Tech CEO Accused of ‘Lying in Wait’ to Kill Estranged Wife Who Was Initially Believed to Have Died from Fall

A California tech executive has been charged in connection with the death of his estranged wife, whose body was discovered down a steep embankment in November.

The victim, 58-year-old Aryan Papoli, was found dead on Nov. 18, a few days after she was reported missing, according to the San Bernardino District Attorney’s Office. Officers who responded to a report of a deceased person located her body down a steep, roughly 75-foot embankment near Twin Peaks, Calif.

Nearly two months later, on Jan. 23, her estranged husband, 66-year-old Gordon Abas Goodarzi, was charged with murder, the district attorney’s office announced last month.

“Initially, they determined her injuries to be consistent with a fall,” Jenny Smith, a spokesperson with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, told KTLA. “But after our coroner’s office reviewed her circumstances further, they decided that it was a homicide.”

In a criminal complaint, authorities allege the crime involved “planning, sophistication, or professionalism.”

In an amended complaint reviewed by KTLA, investigators accuse Goodarzi of “lying in wait” before the killing and allege the motive was “financial gain.”

Papoli was an artist based in Newport Beach, according to her website, which features a large collection of her work, including paintings and ceramics.

In a note posted on the website, her children shared a message announcing her death.

“Aryan Papoli spread light, love and joy wherever she went,” the note read in part, describing her as an artist, businesswoman, philanthropist, environmentalist and inspiration.

“Aryan’s passion for creative expression was only matched by her care for those she loved,” the note added.

Her Linkedin also lists her as the CFO of Magmotor Technologies Inc., a motor company that serves high-tech industrial markets including medical devices and robotics, according to its website. Goodarzi is listed as the company’s president and CEO on his Linkedin.

Goodarzi has been charged with felony murder and is scheduled to be arraigned on Feb. 10, online court records show.

Plea information was not available in the records, and an attorney listed for him did not immediately respond to a request for comment.