A Utah mom was beaten to death in an apparent murder-suicide just a day after she filed for divorce from her husband — and two months after her beauty business was burned to the ground, according to reports.
Venezuelan national Lindha Paola Zerpa Lara, 43, was found dead Friday night next to a 55-year-old man at her home in Herriman, close to Salt Lake City, after police received a call from concerned family members, KSL reported.
Although the man she was with was not identified, the murdered mom was planning to meet that afternoon with her newly estranged husband, the father of her 10-year-old child, according to relatives.
Paola was killed by blunt force trauma, while the man died from self-inflicted injuries, according to the Herriman City Police Department, which did not detail exactly how he died.
The murdered mom had legally filed a petition for divorce just a day earlier, according to court filings reviewed by the local outlet.
The two did not live together but appeared to be civil for the sake of their child, who was not home at the time of the murder, friends told KSL.
Paola, who immigrated to Utah from Venezuela eight years ago, opened her own spa business, Pao Glow Beauty, in 2022 — but it burned to the ground just two months ago, the outlet said.
“She was always a bright light for her mom. A person that was always trying to do the best for their community, the Venezuelan community,” one friend, Patricia Quinonez, told KSL through a translator.
She also kickstarted “We All Must Shine,” a support organization for people battling cancer.
Paola’s friends urged women suffering from domestic abuse to seek help.
“Start talking about it. To your friends, to your families. Don’t be quiet. Seek assistance,” urged another friend, Fabian Rapalino.
The investigation is ongoing, police said.
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