OAN Staff Abril Elfi
3:40 PM – Monday, October 14, 2024
The murder trial of Nima Momeni, the man accused of fatally stabbing cash app founder Bob Lee, began on Monday.
Advertisement
According to prosecutors, on April 4th, Momeni attacked Lee after an alleged dispute over his younger sister, Khazar, with whom Lee was close with.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Lee’s death was initially thought to be the result of random violence in a city where crime is on the rise, but his friends later suggested it was most likely the result of the Cash App founder’s opulent lifestyle among the upper class of Bay Area society, where hard drugs and promiscuity are common.
Prosecutors claim that Momeni, a tech consultant, took a knife from his sister’s condo, drove Lee to a secluded area in a Rincon Hill neighborhood, and then stabbed him three times before fleeing.
“Stabbed through his heart and left to die,” Assistant District Attorney Omid Talai said in his opening argument to the jury, as he laid out what evidence jurors can expect.
However, defense lawyers argued that Lee was “high on drugs,” he tried to attack Momeni, and the suspect simply acted in self defense.
“Our theory is that Bob had the knife, and that Nima acted in self defense,” attorney Saam Zangeneh said.
Zangeneh noted that Momeni is very eager to tell his side of the story, but they have not yet decided whether he will testify in his defense.
Momeni has been in custody since his arrest, days after the attack. Lee passed away at a San Francisco hospital.
Momeni’s mother, who has consistently attended court appearances, was in the courtroom on Monday along with Lee’s brother, father, and ex-wife.
In court documents, prosecutors have stated that Lee’s friend had informed homicide investigators that the day prior to the stabbing, they had been out drinking with Momeni’s sister. According to the friend, when Momeni asked Lee later if his sister was using drugs or acting inappropriately, Lee replied that she hadn’t.
On surveillance footage from Lee’s last night, he can be seen entering Momeni’s sister’s residence at Millennium Tower downtown, where she lives with her husband, a well-known plastic surgeon in San Francisco, California.
After two in the morning, Lee and Momeni are seen on camera exiting the building together and taking off in Momeni’s vehicle. Around 2:30 a.m., Lee was discovered in San Francisco’s Rincon Hill neighborhood, which is home to both tech companies and condominiums, but typically less activity in the early morning.
At the scene, police found a knife with a 4-inch blade. Momeni’s DNA was found on the weapon’s handle, according to the prosecution, and Lee’s DNA was found on the bloody blade. However, the defense argued that the police should have looked for Lee’s fingerprints on the handle.
Momeni, who has pleaded not guilty, now faces 26 years to life in prison if convicted.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
Advertisements below