On August 15, 2024, at approximately 8:45 a.m., 54-year-old music promoter and businessman Robert Dehnoushi was fatally shot in the parking lot of a strip mall located in the 800 block of North Pacific Avenue in Glendale, California. Dehnoushi, known within the Iranian-American community for promoting the singer Googoosh, was found lying on the ground near his white Dodge pickup truck, having suffered a gunshot wound to the head.
Witnesses reported that the assailant, who appeared to have been waiting for Dehnoushi, fled the scene immediately after the shooting.
Following an intensive investigation, Glendale Police Department Homicide Detectives arrested two suspects on August 29, 2024. The individuals taken into custody were identified as 44-year-old Jerry Baza Tolentino of Los Angeles and 43-year-old Arman Martinyan of Sylmar. Both were charged with one count of murder, with Tolentino facing an additional charge of possession of a firearm by a felon, stemming from a 2007 carjacking conviction in San Bernardino County. The charges also include special allegations that the murder was committed by means of lying in wait, indicating premeditation.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced that if convicted, Tolentino could face a maximum sentence of life without parole plus an additional 15 years, while Martinyan could face life without parole. Both suspects are being held without bail and were scheduled for arraignment on September 20, 2024. The motive behind Dehnoushi's murder has not been publicly disclosed, but authorities have indicated that the attack appeared targeted. The Glendale Police Department continues to encourage anyone with further information regarding the case to come forward.
