Jupiter man says mental illness led him to kill estranged wife Gretchen Anthony; 'no excuse,' he says

WEST PALM BEACH — When it was David Anthony's turn to speak during his sentencing hearing Thursday afternoon, he held the paper in front of him with both hands.

With a shaking voice, the Jupiter man who confessed to killing his estranged wife and disposing of her body acknowledged that he was "hated beyond words" by some and that others have called for his death. He said he couldn't argue against it.

"What do you say in a situation like this? How can my words have any weight, given my crime? When will the pain end, knowing that I'm the cause of it?" he said.

"Coming from me, what words can console a family who has lost someone so dear, so tragically?"

Anthony was officially sentenced Thursday afternoon to 38 years in prison for killing Gretchen Anthony in her Jupiter home last year.

In December, the 44-year-old, represented by Assistant Public Defender Summer Barnes, pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of second-degree murder in exchange for leading authorities to the remains of the 52-year-old mother. Her body was recovered 3 miles from her Abacoa home. Authorities had not released her cause of death as of Thursday.

In court Thursday, family from both sides shared their love for Gretchen Anthony as well as explained David Anthony's battle with mental-health issue throughout his life.

Sarah Carey told Circuit Judge Kirk Volker that her sister was a "beautiful person with a beautiful heart."

"Her biggest joy in her life was her daughter," she said Thursday. "She loved Ava with every ounce of her being."

Speaking directly to David Anthony, she said he did not deserve to breathe the same air as everyone else for the "evil" he had done.

"You killed Gretchen in the same garage where she saved your life," she said, explaining a time when a car fell on top of him there. "You are a monster."

On March 21, a neighbor told investigators of hearing a "blood-curdling scream" from Gretchen Anthony's home on Sunshine Drive in Abacoa's Mallory Creek community. Early that morning, the Blink door-video device showed a tall man, later identified as David Anthony, in the house's screened-in porch with Gretchen, followed by muffled shouting.

Additional video from a camera in the home's garage showed someone with light hair not moving and what appeared to be blood nearby, according to Jupiter police. Soon afterward, David Anthony was captured on the video reaching with a gloved hand to the garage camera and pulling it down.

In the days afterward, neighbors noticed cleaning chemicals coming from her garage as well David Anthony leaving the house.

Authorities said David Anthony tried to hide his estranged wife's disappearance by sending text messages from her cellphone, pretending to be her.

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In the text messages, he claimed Gretchen Anthony had the coronavirus and was being transported from Jupiter Medical Center, where police found her abandoned vehicle, to "a CDC approved task force in Belle Glade."

No such "task force" existed in the western part of Palm Beach County. Retrieved security-video footage from Jupiter Medical Center showed Anthony park his wife's car and then his on different days.

David Anthony was arrested in New Mexico on March 31 while he was walking his black-and-white husky. Detectives took his vehicle in as evidence after a cadaver dog alerted its handler to evidence of decomposition.

Family members – including cousins, his aunt and a letter from his mother – explained David Anthony had struggled with bipolar disorder for years. In her letter, his mother said was heartbroken by what happened.

"We will always love and miss Gretchen," she wrote. "And if (Anthony) had gotten the help he needed, we wouldn't be here."

In his final statement before the court, Anthony acknowledged his actions and prayed for forgiveness "for my loss of self-control, for allowing my paranoia, (inaudible) and addiction to drive this heinous act."

He said his delusions saw the COVID-19 pandemic as an "end-of-the-world prophecy." Even so, he said, it was only offered as circumstance that led up to his crime, because "there is no excuse ever for what I've done."

Each day he is reminded of Gretchen, he said, pausing to gather himself.

"Gretchen was beautiful, kind, smart, giving, and she loved with her whole heart," he said, crying. "She was someone who brought light into this dark world. She tried so hard to help me shake out my own darkness and to see all the beautiful things that life has to offer."

He said not only did he steal her life, but he also stole the time she would have shared with her daughter, her family and those who loved her.

"It hurts so much," he said, choking up. "But it will never compare to the hurt I've caused to everyone."

hwinston@pbpost.com

@hannahwinston

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This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Jupiter man says mental illness led him to kill estranged wife Gretchen Anthony; 'no excuse,' he says

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