commentary by Patrick H. Moore
Some handsome guys seem to have all the luck when it comes to attracting and seducing the lovely ladies…but sometimes these same handsome guys also seem to have a bad habit of trying to kill (or in some cases actually killing) these same lovely ladies when they piss them off (and as we’re all painfully aware, every man or woman who is involved in an intimate relationship succeeds in pissing off their beloved now and again).
A swinging dick named Tyler Mook, formerly of Tennessee and more recently a resident of Palm City, Florida, definitely fell into the first category (if the allegations hold any weight) when he attempted to drown his current lady, Robin Donech, in October of this year.
Considering that he also seems to be a permanent “person of interest” in the disappearance (and probable death) of his ex-wife, Shelley Mook, who was last seen at his Tennessee home in February of 2011, he may also conceivably fall into the second category of the handsome guy who actually succeeds in killing his lady and — rarity of rarities — gets away with it.
The ex-husband of a missing Tennessee teacher is now facing an attempted murder charge involving his new girlfriend.
Tyler Mook, 34, is accused of trying to kill Robin Donech in October by pushing her off a boat in Florida and trying to drown her.
His ex-wife, Shelley Mook, disappeared in February 2011 – her burnt out car was found the day she went missing near Murfreesboro, reports The Tennessean.
Shelley Mook, who as the photographs attest, was (is?) a very attractive woman, was last seen at YOU GUESSED IT Tyler’s house where she had taken their 6-year-old daughter, presumably because Tyler had visiting rights.
Although the authorities have long had their suspicions that Tyler may have killed poor Shelley, they apparently have not been able to gather sufficient evidence to charge him or take it before the grand jury which is why he is a mere “person of interest” rather than a “suspect.”
Like any dude who may or may not have a murder hanging over his head, Tyler decided that the grass was greener (and the water was bluer) in good old Florida and relocated there sometime after things had cooled down a bit in Murfreesboro.
In Palm City, Tyler caught the eye of the still surviving Robin Donech whose heart undoubtedly went pitter-patter pitter-patter thump thump thump at the sight of this Big Hunk and before long they were a regular item on the dating scene.
It’s unclear whether Robin was aware that her Big Guy was a permanent “person of interest” in the Volunteer State based on the possibility that he may have killed his ex-wife. I imagine, though, that if she was aware, she somehow managed to rationalize it away and perhaps even felt great gobs of female sympathy for her allegedly wrongfully accused new boyfriend.
In any event, Tyler and Robin (whose picture is not available though I’d bet a 12-pack of Heinekin that she’s also a lovely lady) had been dating for two 
years when Tyler reportedly lost his temper over nothing and tried to drown her. (BTW, drowning is a form of murder that hadn’t jogged my pea-brain for a while and I bet you we will now have a spate of murders, or attempted murders, by drowning.)
Here’s what happened, “according to witnesses in a police report.”
Mook and Donech were on a boat with his brother, Andrew Mook, and his brother’s girlfriend, Nicole Gvajardo, when the incident occurred.
Donech had asked him to slow down in a manatee zone, which saw him fly into a rage, and triggered the attack, according to the report.
So let’s back off for just a moment to break this down. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission describes what happens if a boat hits a manatee, a peace-loving aquatic mammal which often reaches a length of 13 feet and weighs up to 1300 pounds:
Approximately 25-30% of manatee deaths statewide are attributed to watercraft. In recent years, manatee deaths caused by blunt-force impacts (non-cutting) have outpaced manatee deaths caused by propeller cuts, with a small portion of the deaths/injuries attributed to both causes.
The faster a boat goes, the more force is applied to a “strike.” For instance, the force of a strike at 30 miles per hour is four times that of a strike at 15 miles per hour, all other factors being equal. If a watercraft strikes a manatee in the head, such as while the animal is taking a breath, the animal may die immediately. Strikes in other areas can result in acute injuries that quickly result in death but also can result in chronic injuries that linger for days, weeks, or longer before the manatee finally succumbs. Internal injuries, such as broken or dislocated ribs, can result in death from internal bleeding or infection.
So it seems clear that Robin, who had presumably been in Florida a lot longer than our Big Hunk, very considerately didn’t want her boating party to injure or kill any innocent manatees (they are mostly vegetarians, after all) so she asked her BF to “slow the freak down,” perhaps politely, perhaps with some heat in her voice.
Tyler, bless his much-maligned soul, took umbrage at Robin’s request:
Tyler Mook tried to rip off the top of Donech’s bathing suit and then threw her into the water where he tried to keep her submerged, according to the report.
She managed to get free, but he immediately pushed her under again.
Andrew Mook told investigators that when he saw Tyler attempt to hold Donech underwater, that he grabbed a water ‘noodle’ and jumped in after her. (For you landlubbers such as I, a water noodle is a cylindrical piece of polyethylene foam.)
So brave Andrew placed his demented brother in a choke hold, which forced him to release Robin.
Tyler, who is no doubt a regular water baby, then swam back to the boat, where he reportedly told Andrew’s girlfriend Nicole Gvajardo: “No one disrespects me in front of my family. I will kill her.”
This was not smart and clearly took a bad situation and made it that much worse.
Our gallant knight Andrew, who apparently is perfectly capable of treading water while wearing chain mail, stayed in the water with the perhaps lucky to be alive Robin until a passing watercraft picked her up and whisked her to safety.
Robin, who by this point was clearly peeved, flagged down a police officer at Sandsprit Park and told him her boyfriend tried to drown her “and would have succeeded” if a gallant knight in chain mail had not intervened.
Mook was originally arrested on domestic battery charges, but in the perhaps overly enthusiastic manners of so many prosecutors these days, the charges were soon upgraded to attempted first degree murder.
Shelley Mook’s’ mother, Debra Sikora, is currently caring for Shelley’s daughter, who must now be about 9 years old. In response to Big Hunk’s attempted first-degree murder charge, Debra stated, choosing her words carefully and with laudable poetic flare:
‘I want the hurt to stop for those that have and are still affected by the acts of one person. Strength be to those who will stand and have their voices heard. It is by those voices that justice will come.
‘By those voices, healing can begin, closure can be sought and faith in others can be restored.’
Big Hunk’s bond has been set at $100,000 and he is cooling his heels in the Martin County jail.
So all you ladies repeat after me: “I will not be taken in by the next handsome dude that comes along without running a background check on him before I let my guard down and let my heart go thump-thump-thump.” Ah, forget it! I know some of you will be taken in and a few of you will die because of it. That’s just the way it is…