THE tech worker accused of fatally stabbing CashApp founder Bob Lee has learned his fate over a year after the shocking murder.
Nima Momeni, 40, was convicted of second-degree murder in connection with Lee‘s killing in an apparent revenge plot on his sister’s behalf.
CashApp founder Bob Lee was stabbed to death on April 2, 2023[/caption]
Nima Momeni, seen in court on May 2, 2023, was found guilty of second-degree murder in connection to the fatal stabbing of Cashapp founder Bob Lee[/caption]
The jury, which began deliberations on December 4, did not convict Momeni of first-degree murder.
A verdict was reached on Monday but was read in court on Tuesday.
Timothy Oliver Lee, the brother of the murdered CashApp founder, proclaimed that justice was served.
Lee’s ex-wife, Krista, described the trial length as “absolutely excruciating” but was not surprised the jury took seven days to reach a verdict.
When asked by KRON-TV if anything less than a first-degree murder conviction would be “injustice” to her, Krista responded, “In a way, yes, it would be. Absolutely.”
In the early hours of April 2, 2023, Momeni stabbed Lee three times with a kitchen knife near San Francisco’s Bay Bridge after a night of partying, prosecutors say.
Lee then stumbled to the nearby neighborhood of Rincon Hill, where he called 911 and was found screaming for help with some of his final breaths.
The CashApp founder was taken to the hospital but died on the surgery table.
Lee’s death shocked the tech industry, as he had thrived in top-tier software positions.
He worked for successful brands like Square and SpaceX and, when he died, was the chief product officer of the cryptocurrency platform MobileCoin.
However, investigations into the murder revealed he was allegedly tied up in the underground drug-fueled party scene called The Lifestyle – which was favored by new money socialites.
Prosecutors say Momeni went into a murderous rage after Lee introduced his sister, Khazar Elyassnia, to one of his drug dealers, who slipped her date rape drug GHB and sexually assaulted her.
Defense attorneys refuted the prosection’s claims, arguing that Lee sparked the attack and that Momeni, using his Krav Maga martial arts skills, disarmed the tech giant.
Elyassnia also claimed in court that the alleged assault by the drug dealer never happened.
Momeni confronted Lee about the assault the day before his murder, but the tech mogul denied everything, prosecutors say.
The next day, Lee and Momeni went to the enviable Millennium Tower, where Elyassnia and her plastic surgeon husband live, for a party.
Disturbing surveillance footage showed the pair appearing to argue with one another in the elevator.
At about 2 am, the CashApp founder was seen getting into Momeni’s car to keep the night going, prosecutors said.
Additional video captured Lee and Momeni outside his car near the Bay Bridge. Momeni appeared to be violently thrusting toward Lee’s shadowy figure.
An autopsy found Lee had three clean stab wounds, which prosecutors argued was proof there was no struggle.
He also had a mix of alcohol and a cocaine blend called cocaethylene in his system when he died.
During the trial, Momeni testified, “I was scared for my life,” as he sparred with prosecutors in a rambling cross-examination.
He claimed that Lee pulled a knife after he cracked a “bad joke,” suggesting he should be spending his night in the city with his family instead of going to a strip club.
Momeni faces 26 years to life if convicted.
Momeni, seen walking into the San Francisco court last year, allegedly killed Lee out of revenge for his sister[/caption]
Lee allegedly introduced his sister Khazar Elyassnia to a drug dealer who slipped her date rape drugs and sexually assaulted her[/caption]
Bob Lee was a father of two and was separated from his wife[/caption]
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