Two people were found dead in a South Hermosa home last week, the result of an apparent domestic murder-suicide that claimed the life of local hairdresser.
Hermosa Beach Police responded to a residence in the 100 block of Herondo Street, near Hermosa Avenue, about 6:30 a.m. last Thursday after calls reporting the sound of gunfire. Inside the residence police found Vantha Tho, 35, and Angel Marquez, 32,
each of whom were pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau.
Per policy of the Hermosa Beach Police Department, the county Sheriff’s are taking the lead on the investigation of the deaths, with HBPD providing assistance. Tho’s death is Hermosa’s first homicide this year.
Investigators recovered a gun at the scene, and believe that Marquez may have shot Tho before turning the weapon on himself. According to records from the Los Angeles County Coroner-Medical Examiner, Tho suffered multiple gunshot wounds, while Marquez had a single gunshot wound to the head.
Sheriff’s Lt. Mike Rosson told CBS News Los Angeles that Marquez and Tho previously dated, but said it was unclear precisely when the relationship broke off.
Tho, resided at the scene of the murder, and had lived and worked in Hermosa for years.
Nicole Ruggio, a bartender at Barnacles across the street from Evolution Salon where Tho worked, said that the victim came by the tavern every now and then. Ruggio recalled that she had seen Tho at Barnacle’s the previous week, saying that the victim was enjoying brunch with a male friend, whom she did not believe to be Marquez. She said that both seemed “really cozy, just totally happy.”
Ruggio described Tho as both kind and intelligent, remembering her performance in a couple of the bar’s trivia nights.
“She was really sweet,” she said. “Even though we didn’t know each other that well, she would always say, ‘Hi.’”
Others interviewed in the area had similar recollections of Tho as a perpetually sunny presence.
Kristine Ashley, owner of Ashley’s Deli on Hermosa Avenue, was deeply saddened by Tho’s death. Ashley said Tho came by the shop on “pretty much a daily basis,” and described Tho as a “joyful person whose smile could light up the room.”
“She was always full of life. She always had her hair done so nicely” Ashley said. “It’s very tough to see it on the news. And unfortunately, when it happens to somebody you know, it’s even more devastating.”
Coworkers described Tho as a well-liked stylist who inspired good feelings in both co-workers and clients.
A visit to the shop on Monday morning revealed half a dozen bouquets of flowers left in Tho’s memory. At the chair where Tho used to work, a drawing of Tho was taped to the mirror. The illustration was the work of a young girl, who trusted her long hair to no one but Tho, said Mackenzie Benites, a fellow stylist at Evolution Salon.
The girl was one of many regular customers who will miss Tho, who was pre-booked by clients months in advance, Benites said.
“Every client who sat in that chair, if they weren’t her friend already, they ended up being one by the end of the appointment,” she said. “It was always a good day when she was around.”
