Two men found fatally shot in the head at former Versace Mansion 'died by suicide' on the eve of 24th anniversary of fashion designer's murder
Two men who were discovered shot to death in a suit at the former Versace Mansion in Miami Beach apparently killed themselves on Wednesday, nearly 24 years to the day after the famed Italian fashion designer was assassinated by a suspected serial killer at his palatial beachfront home.
The bodies of the victims were found by housekeeping in the afternoon at the luxury Villa Casa Casuarina Hotel on Ocean Drive. A preliminary investigation ruled it 'an apparent double suicide,' Miami Beach spokesman Ernesto Rodriguez said on Thursday.
Th deceased have been identified as Adam Rashap, 31, of Randolph, New Jersey, and Alexander Gross, 30, of York, Pennsylvania, police said.
Police are seen on the scene at the former Versace Mansion in Miami Beach, where Adam Rashap and Alexander Gross were found shot dead in a hotel room Wednesday
It is unclear at this time why the men decided to take their own lives. It is also unknown whether the impending anniversary of Gianni Versace's death played a role in the tragedy that unfolded at the hotel.
Two men were found dead in a hotel room at the former Versace Mansion in Miami Beach on Wednesday afternoon, nearly 24 years to the day after the famed Italian fashion designer was assassinated by a serial killer at his palatial beachfront home.
A housekeeper at the $1,200-a-night hotel called 911 at around 1.20pm to summon police after making the grim discovery inside one of the rooms.
First responders with Miami Beach Fire Rescue pronounced the two men dead at the scene, reported Local10.
Police said the scene was contained to one room at the Villa Casa Casuarina Hotel on Ocean Drive, formerly the home of world-renowned fashion designer Gianni Versace
The incident comes on the eve of the 24th anniversary of Versace's assassination, which took place on the front steps of his mansion on July 15, 1997
The Miami Beach Police Department tweeted less than an hour later that the scene was contained to one room and detectives have launched a 'death investigation.'
The fatal incident comes on the eve of the 24th anniversary of Gianni Versace's gruesome murder at the hands of Andrew Cunanan.
The 27-year-old Cunanan, a former male prostitute-turned-serial killer, shot and killed the 50-year-old renowned couturier on the front steps of his gilded mansion on July 15, 1997.
Curious tourists pose every day for pictures outside the imposing wrought-iron gate where Versace was shot twice in the head at point-blank range.
Eight days after the assassination, Cunanan, who also was wanted for the murders of four other gay men from Minnesota to New Jersey, killed himself with the same gun he used to slay Versace.
First responders who were called to the scene on Wednesday pronounced the two men dead
Versace, 50 , was killed with two bullets to the head by serial killer Andrew Cunanan, 27 , who later committed suicide
Versace's blood and a pair of flip-flops are seen on the coral steps outside his mansion where he collapsed after being shot
Versace's murder shocked the world and has been drawing throngs of tourists to the site of his slaying ever since
Versace's funeral in Milan, Italy, was attended by the likes of fellow fashion icon Giorgio Armani, Sir Elton John and Princess Diana, who would be killed in a car crash in a Paris tunnel just a month later.
Versace had lived in the mansion part-time for five years leading up to his death after purchasing it in 1992 and spending $33million on renovations.
The 23,000-square foot property, which was built in 1930 by a Standard Oil heir, was sold in 2013 to VM South Beach for $41.5million and was reopened the following year as a high-end 10-suite boutique hotel, which boasts 54-foot 'thousand mosaic' swimming pool lined in 24-carat gold that was designed by Versace himself.
The mansion was converted into a boutique hotel in 2014, boasting this 54-foot 'thousand mosaic' swimming pool lined in 24-carat gold, which was designed by Versace himself
An ornate four-poster bed is pictured in one of the hotel's 10 bedrooms
Since its opening, the hotel has been drawing a steady stream of wealthy celebrity clientele, including Kim Kardashian and Justin Bieber, who in 2018 spent an eye-popping $50,000 on a two-night stay.
Single suites at the Mediterranean-style hotel typically range between $749-$1199 per night.
Versace's murder, which shocked the world, was the subject of Season 2 of American Crime Story, starring Edgar Ramirez as the ill-fated designer, which premiered on FX in January 2018.