APPLE WATCH RECORDS ARMAN MOTIWALLA’S LAST HEARTBEAT.
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2026 MetroDesk Media, LLC) —The Boynton Beach man charged with first-degree murder with a firearm in the April shooting death of Arman Motiwalla preyed on the victim before shooting him and leaving his body face-down in a Boca Raton parking lot — according to an arrest report that outlines meticulous police work by Boca Raton detectives. Willie James Byrd Jr., 42, was arrested after a weeks-long investigation by Boca Raton Police that wove together surveillance footage, license plate reader data, cell phone location records, and evidence seized from his vehicle — all pointing to what detectives say was a premeditated ambush.
According to the probable cause affidavit obtained BocaNewsNow.com which was first to report on the murder, Motiwalla was found with multiple gunshot wounds to his back and chest in the parking lot at the northeast corner of a Boca Raton plaza in the early morning hours of April 8, 2026. Investigators obtained surveillance video from the plaza showing a silver Chrysler 200 — with distinctive damage including a dented rear bumper, a cracked driver-side taillight, heavy window tint, and a missing factory antenna — backing into a parking space with its headlights off before the shooting. A shadowy figure was observed exiting the passenger side of the sedan toward Motiwalla. His Apple Watch recorded his final heartbeat at 8:25 p.m. the night before, on April 7.
Detectives used license plate reader data to identify and track the Chrysler 200 — which was switching between its properly assigned tag and a stolen Florida plate — in the days before and after the murder. When they located the vehicle parked near Byrd Jr.’s Boynton Beach residence on April 9, Byrd made inconsistent statements about who owned the car and whether he drove it. A search warrant executed on the vehicle turned up 9mm ammunition, multiple magazines, gloves, sweaters, gaiters, and — critically — a handwritten Post-it note bearing the victim’s name, his fiancée’s name, their home address, and the address of the crime scene. A photograph of Byrd Jr. with another man later identified as Jimmie Sutton was also recovered from inside the car.
Cell-site location data from Byrd’s Verizon account placed his phone near the scene of the homicide during the critical window between approximately 6:26 p.m. and 8:25 p.m. on April 7, corroborating the surveillance footage and LPR hits. Text messages obtained through search warrants showed Byrd coordinating with an associate — referred to as “Big Twan” — about picking someone up, and that conversation tracked closely with the movements of the Chrysler that evening.
After the shooting, Byrd’s phone and vehicle were tracked north on Interstate 95 to an address associated with his cousin, Jabari Byrd. Ring camera footage from that location later allowed investigators to positively identify Byrd Jr. by his facial features, dreadlocks, build, and distinctive tattoos. Byrd Jr. faces a charge of first-degree murder with a firearm. He remains jailed.
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