A Texas man was charged Friday by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office with ambushing a Woodland Hills doctor and fatally shooting him in the head.
Evan Hardman, 41, of Tomball, Texas, and Sarala Joad, 26, of Canoga Park, were each charged with special circumstances murder and arrested Hamid, 61, for “financial gain.”・He was charged with carrying out the shooting death of Dr. Mirshoje. the office said in a statement.
They also could each be charged with one count of assault with a deadly weapon, officials said.
Hardman was identified as the gunman who ran up behind Mirshoje and shot him once in the head as he was leaving a clinic in Woodland Hills around 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 23, police said. The prosecutor’s office announced.
Prosecutors also alleged that Mr. Hardman and Mr. Joad assaulted Dr. Mirshoje with a blunt object, previously reported to be a baseball bat, three months before the shooting.
Ashley Rose Sweeting, 40, of Reseda, was charged with accessory after the fact, officials said. She is accused of driving Hardman to and from the doctor’s office on the day of the shooting.
Los Angeles police announced Monday that they plan to file charges against two other people, including the doctor’s ex-wife, with the DA’s office. All five were arrested this week, including Mr. Hardman and Mr. Sweeting, who were arrested on Tuesday.
Prosecutors said Joad was charged with aiding and abetting murder and driving Hardman out of state a few days later.
Mirshoje’s ex-wife, Ahan Mirshoje, 53, was arrested Thursday in connection with the crime, as was Sean Randolph, 46, of Valley Village.
Hardman, Joad, Mirshoje and Randolph are being held in jail without bail, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Prosecutors had planned to set Sweeting’s bail at $1 million. She pleaded not guilty to accessory charges Thursday.
The police said all five suspects conspired to commit the murder, “leading to the ambush and subsequent death of Dr. Mirshoje.” Detectives said the investigation is ongoing, including determining the relationship between some of the suspects involved and the victim.
“This tragic incident highlights the devastating impact violent crime has on our communities,” District Attorney Nathan Hockman said in a statement. “Let me be clear: these crimes will not be tolerated.”
First published: December 15, 2024 6:23 AM PST
