Artist Sabina Khorramdel Discovered Deceased in Hamptons Hotel Room
# The Life and Tragic Death of Sabina Khorramdel: A Rising Artist from Tajikistan
The world of art was recently shocked by the tragic and untimely death of Tajik artist and writer, Sabina Khorramdel (also known as Sabina Rosas). At just 33 years old, the Brooklyn-based artist was found dead in a luxury wellness hotel in Water Mill, New York, on Monday, October 28, 2024. Reports from the Suffolk County Police Department confirm that Khorramdel was the apparent victim of violence, and the primary suspect, Thomas Gannon, 56, confessed to the murder before dying by suicide in his Pennsylvania home.
This devastating event has left the art world—particularly the circles of film and visual arts tied to Central Asia—mourning one of its brightest rising stars. As an independent artist, Khorramdel left behind a powerful legacy of creative work and intellectual contributions that stirred conversations about migration, war, and identity.
## A Turbulent Start and a Journey to New York
Sabina Khorramdel’s life was marked by struggle and displacement. Born in Tajikistan in the early years of its independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Khorramdel’s childhood was shaped by the civil war that erupted in the region soon after. Forced to flee from one fractured part of Central Asia to another, she eventually traveled alone to the United States at the age of 17.
In 2009, Khorramdel arrived in New York City with the dream of pursuing her passion for art. In this new world, far from home, she thrived by allowing her creative vision to speak for her. She eventually earned a degree in Film and Media Studies from Purchase College, a part of the State University of New York (SUNY), and took up painting, video art, and sound design.
Her mentor, Elizabeth Phillips, a professor at SUNY Purchase, describes Khorramdel as someone with an “incredible, transformative energy,” a person capable of using the harrowing experiences of her past to inspire others through art.
## Khorramdel’s Artistry and Creative Edge
Through her art, Sabina Khorramdel explored themes related to migration, war, and the fractured nature of identity. But her artistic expression often transcended pain and sought new paths of hope and healing. As an intuitive painter, filmmaker, and sound artist, she confronted the internal and external diversities of the human experience, leaning into the complexities of being displaced.
In 2023, Khorramdel collaborated with her friend and Tajik filmmaker, Nazira Karimi, to co-produce the seven-channel video artwork *Hafta* (2024) for the prestigious Venice Biennale. The project centered around memory, migration, and the convergence of personal histories with larger cultural narratives.
Later that same year, Khorramdel and Karimi co-founded *Ruyò Journal,* a platform for art theory and critical discourse in Central Asia. The journal aimed to provide a space for artists and thinkers across the region to reflect on the intersection of art, film, politics, and culture, pushing beyond hegemonic Western art critiques.
According to statements released by her colleagues at *Ruyò Journal,* Khorramdel was driven by a mission to create, share, and uplift marginalized voices in the arts. “She shared everything she had and supported all of us,” they wrote. “A beautiful soul and a gifted artist, she left an impactful legacy in the arts of Central Asia.”
## A Tragic End
Despite her promising career, Khorramdel’s life was tragically cut short in what authorities describe as an apparent murder-suicide. The circumstances surrounding her death are both mysterious and horrific. The primary suspect, Thomas Gannon, reportedly confessed to the murder before ending his life soon after. Their relationship, initially described by some as professional, now appears more complicated.
According to reports, Gannon, a 56-year-old who owned a tile business in Wayne County, Pennsylvania, had been financially supporting Khorramdel’s work. Sources who spoke to *The New York Times* suggested that the pair had a romantic relationship beginning in 2021, although it seemed to become troubled in recent months. Phillips, Khorramdel’s mentor, voiced concern that Gannon’s intensity and controlling nature were unsettling.
Before Gannon’s suicide, he reportedly texted a family member confessing to the murder and drove from the hotel in Long Island back to his home in Pennsylvania, where he later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Among these disturbing details, what remains painfully clear is the tremendous loss to the art community. Khorramdel’s family and colleagues have decried tabloid speculations surrounding the murder, urging the public and media to respect their privacy and avoid sensationalism around the tragedy. *Ruy