Herriman woman killed in alleged murder-suicide filed for divorce 1 day before death

SALT LAKE CITY — The family of a Herriman woman have come forward to identify her as the victim of what police described as a murder-suicide. Close family friends say she was Lindha Paola Zerpa Lara, a 43-year-old mother, entrepreneur, and active member of the Venezuelan community in Utah.

KSL found court records showing that Paola legally filed a petition for divorce on Thursday, April 16, just one day before being killed in her home.

Police have not released the names of the two people yet; they say they are still working to notify some family members. They said the female victim appeared to have been killed by blunt force trauma, while the male suspect's death was self-inflicted. Police found both bodies just after 7:15 p.m. on Friday at 4596 W. Watchmen Way in Herriman.

Family friends Patricia Quinonez and Fabian Rapalino spoke with KSL with the help of a translator. They spoke on behalf of Paola's mother, who lives in Magna and has been working with police to piece together what happened.

"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," Quinonez said.

They said that Paola planned to meet her estranged husband at her home Friday afternoon; the two didn't live together, but both spent time with their 10-year-old child and had a civil relationship.

Quinonez explained, "Grandma started getting concerned that she was not getting any phone calls or text messages." Eventually friends called police, who carried out a welfare check.

Friends told KSL the child was not home at the time of the incident and is safe now with family.

Paola immigrated to Utah from Venezuela eight years ago; she trained as an esthetician, opened her own business, and helped organize We All Must Shine, a support organization for people going through cancer.

She opened a medical spa in 2022, but just two months ago, her business space burned to the ground, and she was working to rebuild.

Her friends hope her death inspires other women to get help long before they are in crisis.

Rapalino urged, "Start talking about it. To your friends, to your families. Don't be quiet. Seek assistance."

But they said in many immigrant communities, asking for help feels too risky for some people now that police work so closely with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"When police show up, instead of providing help, they go and they have taken people into detention," Quinonez said.

Paola's friends said they can't know for sure if that was the case for her, but they hope that other victims reach out and find the help they need.

Related topics