The murder trial of Cash App founder Bob Lee continued in San Francisco Thursday as the glamorous, hard-partying sister of his accused killer made her long-anticipated appearance on the witness stand.
Khazar Elyassnia, 38, was sworn in just after 2:30 p.m., and the socialite was decked out in a $5,500 powder-blue patterned Valentino Garavani dress, oversized white sunglasses with orange lenses and toted a $1,000 Valentino clutch, exclusive photos obtained by The Post show.
“When was it that you learned your brother had killed Bob Lee?” prosecutors asked out of the gate of her brother, Nima Momeni, 40, accused of the fatal April 2023 stabbing.
“My brother was not the one that killed Bob,” she responded, according to San Francisco Standard reporter Jonah Owen Lamb.
The prosecution then inquired about text messages purportedly sent by Elyassnia to Momeni which appear to show a strained relationship between the siblings, Lamb added.
“You scare me,” were among the messages prosecutors read aloud in the courtroom — texts she claimed she didn’t remember sending.
However, Elyassnia said that she and her brother are close and that she “looks up to him” during her testimony.
“He’s always there for me, just as protective as any other brother would feel,” she said, according to Lamb.
But sometimes, the prosecutor alleged, his protectiveness made her angry — as in February 2023 when Momeni reportedly contacted her drug dealer and asked him not to sell her any more Xanax, according to a text exchange between the siblings.
Khazar Elyassnia arriving at court for her brother Nima Momeni’s trial. David G. McIntyre
The wealthy socialite also admitted to using cocaine, LSD, the date-rape drug GHB and nitrous oxide on April 3, the day before Lee was killed, KTVU reported.
The questioning about the text messages continued, and Elyassnia claimed she was high at the time she sent a series of messages on April 5 at 7:38 a.m., the morning after Lee was killed, Lamb reported.
Elyassnia testified that she was continually taking Whip-Its she was given by Jeremy Boivin, who was allegedly Lee’s drug dealer, that day, Lamb added.
Elyassnia was allegedly involved in an affair with Bob Lee. David G. McIntyre
“Yes, he bought me a tank” of nitrous oxide, she testified about Biovin, who she said came to her house shortly after Lee and Momeni left on April 4.
She claimed from the stand that Biovin had sexually abused her in the past but that they hadn’t had intercourse in the last year and a half.
When the prosecutor asked why she invited him to her home, despite telling her brother he had sexually assaulted her, the defense objected, prompting both legal teams to approach the bench, Lamb wrote.
Momeni allegedly stabbed Lee to death defending his sister’s honor. @boblee/Twitter
When they resumed questioning, they point-blank asked, “Why did you invite Mr. Boivin to your apartment 10 hours after saying you were sexually assaulted?”
She explained it was due to hardships and abuse she experienced as a youth, which made it hard for her to believe someone would actually harm her.
“I sometimes go back to my abuser,” she admitted.
The prosecutor then asked Elyassnia about a message she sent Momeni in which she seemed to be probing him about what had happened to Lee.
Elyassnia and Lee were both involved in San Francisco’s underground party scene. David G. McIntyre
She said she texted her brother, “I’m going to get to the bottom of this and find out what happened to Bob” after a friend said the siblings were the last two to see the tech founder alive.
The prosecutor said she later texted Momeni, “I’ll ask or the cops will,” but Elyassnia claimed not to recall sending the message, Lamb reported.
“I talked to the attorney today about your overdose and attempted rape case,” Momeni responded, to which she replied, “Lol, you dumb f–k, Bob never touched me, No one did.”
Momeni allegedly killed Lee after coming to believe he drugged and raped his sister. David G. McIntyre
She then said she was not sexually assaulted, but asserted she did not wish to discuss what happened, claiming the messages were “not the real me talking,” and repeating her claim that she was under the influence of multiple drugs during the exchange.
“I don’t usually threaten to call the cops on my brother. I exaggerate and get dramatic, I may have said this, it’s possible,” Lamb wrote.
The prosecutor noted the siblings did not communicate for three days following this exchange, which he noted was an anomaly in their communication patterns over the preceding months.
Elyassnia, who allegedly was involved in an affair with slain millionaire Lee, has been a central figure in the explosive trial in which her brother is facing accusations he stabbed the tech executive to death defending his sister’s honor.
Momeni claims that he killed Lee in self defense. David G. McIntyre
Elyassnia seen leaving her attorney’s office earlier in the day. David G. McIntyre
Lee and Elyassnia, who is married to a prominent plastic surgeon, allegedly shared a penchant for a glitzy, underground San Francisco party scene known as “The Lifestyle,” infamous for free-flowing drugs and casual sex.
On the night of the killing, Elyassnia and Lee had attended one of the raucous gatherings, and Momeni had come to believe Lee had drugged and raped his sister, prosecutors alleged during opening statements Monday.
This led Momeni to seek vengeance on his sister’s behalf, with prosecutors alleging he viciously stabbed the Silicon Valley mogul in the early morning hours of April 4, 2023.
Mahnaz Momeni, mother of Nima Momeni, arriving at the courthouse. David G. McIntyre
Mahnaz Momeni making a heart gesture at her son’s murder trial. David G. McIntyre
This led Momeni to seek out vengeance on his sister’s behalf, with prosecutors alleging he viciously stabbed the Silicon Valley mogul in the early morning hours of April 4, 2023.
That night, 43-year-old Lee was found bleeding out and begging for help in the heart of San Francisco at 2:30 a.m., soon after he was seen leaving Elyassnia’s tony Millennium Tower home alongside Momeni.
Momeni has pleaded not guilty, his lawyers saying he killed Lee in self-defense, alleging the tech founder was high on drugs and tried to slash Momeni.
Momeni at his arraignment on May 2, 2024. AP
Elyassnia is married to prominent plastic surgeon Dr. Dino Elyassnia. Dino Elyassnia/Facebook
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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