Bob Lee, 43, was fatally stabbed in San Francisco last year, startling the IT community. The murder trial of a tech consultant in the stabbing death of Cash App inventor Bob Lee began Monday, a year and a half after the internationally renowned entrepreneur was discovered staggering on a quiet downtown San Francisco street, seeking assistance.
Lee’s passing at age 43 surprised the technology community, with colleagues, CEOs, and engineers paying tribute to his compassion and talent. Lee was the chief product officer for cryptocurrency company MobileCoin when he died. He was a father of two children.
Prosecutors say Nima Momeni, 40, planned the April 4 attack after a disagreement with his younger sister, Khazar, with whom Lee was friends. They claim Momeni stole a knife from his sister’s condo, drove Lee to a remote location, stabbed him three times, and then left.
Defense lawyers disagree, claiming that Lee attacked Momeni while high on narcotics. “Our theory is that Bob had the knife, and Nima acted in self-defense,” attorney Saam Zangeneh explained. He stated that his client is anxious to explain his side of the tale, but they have not decided if Momeni will testify in his defense. Momeni, who resides in nearby Emeryville, California, has been in custody since being arrested days after Lee died at a San Francisco hospital. Momeni’s mother is constantly present at court proceedings, and he is very close to his sister.
According to court filings, Lee’s companion told homicide investigators that the day before the stabbing, he had been drinking with Momeni’s sister. Momeni later questioned Lee about his sister’s drug use or other inappropriate behavior, according to the buddy, and Lee denied it.
Lee’s final night surveillance video shows him entering the opulent Millennium Tower downtown, where Momeni’s sister resides with her husband, a well-known San Francisco plastic surgeon. The video shows Lee and Momeni leaving the building together at about 2 a.m. and driving in Momeni’s car. Lee was discovered around 2:30 a.m. in San Francisco’s Rincon Hill neighborhood, which includes tech companies and residences, but sees little activity in the early morning.
Police discovered a knife with a 4-inch (10-centimetre) blade at the site. Prosecutors claimed testing revealed Momeni’s DNA on the weapon’s grip and Lee’s DNA on the bloody knife. However, the defense argued that authorities should have checked the handle for fingerprints, namely Lee’s. Momeni has pled not guilty and faces a sentence of 26 years to life if convicted. San Francisco Superior Court Judge Alexandra Gordon has informed jurors that the trial could go until mid-December.
