The longtime lover of a murdered New York City artist condemned the “cowardly” way his alleged killer took his own life, robbing her of a chance to get closure.
Fashion designer Ryder Iwata said his lover Sabina Rosas’ alleged killer, Thomas Gannon, 56, may have forever left his loved ones with questions because he turned the gun on himself.
“It was such a cowardly thing to do, such a big cop out,” Iwata told DailyMail.com. “It’s a mystery why Sabina is no longer with us.”
His words come after Rosas, 33, was found dead in the luxurious Shou Sugi Ban House in the Hamptons on Monday. Gannon was also found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, later that same day.
Fashion designer Ryder Iwata said he was left in mourning for the death of his lover Sabina Rosas and criticized the ‘cowardly’ suicide of her alleged murderer
Sabina Rosas was found dead inside a bedroom at the Shou Sugi Ban House in Water Mill, Suffolk County, on Monday afternoon.
Thomas Gannon, 56 (right), allegedly killed 33-year-old Sabina Rosas (left) at the spa before fleeing to his home in Pennsylvania, where he killed himself on Monday.
After allegedly killing Rosas at the spa, Gannon is believed to have fled the $1,250-a-night hotel on Monday morning and took a taxi to his property in Pennsylvania, about a four-hour drive from Long Island, before committing suicide. .
Although police say they are still investigating the tragic episode, Rosas’ family said in a statement after his death that Gannon’s suicide “has robbed us of the opportunity to find closure through the legal process.”
Iwata said he had been in a relationship with Rosas since they met when they were students at New York’s Purchase College in 2016, and said they planned to marry, as he described her as “my person.”
The exact nature of Rosa’s relationship with Gannon is unclear. Iwata said Gannon helped support her artistic career and even paid for an apartment in her native Tajikistan, but said Gannon would use this to “control” her.
“(Gannon’s) money suddenly became the control he would use to stay in his world and his orbit,” he told DailyMail.com.
He added that he knew that Sabina was in other relationships but they did not discuss it, and although he knew of Gannon’s existence, he did not believe that Gannon knew that she was engaged.
Sabina’s former mentor and professor at Purchase College, Liz Phillips, told DailyMail.com that she understood that Gannon “provided her with money” and “seemed to adore her imagination and her various missions”, describing their relationship as “romantic”.
Gannon was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home on Hidden Brooke Drive in Honesdale, Pennsylvania (pictured)
Staff discovered the body of Sabina Rosas, 33, inside a guest room at the Shou Sugi Ban House in Water Mill on Monday afternoon. Rosas, who was also known for using ‘Khorramdel’ as a middle name, was arrested in Miami last year for assault and is seen with a black eye.
Iwata described Gannon as “very strange” and “socially inept”, and said that Sabina’s entire behavior would change around him.
He said that Gannon would fund Sabina’s artistic endeavors as a kind of “muse”, and said that Gannon was “madly in love” with her, but was often “very possessive”.
Iwata said he knew Gannon as an artistic benefactor of Rosas, and although they only met once, he got a strange vibe from the alleged killer.
He said Gannon helped move a piece of furniture into Iwata’s Brooklyn apartment last year and found his behavior “bizarre.”
“Sabina didn’t want me to talk to him,” he continued. ‘She wasn’t acting like herself. He apologized for the weirdness and got back in the car… It seemed strange to me.’
Rosas, known by another last name as Sabina Khorramdel, was arrested in Miami last year for assault and is seen with a black eye in her mugshots.
Suffolk County police had indicated before naming the suspect that they believed Rosas’ murder was a domestic incident; However, the exact nature of Rosas and Gannon’s relationship is under debate.
In a statement after learning of Gannon’s death, the Rosas family said the news “has left our family with a mix of sadness and frustration.”
Iwata said he planned to marry Rosas and described her as ‘my person’
Staff discovered the woman’s body inside a guest room at Shou Sugi Ban House in Water Mill on Monday afternoon.
“While we are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life, we also feel a deep sense of injustice,” the family said.
‘Sabina deserves justice and we sought responsibility for her death. The loss of the suspect means we will never know the truth about what happened to her. This outcome has deprived us of the opportunity to find closure through the legal process.
‘As we go through this painful time, we urge the world to remember Sabina for who she was as a person, her spirit, the important work she did and the art she created and gave us life.
‘The fight for truth and justice continues in our hearts and we will honor Sabina’s memory as we seek to ensure her story is never forgotten.
“Thank you for respecting our family’s privacy as we deal with this profound loss.”