Topline
Nima Momeni was found guilty Tuesday of murdering Cash App founder Bob Lee—who was stabbed to death in San Francisco last year— multiple outlets reported, putting an end to the high-profile case that roiled the tech world.
Nima Momeni, the man who has since been convicted in the fatal stabbing of Cash App founder Bob Lee, … [+]
Key Facts
The jury, which began deliberations on Dec. 4, found Momeni not guilty of first-degree murder, but he was convicted of second-degree murder for Lee’s death.
In April 2023, officers responded to reports of a stabbing near the Bay Bridge and Lee was taken to the hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
Prosecutors alleged Momeni planned the attack and drove Lee to an isolated spot before stabbing him because he was angry at Lee for introducing his younger sister to a drug dealer who gave her drugs and assaulted her, the Associated Press reported.
Momeni—who was arrested nine days after Lee died—pleaded not guilty and his lawyers said he did not attack Lee, but was acting in self-defense after Lee lunged at him with a knife.
Momeni said during the trial he and Lee then parted ways and he did not know Lee was injured, The New York Times reported.
Lee’s autopsy showed he had cocaine, ketamine and alcohol in his system when he died, and Momeni’s lawyers argued Lee was aggressive toward Momeni because of his drug use, the Times reported.
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What To Watch For
Momeni’s sentence. A conviction of second-degree murder carries a minimum of 16 years in prison, CNN reported.
Key Background
Lee founded Cash App in 2013 when he was working at Jack Dorsey’s Block, formerly known as Square. He left Cash App and was working as chief product officer at MobileCoin, a cryptocurrency firm when he died. Lee had moved to Florida and was visiting San Francisco when he was killed. Momeni was living in Emeryville, California, across the bay from San Francisco, and worked as an information technology consultant. On April 4, 2023, around 2:20 a.m., Lee called 911 screaming that he had been stabbed, and surveillance footage of the area showed Lee holding his side while trying to get help. Police said Lee and Momeni knew each other and were driving through San Francisco together hours before Lee was killed. During the trial, prosecutors alleged Lee had been partying with Momeni and his sister the night before he was killed, and they said Momeni’s DNA was on the knife handle police recovered, The New York Times reported. On the day Momeni was arrested for the killing, one of his neighbors told Forbes Momeni called them on April 4 and asked for “all your alcohol,” and then asked the neighbor to travel to Colombia with him.
Tangent
The case renewed national interest in a reported increase in crime in San Francisco, with billionaire Elon Musk responding to someone suggesting Lee was murdered at random and saying, “violent crime in SF is horrific and even if attackers are caught, they are often released immediately.” Musk also asked if the city was “taking stronger action to incarcerate repeat violent offenders.” When announcing Momeni’s arrest for the killing, District Attorney Brooke Jennings criticized Musk’s comments, saying: “I must point out that reckless and irresponsible statements, like those contained in Mr. Musk’s tweet that assumed incorrect circumstances of Mr. Lee’s death, serve to mislead the world in its perception of San Francisco,” NBC News reported.
Further Reading
