money Bob Lee And His Alleged Killer Argued About Suspect's Sister The Night The Cash App Founder Was Killed, Prosecutors Say
The fellow tech entrepreneur accused of killing Bob Lee in San Francisco may have exchanged terse words with the Cash App founder before allegedly stabbing him with a kitchen knife and leaving him for dead.
Nima Momeni, 38, was arrested "without incident" in his home city of Emeryville on April 12 and booked into San Francisco County Jail, states a release from the San Francisco Police Department.
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According to charging documents from the San Francisco District Attorney's office that were reviewed by NBC Bay Area, witnesses and text messages retrieved from 43-year-old Lee's phone suggest that the two argued on the night of the alleged attack.
Lee "had to reassure [Momeni] nothing inappropriate had happened" after the accused killer "question[ed the] victim regarding whether his sister was doing drugs or anything appropriate," according to witness testimony cited in the document.
Cash App Founder Bob Lee Photo: Facebook
The witness, who prosecutors wrote had been friends with Lee for approximately 10 years, said he was "unsure if [Lee] and [Memoni's sister] had an intimate relationship."
A text Lee received from Momeni's sister suggests she was aware of the incident, according to court documents.
"Just wanted to make sure your [sic] doing ok I know nima came wayyyyy down hard on you And thank you for being such a classy man handling it with class," the message read. "Love you Selfish pricks."
Following the overheard argument, the two IT experts were seen driving to a secluded area of San Francisco in the early hours of April 4. Later, prosecutors wrote in the document, the two were seen standing together on a Rincon Hill sidewalk.
After about five minutes, they wrote, Momeni appeared to "suddenly move" toward the victim. Shortly afterward, Momeni was captured speeding away in a vehicle alone.
Cash App Founder And MobileCoin Executive Bob Lee Fatally Stabbed At 43 In San Francisco
Police responded to the stabbing on Main St. around 3 a.m., according to the document, where they found Lee bleeding and unresponsive. A medical examiner later determined that the Cash App founder died of a stab wound to the hip and two to the chest, one which directly penetrated his heart, per the document.
Police found blood spatter on both sides of the sidewalk down the block and found the murder weapon, a four-inch kitchen knife, discarded in a nearby parking lot.
Momeni was denied bail on April 14. He appeared in court wearing an orange sweatshirt and pants, according to NBC Bay Area, and only said "yes your Honor" when asked if he agreed to decline his right to a speedy trial. His arraignment was scheduled for April 25. He exchanged heart-shaped hand gestures with his family across the court room, according to The San Francisco Standard.
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If convicted, prosecutors said, Momeni faces 26 years to life in prison.
Paula Canny, Momeni's attorney, told NBC Bay Area that she intended to enter a not-guilty plea on her client's behalf, and insisted that he wasn't a flight risk.
"Is he a threat to public safety? Is he a flight risk? Given the fact that he has resided in his house the entire time and continued to work, he is clearly not a flight risk," Canny said.
The lawyer added that Momeni was a "super nice person" and that there is "so much more to this and a much greater backstory than is disclosed."
