Suspect in murder of woman at high-end Hamptons resort dead in apparent suicide
WATER MILL, Long Island (WABC) -- The suspect in the murder of a woman at the upscale Shou Sugi Ban House resort has killed himself, law enforcement sources told ABC News.
Thomas Gannon, 56, was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home in Honesdale, Pennsylvania.
The body of Sabina Rosas, 33, was found at a high-end resort in the Hamptons on Monday afternoon.
Rosas, who also went by the name Sabina Khorramdel, was discovered by a staff member at Shou Sugi Ban House, located at 337 Montauk Highway, at 12:30 p.m.
Law enforcement says the suspect checked into the Shou Sugi Ban House with Rosas, and was last seen leaving the spa Monday morning without her.
Her body was discovered later in the day by a worker. It was described as a violent, bloody scene, immediately recognizable as a homicide.
Rosas's family released a statement about their daughter, sister, fiancée and friend:
"As the eldest of three daughters, Sabina brought excitement, adventure, joy and love to our family. She is survived by her loving mother, father, fiancé and separated husband. We are devastated by this senseless loss and ask for privacy as we navigate this incredibly difficult time."
Rosas was born in August of 1991, in Tajikistan, during the coup in the Soviet Union.
Eyewitness News spoke with her best friend, who said she was born on the last day of the USSR.
"She was born during a very transitional period for that part of the world and that really shaped her, I don't think that curiosity ever left her," Rosas's best friend said.
That curiosity brought her to the U.S., all alone when she was 17 years old, where she flourished as an artist, initially earning a bachelor's degree in new media from SUNY Purchase.
"Her colleague reached out to me via an Instagram call, and said, 'this is where Sabina's staying, look at this news report,' and then I called the local police station, got in contact with the family and helped liaison them with the investigation," Rosas's friend said.
Colleagues described Gannon as an enthusiastic investor who Rosas met two years ago. They say he funded some of Rosas's global art endeavors, but she never introduced him as a love interest.
"I think I asked her once, 'where did you meet that guy that helped you move?' And she said, 'I met him at a grocery store,' and I was like, 'ok, got it.' I didn't think anything of it," Rosas's friend said.
Rosas married very young, but was estranged from her husband for many years.
As an artist, she had been traveling nonstop, founding the RUYO Journal, which is a platform "fostering critical discourse in the arts, film, and theory in Central Asia."
"Driven by her incredible energy and vision, Sabina moved walls so that gardens could flourish, inviting everyone seeking light. She shared everything she had and supported all of us," the organization said in a statement. "A beautiful soul and a gifted artist, she left an impactful legacy in the arts of Central Asia. The world feels empty without her."
Rosas's best friend told Eyewitness News that she would want to be remembered for what she did.
"In my head I can hear her saying, 'stop making this about my death. Use this, I'm going to become Van Gogh now. Shine a light on what I did,'" he said.
Rosas's cause of death will be determined by the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner.
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