The trial of a tech consultant, who pleaded not guilty to the murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee, begins on Monday.
Nima Momeni, 40, is accused of planning an attack on April 4 2023 over a dispute over his younger sister, Khazar, a friend of Lee’s.
Lee died aged 43 after he was found staggering on a deserted downtown San Francisco street asking for help.
The murder shocked the tech community, and fellow executives and engineers were quick to pay tribute to Lee.
Nima Momeni, the man charged in the fatal stabbing of Cash App founder Bob Lee, makes his way into the courtroom for his arraignment in San Francisco, May 2, 2023. Defense lawyers have argued that…
Nima Momeni, the man charged in the fatal stabbing of Cash App founder Bob Lee, makes his way into the courtroom for his arraignment in San Francisco, May 2, 2023. Defense lawyers have argued that Lee was high on drugs and attacked Momeni.
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Gabrielle Lurie/San Francisco Chronicle/AP
Lee was the chief product officer of cryptocurrency platform MobileCoin and had two children when he died.
Prosecutors have argued that Momeni took a knife from his sister’s condo, drove Lee to a secluded area and stabbed him three times.
They say Momeni then fled.
Defense lawyers have argued that Lee was high on drugs and attacked Momeni.
“Our theory is that Bob had the knife, and that Nima acted in self-defense,” attorney Saam Zangeneh said.
The defense has not yet decided if Momeni will testify in his defense, but Zangeneh said Momeni is eager to tell his side of the story.
Momeni, of Emeryville, California, has been in custody since his arrest, days after Lee died at a San Francisco hospital.
Momeni’s mother has been a steadfast presence at court hearings.
In court documents, prosecutors said that a friend of Lee’s told homicide investigators they had been drinking with Momeni’s sister the day before the stabbing.
Momeni later questioned Lee about whether his sister was doing drugs or otherwise engaging in inappropriate behavior, said the friend.
Lee replied that she was not, said the friend.
Surveillance video from the night Lee died showed him entering the posh Millennium Tower downtown, where Momeni’s sister lives with her husband.
Video shows Lee and Momeni leaving the building together after 2 a.m. and driving off in Momeni’s car.
Lee was found around 2:30 a.m. in the Rincon Hill neighborhood of San Francisco.
The neighborhood consists of tech offices and condominiums but has little activity in the early morning hours.
Police found a knife with a 4-inch blade at the scene.
Prosecutors said Momeni’s DNA was found on the weapon’s handle and Lee’s DNA on the bloody blade.
The defense said police should have tested the handle for fingerprints, especially Lee’s.
Momeni faces 26 years to life if convicted.
San Francisco Superior Court Judge Alexandra Gordon told jurors the trial could last until mid-December.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press
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