California Doctor’s Ex-Wife Pleads Not Guilty

On Aug. 23, 2024, a masked gunman allegedly waited on the 5900 block of Topanga Canyon Boulevard before shooting Dr. Hamid Mirshojae in the head at close range. Prosecutors say he died at the scene. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has said the attack was deliberate and tied to money. Mirshojae and Hardman are both being held without bail.

The killing did not come out of nowhere. Prosecutors say Dr. Hamid Mirshojae had been attacked months earlier with a blunt weapon, and they contend his ex-wife also hired Hardman and another man, Sarallah Jawed, in connection with that earlier assault. Jawed was later charged in the case, while Ashley Rose Sweeting was accused of helping as an accessory and of driving Hardman to and from the shooting.

A judge later found there was not enough evidence to send Jawed and Sweeting to trial on the murder charges, but Mirshojae and Hardman were ordered to stand trial in June 2026. The physician had spent decades in emergency medicine and addiction treatment, and his professional biography said his patients included celebrities, movie stars and athletes. His death also came after he had remarried, and he and his new wife had a young daughter together.

After the killing, Mirshojae’s widow filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Ahang Mirshojae and others, saying the death grew out of revenge, jealousy and financial disputes. Mirshojae has denied involvement, and her lawyer says prosecutors are trying to paint her as the mastermind despite what the defense calls a lack of evidence. The case now heads toward trial, where jurors will have to weigh the claims and decide whether the state can prove them beyond a reasonable doubt. For American readers, the case is a reminder that even high-profile private disputes can turn deadly when money, resentment and violence collide.