A 33-year-old NYC artist found dead at a posh Hamptons spa last year was savagely bludgeoned with a hammer before the killer — her boyfriend and benefactor — left a suicide note calling her “a real devil,” The Post has learned.
Newly released records obtained by The Post on the shocking murder of Sabina Khorramdel Rosas reveal her cause of death and the twisted texts that Thomas J. Gannon, 56, wrote hours after leaving her bloody body on the bed they shared.
Rosas’ death at Shou Sugi Ban House spa in Southampton on Oct. 28, 2024 shocked the wealthy community and New York art circles where Rosas was beloved.
Until now, Suffolk County Police had refused to give details of Rosas’ death, describing it only as “violent.”
It was extremely violent, records released this week under the state Freedom of Information Law show.
Rosas suffered “extensive” blunt-force skull fractures; injuries to the face, neck, arms and legs; fingernail gouges, and defensive wounds on her hands — indicating she fought for her life.
Gannon left Rosas lying face up, covered in blood on the bed in their $1,000-a-night room at the serene Mill Water, LI, spa, the records show. They had checked into Unit 12 on Saturday night, Oct. 26, 2024.
On Monday morning, shortly before horrified housekeepers discovered the body, Gannon requested a late checkout, the records show. He then took a 200-mile Uber ride to his home in Honesville, Pa., and texted a tortured confession, apparently to his ex-wife.
He complained in the messages, recounted by investigators, that the young artist had drained his finances.
“She has no more power over me or anyone else. I know you or anyone else will not believe it, but she was a real devil. I am not joking around, she has real evil powers,” Gannon wrote.
“I was running out of money, she wouldn’t stop taking it. I had no way to stop her, she was going to kill me. I stopped her yesterday. The only way was to kill her.
“She took everything from me. You and the kids, my family, my friends, 2 million in forced trips, and the most expensive clothing, shoes and bags money could buy, including 500k in cash,” along with his business and “our kids’ future.”
He concluded by telling his ex-wife to “send the police” to his home on Hidden Brooke Drive.
“I cannot live with all of this now … I’m so sorry for everything I put you through. I love you and kids more than you will ever know.”
He then shot himself with a .380 semi-automatic handgun, police records say.
Gannon owned since-shuttered Majestic Tile, Granite and Flooring in Honesdale, which may explain the murder weapon. Police found a blood-stained hammer with the brand name Great Neck in their room at the spa under the bed.
A native of Tajikistan, Rosas came to NYC in 2009 at age 17. She married a Queens man, but was separated from him when she started dating Gannon in 2021, the New York Times reported. She and Gannon traveled together, staying in upscale hotels. Rosas relied on him to pay expenses while she founded the Ruyò Journal, a magazine on Central Asian art, and published a book of work by women artists.
Gannon was smitten with Rosas, once posting “I love you” with a red emoji heart next to his $1,000 gift to help her pay for a trip on a crowdfunding site. But her romantic interest in him had waned — the Times quoted an art professor at SUNY Purchase who said Rosas had confided she planned to break up with him.
“As the eldest of three daughters, Sabina brought excitement, adventure, joy and love to our family,” her relatives said in a statement after her death. Colleagues mourned “a beautiful soul and gifted artist” who created vivid watercolor paintings.
While Suffolk County police immediately named Gannon as the killer, a Dec. 17 obituary on Gannon in the Poughkeepsie Journal made no mention of the crime or his suicide.
The family-paid obit hailed Gannon as “a man of remarkable talent, dedication and warmth.”