The ex-wife of a Woodland Hills doctor, accused of orchestrating a murder-for-hire plot that led to the fatal shooting of her former husband, pleaded not guilty on Monday. Along with her co-defendant, Sarallah Jawed, 26, of Canoga Park, Ahang Mirshojae, 53, of Calabasas, faces charges related to the August 23 slaying of Dr. Hamid Mirshojae, 61. Evan Hardman, 41, of Tomball, Texas, is also charged in connection with the crime.
Mirshojae and Jawed both entered not guilty pleas during the court appearance, and their case is set to return for a preliminary hearing on March 17. At that hearing, a judge will determine whether there is enough evidence to proceed to trial.
The charges against Ahang Mirshojae include special allegations of lying in wait and murder for financial gain. Prosecutors contend that she plotted the murder to benefit financially. Dr. Mirshojae was ambushed as he walked toward his car in the parking lot of his clinic on Topanga Canyon Boulevard. Authorities say a masked assailant, identified as Hardman, fired at the victim at close range before fleeing the scene.
In addition to the murder charge, Ahang Mirshojae faces a felony assault charge stemming from a previous incident in May, where she allegedly attacked her ex-husband with a baseball bat. Jawed and Hardman are also charged in connection with that May 3 assault.
Also Read – 16-Year-Old Victim of Shooting in South Los Angeles: Police Report
Hardman, who is believed to have been the shooter, did not appear in court on Monday, prompting a delay in his arraignment, which is now scheduled for Tuesday. His murder charge includes the special allegations of financial gain and lying in wait, along with accusations that he personally discharged a firearm. Hardman, a convicted felon with a history of robbery offenses, also faces a new charge of being a felon in possession of a handgun.
All three defendants, including Mirshojae and Jawed, remain in custody without bail.
In court, Deputy District Attorney Ben Schwartz described the killing as an “assassination,” citing a confession made by Hardman to police after his arrest in Texas. According to Schwartz, Hardman admitted that Mirshojae paid him thousands of dollars to carry out the murder.
Mirshojae’s attorney, Donald Marks, disputed the financial motive, asserting that his client stood to gain nothing from her ex-husband’s death. He explained that Dr. Mirshojae’s will left his estate to a trust for the couple’s children, not to Ahang Mirshojae.
Jawed, arrested in December, is accused of driving Hardman out of state following the murder.
A fourth defendant, Ashley Rose Sweeting, 40, of Reseda, has been charged as an accessory after the fact for allegedly driving Hardman to and from the scene of the shooting. Sweeting, who has prior felony convictions, is being held in lieu of $1 million bail and is set to appear in court on February 5 for a hearing on whether the case will proceed to trial.
- Police Pursuit of 2 Priuses Ends with Driver Escaping Into Harbor - March 22, 2025
- Suspect Arrested After Allegedly Shooting at LAPD Helicopter - March 22, 2025
- George Foreman Dead at 76: Boxing Great & Entrepreneur Remembered - March 22, 2025
