Tech entrepreneur Nima Momeni guilty of murdering Cash App founder Bob Lee
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A tech consultant has been found guilty of the murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee. Nima Momeni stabbed the 43-year-old entrepreneur in a drug-fueled dispute over Momeni’s sister, and now faces up to 15 years in jail for second-degree murder. The jury in San Francisco heard Mr Lee, a beloved tech mogul, was found staggering on a deserted street, dripping a trail of blood and calling for help. He later died in hospital.
Momeni, 39, had been spotted on CCTV with Mr Lee just minutes before the stabbing and was swiftly arrested by police. Prosecutors alleged Momeni had got revenge on behalf of his younger sister, Khazar Elyassnia, who was having an affair with Mr Lee. Elyassnia testified in court she was sexually assaulted by Mr Lee’s drug dealer on the day before the homicide. Prosecutors told the jury Momeni described himself as an “overprotective big brother” and that he blamed Mr Lee for the assault.
The prosecution told jurors that Momeni lured Mr Lee to a secluded place and then viciously stabbed him with a kitchen knife he had taken from his sister’s apartment. Mr Lee was found with ketamine and other drugs in his system at the time of his death, and had reportedly been drinking with Momeni and Ms Elyassnia the day before his murder.
During the six-week trial, Momeni took the stand on his own behalf, testifying that he acted in self-defence after Mr Lee got aggressive with him. Momeni told the jurors: “I made a bad joke. I said, 'If it was my last night in town, I’d go hang out with my family instead of f***ing around in strip clubs.' It set him off. He just blew up in front of me. He went from zero to one hundred.".
