from his estranged wife’s phone in the days after his murder
David Anthony’s truck was seen leaving the victim’s home in a neighbor’s security camera footage. It is also revealed that he sent text messages from Gretchen’s cell phone days after the murder in an attempt to hide the crimes from him. According to a text message, he was in “quarantine” for two weeks after contracting an “acute case” of coronavirus.
The text reportedly claimed that she was at Jupiter Medical Center, where police later discovered his wife’s abandoned blue Mini Cooper. But there were no records of Gretchen being admitted to the hospital.
Authorities initially traced Gretchen’s cell phone to Pensacola and again, a second time, to Texas. Anthony was subsequently arrested in New Mexico on March 31 and his car was impounded for further investigation.
David was held on murder and kidnapping charges until December 2020 when he pleaded guilty to lesser second-degree murder in exchange for revealing the whereabouts of Gretchen’s remains. Then, on December 21, 2020, he led authorities to Gretchen’s remains, which were located three miles from her Abacoa home near Bush Road and Indiantown Road in Jupiter, Florida.
Based on his plea agreement, David was given a 38-year jail term in January 2021. He is currently serving time at the Martin Correctional Institution in Florida.