Cash App founder stabbed – latest: Bob Lee argued over Nima Momeni’s sister before murder, court told
Nima Momeni was arrested on Thursday – one week after Cash App owner Bob Lee was discovered in the Rincon Hill area of San Francisco after being fatally stabbed
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Cash app founder Bob Lee was allegedly stabbed following an argument about his suspected killer’s sister, according to court papers.
Nima Momeni, 38, is accused of stabbing the 43-year-old tech executive three times with a four-inch kitchen knife, including twice in the chest, the documents state, according to NBC News.
Prosecutors say that at some point during the incident, Mr Momeni’s sister sent a text to Lee, which stated, “Just wanted to make sure your doing ok Cause know nima came wayyyyyy down hard on you.”
Nima Momeni appeared in court for the first time on Friday after the case sparked a furious debate about public safety in San Francisco.
The suspect was wearing an orange sweatshirt and sweatpants as his sister and another woman held up their hands in the shape of a heart as the suspect smiled at them.
“The facts will come out, what’s basically in the press is inaccurate,” Mr Momeni’s stand-in lawyer told the press.
In a press conference announcing Mr Momeni’s arrest for murder on Thursday, San Francisco officials confirmed that the two men knew each other but declined to provide details.
Lee’s family friend later told The San Francisco Chronicle that the two tech executives are thought to have known each other through Mr Momeni’s sister, who Lee had recently gotten to know.
The two men were hanging out together on the night of the fatal stabbing, the friend said.
San Francisco DA slams Elon Musk as ‘reckless and irresponsible’ after tech executive arrested for Bob Lee murder
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins attacked Elon Musk’s “reckless and irresponsible statements” about the murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee at a press conference on Thursday.
Tech executive Nima Momeni, 38, was arrested in Emeryville on Thursday morning and booked into San Francisco County Jail on a charge of murder with an enhancement for using a knife, Ms Jenkins confirmed.
Police said that Mr Momeni, the owner of Expand IT, knew Lee but didn’t provide further information about their ties.
Ms Jenkins said Mr Musk’s comments in the early stages of the investigation had “served to mislead the world in their perceptions of San Francisco and also negatively impact the pursuit of justice for victims of crime”.
Read more:
DA slams Musk’s ‘reckless and irresponsible’ tweet after Bob Lee murder arrest
“I must point out that reckless and irresponsible statements like those contained Mr Musk’s tweet that assume incorrect circumstances about Mr Lee’s death,” Brooke Jenkins said
Bob Lee and stabbing suspect were reportedly discussing Momeni’s sister and drug use before his death
Court documents have provided a glimpse into the night Cash App founder Bob Lee was stabbed to death in San Franciscio.
Mr Lee had reportedly been hanging out and drinking with friends, including fellow tech exec Nima Momeni’s sister, the day before the stabbing, according to SFGate. The party eventually moved to Mr Lee’s room at a nearby hotel where he had been staing.
Witnesses told investigators they later saw Mr Momeni allegedly asking Mr Lee if he had seen his sister “doing drugs or anything inappropriate.”
Mr Lee reportedly assured Mr Momeni “that nothing inappropriate had happened” involving his sister.
The men visited Mr Momeni’s sister the following day, after which security footage allegedly shows Mr Lee being led by Mr Momeni into a “dark and secluded” area of Main Street, near where Mr Lee would eventually be found dead.
Bob Lee, Nima Momeni, and Momeni’s sister argued around the time he was killed
Prosecutors revealed that Bob Lee, the founder of Cash App, had been arguing with fellow tech executive Nima Momeni before his death.
A text message from Mr Momeni’s sister was found on Bob Lee’s phone around the time of his death. In the message she thanks him for being a “classy man” and apologises for her brother apparently being hard on him.
“Just wanted to make sure your doing ok Cause I know nima came wayyyyyy down hard on you And thank you for being such a classy |man handling it with class Love you Selfish pricks.”
Witnesses told investigators that Mr Nomeni had allegedly asked Mr Lee if Ms Nomeni had been “doing drugs or anything inappropriate” at a party the night before the murder.
Mr Nomeni has been arrested on suspicion of killing Mr Lee.
Suspect lived and worked in ‘typical Bay Area technology consultant’s office’
Publicist Sam Singer met Momeni about a month ago as Singer has an office next door to Momeni’s live-work loft in the stylish Besler Building Lofts. Singer described Momeni as “very welcoming, warm” and his loft as a “typical Bay Area technology consultant’s office” with a big pool table, gourmet food and high-end stereo system.
Lee is known for creating the widely used mobile payment service Cash App while working as chief technology officer of the payment company Square, now known as Block. He was the chief product officer for the cryptocurrency firm MobileCoin at the time of his death.
Lee was raised in Missouri and had recently moved to Miami with his father, but was back in San Francisco for business when he was killed. Friends described him as adventurous and fearless, and a doting father to his two children.
“I acknowledge and understand how the loss of a young, vibrant leader and innovator has rocked our city and even beyond,” DA Brooke Jenkins said at a news conference.
Suspect’s previous knife charge dismissed after he took plea
On Thursday, San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott announced Momeni’s arrest and said that the two men knew each other but declined to elaborate on their connection. He also refused to disclose a possible motive.
The stabbing death of Lee shocked the tech industry, with friends and former colleagues mourning a man they described as brilliant, gregarious and a doting father to his two children.
Lee had recently moved to Miami with his father and was back in San Francisco for business when police found him with stab wounds in the downtown Rincon Hill neighborhood at 2:30 a.m. April 4. He died at a hospital.
Lee is known for creating the widely used mobile payment service Cash App while working as chief technology officer of the payment company Square, now known as Block.
On his LinkedIn profile, Momeni describes himself as an “IT Consultant/Entrepreneur” as well as the owner of a company called Expand IT, described as an information technology consulting business in state filings.
Criminal records show Momeni was charged in 2011 for carrying a switchblade, a misdemeanor offense. The case was dismissed the following year after he took a plea.
Timeline of Bob Lee murder – Cash App founder who moved out of San Francisco
Bob Lee, who was the founder of the multibillion-dollar tech company Cash App, had relocated to Miami and was reportedly staying an extra day in San Francisco where he was stabbed to death on 4 April.
The 43-year-old tech mogul was found at 2.35am outside a luxury high rise apartment on the 300 block of Main St near Rincon Hill and the Bay Bridge with life-threatening stab wounds, the San Francisco Police Department said in a statement.
San Francisco police reportedly arrested fellow tech executive Nima Momeni in connection with the fatal stabbing of Cash App founder Bob Lee on 13 April.
The arrest was made on Thursday morning and Mr Momeni has been booked into the San Francisco Sheriff’s Jail.
Read more:
Timeline of Bob Lee murder – Cash App founder who moved out of San Francisco
Lee, a much loved member of the San Francisco tech community, was known as ‘Crazy Bob’
Attorney for Nima Momeni insists romance had nothing to do with Bob Lee’s death
The attorney representing Nima Momeni, the tech executive accused of killing Cash App founder Bob Lee, said that romance did contribute to the conflict between the men.
Investigators revealed that Mr Momeni had questioned Mr Lee about his sister’s behavior at a party. The same sister texted Mr Lee around the time of his death asking if he was ok and noting that her brother “came wayyyyyy down hard” on the Cash App founder.
Paula Canny, Mr Momeni’s attorney, said that romance did not factor into the dispute between the men, and insisted prosecutors brought charges against her client without proof of premeditation or malice.
Prosecutors claim Nima Momeni planned to kill Cash App founder Bob Lee
Prosecutors claim that Nima Momeni, the man accused of killing Cash App founder Bob Lee, planned the attack.
Mr Momeni’s attorney has rejected those claims and said the prosecutors have not produced evidence suggesting there was intent or malice behind the attack.
A text message from Mr Nomeni’s sister discovered on Mr Lee’s phone suggests the men had an argument shortly before Mr Lee’s death.
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