Ex-wife charged in ambush shooting of Woodland Hills doctor appears in court

The ex-wife of a doctor killed in an ambush shooting in the parking lot of his Woodland Hills medical clinic made her first court appearance Monday since she was charged in what authorities call a murder-for-hire plot.

Fifty-three-year-old Ahang Mirshojae was charged with murder, including special circumstances of lying in wait and murder for financial gain, in the Aug. 23 killing of 61-year-old Dr. Hamid Mirshojae, according to the LA County District Attorney's Office. She is one of four people charged in connection with the case.

Mirshojae appeared in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom for arraignment Tuesday morning, but the proceeding was postponed to Jan. 6. In a brief statement outside court, attorney Donald Marks was asked whether his client was surprised by her arrest.

"Very much so," said Marks.

Marks declined to comment when asked whether she knew the other individuals arrested in the investigation.

"I believe that Miss Mirshojae is innocent," he said "Secondly, I believe the evidence will show that she did not commit these crimes."

Ahang Mirshojae was arrested after investigators spent hours searching her home Thursday in Calabasas. She remains jailed without bail.

"She has been charged with, effectively, hiring a hitman," Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said at a Monday afternoon news conference.

Alireza Mirshojae, the victim's younger brother, said the killing has been devastating for his family. He said the arrest of his sister-in-law made for another blow for the kin.

"Immediately I start thinking about my nephews and nieces," he said. "Their father was killed, and now their mother was the cause. I still can't digest it. I don’t understand."

"Taking somebody’s life, it's beyond me," Alireza continued. "It's like I can't understand how could somebody feel so much anger and resentment, and I don’t understand how someone would feel to do something like this."

The victim's ex-wife, also charged for her alleged role in a beating of her ex-husband that occurred months before the murder, is one of four people, including the accused shooter, facing charges in Dr. Mirshojae's shooting death.

Sarallah Jawed, 26, and 41-year-old Evan Hardman, who was arrested in Texas, were charged with murder in the attack in a parking lot in the 5900 block of Topanga Canyon Boulevard, near Warner Center Park. Detectives said at the time they believed the doctor was specifically targeted.

Crime and Courts Dec 13

Ex-wife of slain Woodland Hills physician to appear in court following her arrest

Crime and Courts Dec 11

Pair accused in Woodland Hills physician's murder to face charges

Court records show Ahang Mirshojae and her former husband have been in several expensive legal disputes for years, including ongoing fights in 2024 over the resolution of their divorce from more than a decade ago. Investigators have not confirmed that any of those events were connected with the murder.

Jawed, of Canoga Park, and Hardman are each facing a special-circumstance allegation of murder for financial gain.

“The horror and betrayal of this crime are beyond words," Hochman said in a statement. "The depth of the deceit and violence involved in this case is chilling, and we will not rest until justice is served."

Hochman said the links between the defendants will be detailed at some point, but called the killing a case of murder for financial gain.

Jawed was arrested Wednesday by the Los Angeles Police Department's fugitive unit. Hardman, the accused shooter, was arrested Tuesday in the Houston area by deputies from the Harris County Sheriff's Department, according to Los Angeles police. He remains in custody while awaiting extradition to Southern California, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

Another defendant, 40-year-old Ashley Rose Sweeting, of Reseda, was arrested Tuesday and pleaded not guilty Thursday to one count of being an accessory after the fact. She is accused of driving Hardman to and from the scene of the shooting. Jawed drove Hardman out of the state a few days after the murder, according to prosecutors.

Sweeting is due back in court Dec. 24.

A 46-year-old Valley Village man also was arrested Thursday in connection with the case. Prosecutors declined to file charges against him Monday and asked police for further investigation.

Dr. Mirshojae was walking to his vehicle in the medical clinic parking lot at about 5:30 p.m. Aug. 23 when he was ambushed. He walked to the driver side of the vehicle and was shot by a masked man who was hiding around the corner of the clinic, police said.

"From a close distance, the suspect fired at Doctor Mirshojae in an ambush-style attack and then immediately fled back toward the rear of the clinic away from the scene," police said in a statement.

Police said Thursday that they believe the five people arrested conspired to commit murder, culminating in the ambush and "subsequent demise of Doctor Mirshojae."

"It should be noted that the investigation remains ongoing, including determining the relationship some of the involved may have shared with the victim," the LAPD said.

"He was the perfect brother," Alireza said. "I would say he was my mentor -- the only one I can think of."