One of two men charged with murder in the shooting of a doctor who had just left his Woodland Hills medical practice, in what authorities believe may have been a murder for hire, was ordered Friday to remain jailed without bail.
Superior Court Judge Susan J. De Witt ordered Sarallah Jawed — who made his first court appearance Friday afternoon — to return to the downtown Los Angeles courtroom Monday for arraignment.
Jawed, 26, of Canoga Park, is charged along with 41-year-old Texas resident Evan Hardman in the Aug. 23 slaying of 61-year-old Dr. Hamid Mirshojae, who was pronounced dead in a parking lot in the 5900 block of Topanga Canyon Boulevard, near Warner Center Park.
The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed late Thursday that the victim’s ex-wife — whom they identified as Ahang Mirshojae, 53, of Calabasas — was arrested on suspicion of murder. Another man, 46-year-old Shawn Randolph of Valley Village, was also arrested Thursday on suspicion of murder, police said.
No details were provided on their specific alleged roles in the killing. Both were being held without bail, with Los Angeles police saying the potential case against the two would be presented Monday to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Hardman allegedly approached the victim from behind and shot him as he left his medical clinic at about 5:30 p.m. the evening he was killed, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Police said in a statement released Thursday that the assailant was masked and “emerged from hiding around the corner of the clinic and ran toward him.”
“From a close distance, the suspect fired at Dr. Mirshojae in an ambush-style attack and then immediately fled back toward the rear of the clinic away from the scene,” according to police.
Jawed allegedly helped to facilitate the killing and drove Hardman out of state a few days later, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Along with the murder charge, Jawed and Hardman are facing a special circumstance allegation of murder for financial gain.
Hardman is also facing a special circumstance allegation of murder by means of lying in wait, along with allegations that he personally and intentionally discharged a firearm and that he has a string of robbery convictions in Los Angeles County dating back to 2002, according to the complaint.
Hardman and Jawed were also charged with one count each of assault with a deadly weapon in connection with an alleged baseball bat attack May 3 on Mirshojae.
Hardman, identified as a resident of Tomball, Texas, 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 there while awaiting extradition, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Jawed was arrested Wednesday by the Los Angeles Police Department’s fugitive unit, according to jail records.
A third defendant, Ashley Rose Sweeting, 40, of Reseda, was arrested Tuesday and pleaded not guilty Thursday to a felony count of being an accessory after the fact, along with an allegation that she has one or more prior serious or violent felony convictions.
Deputy District Attorney Ben Schwartz told the judge on Thursday that Sweeting allegedly drove the shooter to and from the crime scene in a “situation that appeared to be a murder for hire.” She has a string of criminal convictions for offenses including first-degree burglary and grand theft and is on diversion in a carjacking case, the prosecutor said.
Sweeting was ordered to remain jailed on $1 million bail. She is due back in court Dec. 24 for a hearing to determine whether there is sufficient evidence against her to allow the case to proceed to trial.
On Thursday, LAPD investigators raided a sprawling mansion in a gated community in the 5500 block of Newcastle Lane that is believed to be owned by Mirshojae’s ex-wife.
Police said they believe the five people who have been arrested so far in the case “conspired to commit murder, culminating in the ambush and subsequent demise of Dr. Mirshojae.”
“It should be noted that the investigation remains ongoing, including determining the relationship some of the involved may have shared with the victim,” according to the LAPD.