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.
Ahang Mirshojae, 54, 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.
Dr. Hamid was Ambushed Outside His Clinic
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman held a press conference Monday afternoon to provide the latest on the investigation into the killing, which happened as Dr. Hamid was walking to his car in the parking lot outside of his clinic in Woodland Hills.
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.
Ahang is one of five people been arrested in connection with Dr. Hamid's murder.
Sje was arrested after investigators spent hours searching her home Thursday in Calabasas. She remains jailed without bail.
Ahang's Murder-for-Hire Plot was Financially-Motivated
Ahang is accused of hiring a hitman to get rid of the celebrity doctor in what authorities are calling a financially-motivated crime. "She has been charged with, effectively, hiring a hitman," Hochman said at a Monday afternoon news conference.
Ahang hired Evan Hardman, a 41-year-old resident of Tomball, Texas, to be the triggerman in her ex-husband's slaying. Hardman was driven to and from the scene by 40-year-old Rose Sweeting of Reseda, Hochman added.
Hardman and Sweeting were the first to be arrested in connection with the killing. Three others, including Ahang, Shawn Randolph, 46, from Valley Village and Sarallah Jawed, 26, from Canoga Park, were arrested in the days that followed. Authorities described them as a "local network of friends and acquaintances" of Ahang.
Both Jawed and Hardman face charges for murder and assault with a deadly weapon for their roles. Hochman said the two were previously hired by Ahang weeks prior to the murder to assault Mirshojae with a blunt object. Sweeting faces charges for being an accessory to the killing and has pleaded not guilty.
Randolph was not mentioned during Monday's press conference or ensuing statement, but jail records indicate he remains in custody without bail. Authorities later clarified that the case was sent back to police for further investigation.
Kelk pleaded not guilty to the charges at her arraignment, Hochman said. Prosecutors are still awaiting the extradition of Hardman, who was arrested by local authorities in Texas.
Ahang and Dr. Hamid were Involved in Legal Disputes Over Divorce Proceedings for More Than a Decade
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.
"The horror and betrayal of this crime are beyond words," Hochman said in a statement released after the news conference. "The depth of the deceit and violence involved in this case is chilling, and we will not rest until justice is served."
