Willie Byrd was taken into custody on Friday afternoon
BOCA RATON, Fla. —
A 42-year-old Greenacres man was denied bond on Saturday after he was arrested on a charge of first-degree murder of a man in Boca Raton on April 8, one year after the victim filed a whistleblower suit against his former company.
Willie Byrd was taken into custody Friday afternoon for his alleged role in killing 37-year-old Arman Motiwalla on April 8.
In his first court appearance Saturday morning, Byrd was denied bond, and his next hearing was set for July 5 at 10:30 a.m.
The arrest report hasn't been released.
Court documents note that Byrd was arrested on April 13 on allegations of driving with a suspended driver's license. Court documents indicate Byrd elected to join a pre-trial diversion program for the license charge.
Crime Stoppers of Palm Beach County offered a $3,000 reward for information that would lead to an arrest.
Motiwalla, a Plantation resident, was found deceased next to his vehicle in the parking lot at 350 Camino Gardens Boulevard around 1:45 a.m. on April 8 with multiple gunshot wounds. The location included Synergy Insurance Affiliates, where Motiwalla served as Chief Operating Officer.
On June 26, 2025, Motiwalla filed a federal whistleblower lawsuit against his former employer, Innovative Partners, a Coral Springs-based insurance company, under Florida's Private Sector Whistleblower Act. He alleged that he was wrongfully terminated for objecting to and refusing to participate...
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