A San Francisco jury convicted Nima Momeni, a 40-year-old tech consultant, of second-degree murder in the stabbing death of Bob Lee, the renowned founder of Cash App. Lee, 43, a prominent figure in the tech world, was killed in April 2023. Momeni, who was facing first-degree murder charges, now faces a sentence of 16 years to life in prison. His attorney, Tony Brass, has stated his intention to appeal the verdict.
The tragic incident unfolded in the early morning hours of April 4, 2023, when Lee was found bleeding profusely in a doorway on a San Francisco street. He had sustained stab wounds to the hip and heart and had called 911 for help before succumbing to his injuries at a hospital.
Who is Nima Momeni
According to his LinkedIn page, Nima Momeni owns Expand IT. His profile describes the company as providing IT solutions in the Bay Area since 2010.
Bob Lee’s killing shocked’ Silicon Valley.
Lee, a highly respected figure in the tech community, was known for his contributions to Google Android and Square’s Cash App. He later served as a top executive at MobileCoin. His untimely death, which occurred while he was visiting San Francisco from his new home in Miami, shocked the tech world and sparked widespread concern about safety in the city.
The killing of Bob Lee, a well-respected and influential figure in the tech industry, had a significant impact. It sparked widespread discussion about safety concerns in San Francisco and fueled speculation about the city’s post-pandemic challenges.
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins expressed relief at the jury’s verdict, stating that she feared a mistrial. Momeni is scheduled to be sentenced in February or March.
San Francisco DA Jenkins calls out Elon Musk.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins reportedly thanked the attorneys who prosecuted the case outside the courtroom after the guilty verdict was read. “I knew I was confident that we had the best two handling this case,” Jenkins said, as per a report in SFGate. “And I think the verdict was a testament to the hard work they put in, to the great lawyers that they are, and to their commitment to justice and to making sure that this family received justice.”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, after Lee was stabbed in April 2023, reportedly blamed the widely discussed attack on San Francisco’s governance. He wrote on X, “Violent crime in SF is horrific, and even if attackers are caught, they are often released immediately. Is the city taking stronger action to incarcerate repeat violent offenders, @BrookeJenkinsSF?”
“I think that, hopefully, now we have established what truly happened here again. We all know that after Bob Lee was murdered, Elon Musk took to Twitter to make an effort to shame San Francisco and to make it seem like this was about lawlessness in San Francisco and about what’s going on in our streets,” Jenkins said.
“After Elon Musk’s tweet, within 24 hours, it had 6 million views worldwide,” Jenkins said, “and that inhibits San Francisco from thriving. And he was incorrect.”
Conflicting accounts and key evidence
The prosecution and defence presented starkly different narratives of the events leading to Lee’s death.
Prosecution’s Argument: Prosecutors argued that Momeni, driven by anger over Lee’s alleged involvement in his sister’s drug abuse, fatally stabbed Lee with a paring knife.
Defence’s Argument: Momeni’s lawyers maintained that he acted in self-defence, claiming that Lee lunged at him with the knife after a “bad joke” during a social gathering.
Key evidence in the case included DNA on the knife handle, matching Momeni’s DNA. The prosecution emphasized the lack of a 911 call from Momeni, casting doubt on his self-defence claim.
