Nima Momeni Convicted of Second-Degree Murder in Cash App Founder’s Fatal Stabbing – One America News Network
OAN Staff Abril Elfi
4:50 PM – Tuesday, December 17, 2024
Nima Momeni has been found guilty of second-degree murder by a San Francisco jury in the stabbing death of Cash App founder Bob Lee.
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On Tuesday, the jury convicted Momeni, 40, of second-degree murder, acquitting him of first-degree murder charges.
Reports indicate that Momeni remained “unemotional” during the verdict reading, while his lead attorney participated via Zoom. According to San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, Momeni could face “16 years to life” in prison.
Prosecutors allege that on April 4th, Momeni attacked Lee following a dispute concerning his younger sister, Khazar, with whom Lee had a close relationship.
Initially, the Wall Street Journal reported that Lee’s death was thought to be an act of random violence in a city experiencing rising crime. However, friends later suggested it stemmed from Lee’s “opulent lifestyle” within the affluent circles of the Bay Area, which often involve drugs and promiscuity among tech elites.
The prosecution claims that Momeni, a tech consultant, retrieved a knife from his sister’s condo, drove Lee to a secluded area in the Rincon Hill neighborhood, and then stabbed him three times before fleeing the scene.
“He was stabbed through the heart and left to die,” Assistant District Attorney Omid Talai stated during his opening arguments, outlining the expected evidence for the jurors.
Defense attorneys contended that Lee was “high on drugs” and acted aggressively towards Momeni, who they argued was merely defending himself.
“Our theory is that Bob had the knife and that Nima acted in self-defense,” stated attorney Saam Zangeneh.
Zangeneh noted that Momeni is eager to share his narrative, yet they have not decided if he will take the stand in his defense.
Momeni has been in custody since his arrest, while Lee succumbed to his injuries in a San Francisco hospital shortly after the incident.
Momeni’s mother, who has regularly attended court sessions, was present on Monday along with Lee’s relatives, including his brother, father, and ex-wife.
Court documents reveal that a friend of Lee’s informed homicide investigators that the day before the stabbing, they had been out drinking with Momeni’s sister. The friend noted that Momeni confronted Lee about his sister possibly using drugs or behaving inappropriately, to which Lee denied any such claims.
Surveillance footage from the night of the incident shows Lee entering Momeni’s sister’s residence at the Millennium Tower in downtown San Francisco, where she lives with her husband, a local plastic surgeon.
After 2 AM, both Lee and Momeni are captured on camera leaving the building together and driving off in Momeni’s vehicle. Around 2:30 AM, Lee was found in San Francisco’s Rincon Hill neighborhood, an area known for both tech businesses and condominiums.
Police recovered a knife with a 4-inch blade at the scene, with Momeni’s DNA found on the handle and Lee’s DNA on the blade, according to the prosecution. The defense argues that the police should have searched for Lee’s fingerprints as well.
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