California tech millionaire arrested for allegedly killing wife during multimillion-dollar divorce

CRESTLINE, Calif. — California authorities have arrested a 66-year-old man on suspicion of murdering his estranged wife, whose body was discovered down a steep embankment in San Bernardino County last month.

Gordon Abas Goodarzi was taken into custody following an investigation into the death of 58-year-old Aryan Papoli. Her body was found on Nov. 18 in the community of Crestline.

While investigators initially believed Papoli died from an accidental fall, they later ruled the death a homicide. Police said an "extensive and persistent" investigation led them to Goodarzi, though they have not yet disclosed a specific motive or how he was linked to the crime.

Court records show Papoli filed for divorce just five months before her death, citing "irreconcilable differences." The divorce proceedings involved the division of assets valued at more than $4.5 million.

Goodarzi, a tech executive and engineer, sold his clean-energy company, US Hybrid, for $50 million in 2021.

Prosecutors allege the killing was "planned, sophisticated and professional."

This case represents more than a localized tragedy; it serves as a chilling case study in the high-stakes volatility of American matrimonial litigation involving significant assets. The convergence of a decades-long marriage, a multi-million-dollar estate, and the immediate proximity of the crime to the divorce filing aligns with a pattern frequently identified by law enforcement in financially motivated homicides.

The San Bernardino District Attorney’s specific characterization of the act as "planned, sophisticated, and professional" serves as a pivotal indicator of prosecutorial strategy. By emphasizing these elements, the state is signaling its intent to prove premeditation—a threshold requirement to secure a first-degree murder conviction. Under the prevailing sentencing guidelines, such a conviction carries the potential for life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, effectively precluding any defense predicated on a spontaneous "crime of passion."

Furthermore, the geographic context—spanning affluent Southern California enclaves such as Newport Beach and Rolling Hills Estates—underscores a jarring juxtaposition between socioeconomic success and domestic violence. The proceedings have shattered the veneer of suburban stability, highlighting how the dissolution of long-term partnerships and the subsequent division of assets can escalate into irrevocable criminal acts. Ultimately, the case stands as a grim reminder that when substantial wealth is at stake, civil disputes can rapidly bypass the courtroom and result in lethal consequences.

The story of Aryan Papoli—an immigrant who built a successful life from the ground up only to meet a tragic end—strikes a painful chord within the Vietnamese-American community. Her journey mirrors the path of so many who arrived on F2B or H-1B visas, working tirelessly to establish the nail salons and phở restaurants that define enclaves like Little Saigon. It reflects a shared, underlying anxiety: the fear that the American Dream, once finally within reach after years of sacrifice and remittances sent home, can still be shattered in an instant by senseless violence.