A Venezuelan woman was murdered in a home in Herriman, Utah, United States, in a case that Police are investigating it as a suspected murder-suicide. The victim was identified as Lindha Paola Zerpa Lara, 43 years old.
She was a mother, businesswoman and active figure within the Latino community in that state, according to reports from local media KSL TV Channel 5 and KUTV.
The Herriman Police Department reported that the incident occurred during the night of Friday, when police responded to a home located on West Watchmen Way after receive calls from family members concerned about the lack of communication.
Inside the property they found the bodies of a woman who suffered blunt force trauma and a 55-year-old man who allegedly committed suicide, according to KUTV.
Relatives confirmed to KSL that the alleged attacker was Zerpa’s ex-partner.
Court records cited by the media indicate that the woman had filed for divorce on Thursday, April 16, one day before the crime.
According to close friends, she planned to meet with her husband, from whom she was separated, on Friday afternoon at the house where the events occurred.
The concern arose when She stopped answering calls and messages, something unusual for her. After receiving no response when they went to the house, friends decided to alert the police for verification.
The couple had a son
The victim’s 10-year-old son was not in the place at the time of the incident and is currently safe with his family, relatives indicated.
Zerpa had emigrated from Venezuela eight years ago and was a beautician by profession. She founded her own business, Pao Glow Beauty, and was involved in initiatives supporting cancer patients, such as the We All Must Shine organization.
In 2022 he opened a medical aesthetic center, recently destroyed by a fire, so he was working on its reconstruction.
Patricia Quiñonez, close friend, She urged other women to seek help at any sign of risk. “Don’t stay silent,” he said, according to KUTV.
However, he warned that in some migrant communities the fear of going to the authorities persists. Due to the collaboration between police forces and immigration agencies, which can discourage potential victims from reporting.
