Suspect in Water Mill Murder Found Dead in Pennsylvania | The East Hampton Star

Oct 31, 2024

The suspect in the murder of a Brooklyn woman at a Water Mill wellness resort earlier this week was found dead of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home in Pennsylvania, Suffolk County police said yesterday.

On Monday at around 12:30 p.m., a staff member at Shou Sugi Ban House on Montauk Highway found the body of Sabina Rosas, 33, in a guest room there.

Police determined that the woman was "a victim of violence," and described the death as suspicious. The victim's name was released on Tuesday morning and Suffolk police confirmed that the death was being investigated as a murder.

The cause of death has not yet been confirmed; police are waiting for an autopsy report from the Suffolk County medical examiner.

Yesterday morning, county police reported that the suspect, Thomas Gannon, 56, had been found dead at his home in Honesdale, Pa.

According to numerous news outlets, Ms. Rosas, an artist originally from Tajikistan, also went by the name Sabina Khorramdel. Ms. Khorramdel's website says she earned a bachelor's degree in film and media from the State University at Purchase. She "often translates dreams and visions experienced during meditation into her art," according to the website. "Her artistic practice is strongly connected to specific places, with each artwork reflecting a journey to find a spot, honor its spirits, and connect to a channel of the collective subconscious. The artist regards herself as an ambassador of belonging."

She was a co-founder of Ruyo Journal, described on its website as a "female-artist-run platform dedicated to fostering critical thinking and promoting innovative approaches to knowledge production and publishing in Central Asia."

Shou Sugi Ban House, which calls itself as "a luxury wellness resort," has 13 guest studios along with a spa and wellness spaces. The resort noted in October of last year that for the fourth year in a row it had been named New York's best wellness retreat in the World Spa Awards. Conde Nast Traveler included it on its 2023 list of top 20 destination spa resorts in the United States, and Travel + Leisure had the resort on its 2023 list of the 12 best retreats for couples, describing it as a "minimalist modern sanctuary."

"Expect a combination of ancient healing arts, movement classes, and local, seasonal, healthy eating and drinking," Vogue wrote in its 2024 global spa guide.

Police have requested that anyone with further information call the homicide squad at 631-852-6392 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.

With Reporting by Jack Motz and Christine Sampson