Police in California have arrested the estranged husband of a woman found dead at the foot of a steep embankment last November.
The body of Aryan Papoli, 58, was found on November 18, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. She remained unidentified for two weeks after the body was found
An autopsy determined her fatal injuries were consistent with a fall, and the coroner ruled her death a homicide.
Detectives identified her estranged husband, 66-year-old Gordon Abas Goodarzi, as a suspect and arrested him on Friday.
On Sunday, the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office announced that Goodarzi had been charged with murder with aggravating circumstances.
He is being held without bail and is set to be arraigned on Tuesday.
According to British tabloid The Daily Mail, Goodarzi and Papoli founded a clean energy company, US Hybrid, that produced components of commercial and military vehicles. They sold the company in 2021 for $50 million in a cash and stock deal.
Court documents allege that Goodarzi killed Papoli in “an attempted or actual taking or damage of great monetary value.”
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[Featured image: Aryan Papoli/aryanpapoli.net]
