Florida Man Took Advantage Of COVID-19 Quarantine Rules To Cover Up Wife's Murder

KEY POINTS

Gretchen went missing in March and her remains were found Monday
Her husband pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and kidnapping
He was sentenced to 38 years in prison

A Florida man has been sentenced to 38 years in prison for killing his wife and then using the coronavirus quarantine rules to cover up the incident.

David Anthony, 44, was arrested in March from Las Cruces, New Mexico, on suspicion of killing his wife, Gretchen, 51. He was extradited to Florida in May.

During a court hearing Monday, he accepted a plea deal and admitted to using the quarantine regulations to try and cover up the murder. He also told authorities where he had dumped the woman's body.

The court sentenced him to 38 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and kidnapping. Authorities also found Gretchen's remains near Bush Road and Indiantown Road in Las Cruces, ABC-affiliated WPBF reported.

Gretchen was reported missing on March 25 and her family alleged that Anthony was involved in her disappearance. After she went missing, at least four of Gretchen's family members received text messages from her cellphone saying she was quarantined at a medical facility after contracting the coronavirus. The texts said she was in the custody of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for further observation, ABC News reported at the time.

Gretchen's relatives contacted the facility but received no information about her. Police later found Gretchen's car at the facility's parking lot with her purse in the front seat.

The couple had a rocky relationship and they filed for divorce in February, ABC News reported.

Two days after Gretchen was reported missing, the couple's cellphone signals were traced to a location in Texas, ABC-affiliated KVIA-TV reported. Police later arrested Anthony from Las Cruces.

At a press conference Monday evening, authorities said the plea deal gave Gretchen's bereaved family some relief. "This settlement is what the family wanted," Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg said. "This deal was in place because the family wanted a proper memorial, a proper burial for Gretchen."