A California tech executive now sits behind bars without bail, arrested for allegedly murdering his estranged wife and disposing of her body off a mountain highway cliff to protect millions in assets during their bitter divorce.
Story Snapshot
- Gordon Goodarzi, 66, arrested for murder of wife Aryan Papoli, 58, whose body was found 75 feet below Highway 138 in November 2025
- Couple battled over $4.5 million in assets during divorce, following $50 million sale of their clean-energy company in 2021
- Prosecutors allege “planning, sophistication, and professionalism” in the killing initially staged to appear as accidental fall
- Case highlights deadly escalation of divorce disputes among California’s wealthy elite, with financial control as suspected motive
Divorce Battle Over Millions Preceded Suspicious Death
Gordon Abas Goodarzi and Aryan Papoli built a fortune together over 28 years of marriage, co-founding US Hybrid, a clean-energy technology company they sold for $50 million in 2021. Their partnership appeared successful until June 12, 2025, when Papoli filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences. The divorce petition revealed over $4.5 million in disputed assets, including multiple properties in Rolling Hills Estates, Chino Hills, Massachusetts, and Southern California vacant land. Papoli sought spousal support and equitable division of their wealth, while Goodarzi countered with requests for separate legal costs. The financial stakes were enormous for both parties in what quickly became a contentious split.
Body Discovery Triggers Homicide Investigation
On November 18, 2025, authorities discovered a woman’s body approximately 75 feet below Highway 138 near Crestline Road in Crestline, a wealthy mountain community in San Bernardino County. Initial assessments suggested injuries consistent with a fall from the highway above. However, the victim could not be immediately identified, and Newport Beach police confirmed a missing person report for Papoli in late November. The San Bernardino County Coroner formally identified the remains as Papoli on December 1, 2025, and crucially ruled her death a homicide after thorough investigation, contradicting the initial accidental fall theory.
Sophisticated Murder Plot Alleged by Prosecutors
San Bernardino County Sheriff’s detectives conducted an extensive investigation over several weeks, methodically building evidence against Goodarzi. In late January 2026, authorities arrested the 66-year-old tech executive at his Rolling Hills Estates home on suspicion of murder. The District Attorney’s office filed charges emphasizing disturbing details: the killing allegedly involved “planning, sophistication, and professionalism,” suggesting premeditation rather than a crime of passion. Prosecutors have not disclosed the exact evidence linking Goodarzi to the crime scene or the specific method used, but the characterization points to calculated actions designed to eliminate his estranged wife and stage her death as accidental.
Financial Motive Emerges in Elite Enclave Killing
The arrest raises serious questions about what drives someone to murder rather than accept the financial consequences of divorce. Goodarzi now sits in Central Detention Center without bail, awaiting arraignment originally scheduled for January 27, 2026, but continued to January 29. The divorce proceedings were terminated on December 23, 2025, following Papoli’s death, leaving unresolved how her estate and the contested millions will be distributed. Papoli’s son Navid described his mother as a “ray of light” who dedicated herself to entrepreneurship and service, declining to comment on his parents’ relationship. This case underscores a disturbing pattern among wealthy individuals who view murder as preferable to losing assets in divorce court, threatening the very foundations of justice and property rights that conservatives hold dear.
Tech tycoon husband arrested after wife found dead below mountain highway in wealthy enclave https://t.co/igzjBJmUTo
— ConservativeLibrarian (@ConserLibrarian) January 28, 2026
The outcome of this prosecution will test whether California’s justice system can hold the wealthy accountable when they allegedly use violence to protect financial interests. Goodarzi faces the prospect of spending his remaining years in prison, while Papoli’s family grieves a woman whose entrepreneurial spirit and partnership helped build a clean-energy enterprise, only to allegedly become a victim of the greed her success enabled. The Rolling Hills Estates and Crestline communities now grapple with the reality that wealth and education provide no immunity from the darkest human impulses when millions of dollars hang in the balance.
Sources:
Farming tycoon accused of killing wife could pay – AOL
Tech tycoon husband arrested after wife found dead below mountain highway in wealthy enclave – WHMI
