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As it happenedended

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

Gustaf Kilander,Graeme Massie
Monday 17 April 2023 10:15 EDT
Bob Lee, former Square chief technology officer and Cash App founder, killed in San Francisco

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.

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’

Graig Graziosi16 April 2023 03:00

What we know about the murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee

High-profile tech entrepreneur Bob Lee was stabbed to death outside a luxury apartment building in San Francisco in the early hours of 4 April.

The 43-year-old 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.

The tech executive was treated at the scene by first responders before being rushed to hospital where he died from his injuries, police said.

Police arrested fellow tech executive Nima Momeni on 13 April in connection with the killing and he was booked into the San Francisco Sheriff’s Jail. The reported arrest has yet to be officially confirmed by the San Francisco Police Department.

Here’s what we know so far about the murder:

Graig Graziosi16 April 2023 04:00

ICYMI: Tech consultant charged in killing of Cash App founder Lee

A tech consultant was arrested and charged with murder Thursday in the stabbing death of the gregarious and popular Cash App founder Bob Lee last week in downtown San Francisco, authorities said.

Nima Momeni, 38, and Lee, 43, knew each other, San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said at a news conference, but he declined to elaborate on their connection. Momeni was taken into custody Thursday morning in Emeryville, a San Francisco suburb, and booked on suspicion of murder.

The stabbing death of Lee shocked the tech industry, with friends and former colleagues mourning the demise of a brilliant and generous man. Police found Lee with stab wounds in the Rincon Hill neighborhood of San Francisco at 2:30 a.m. April 4. He died at a hospital.

Scott declined to give details on how they linked the killing to Momeni. The chief also refused to disclose a possible motive. Investigators served search warrants in San Francisco and Emeryville. Scott would not say whether a weapon has been found.

San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said in a statement that Momeni has been charged with murder in Lee’s death and is expected to be arraigned Friday. Prosecutors will ask a judge to hold him without bail, she said.

AP16 April 2023 04:59

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.

AP16 April 2023 06:00

VIDEO: Cash App founder stabbing murder suspect's arraignment delayed

Cash App founder stabbing murder suspect's arraignment delayed
Graig Graziosi16 April 2023 07:00

‘Bob loved being in San Francisco, and San Francisco loved Bob’

Bob Lee’s brother, Tim Oliver Lee, posted on Facebook the family’s gratitude to the San Francisco Police Department for catching the suspect. Tim Lee said his brother dreamed of making technology accessible to all and that he made friends from all walks of life.

“Bob loved being in San Francisco, and San Francisco loved Bob. Walking down the street would sometimes be difficult because every young person with a dream would search him out, and he would make time for every one,” his brother wrote.

After Lee’s killing, prominent tech leaders, including tech billionaire Elon Musk, took to Twitter to mourn Lee’s death and blame San Francisco for what they called the city’s lax attitude toward crime.

Musk tweeted at Jenkins, saying that crime in San Francisco is “horrific” and that even when attackers are caught, they are often immediately released.

Mayor London Breed and other top city officials have pushed against that narrative and on Thursday, Jenkins addressed Musk directly.

“I must point out that reckless and irresponsible statements like those contained in Mr. Musk tweet that assumed incorrect circumstances about Mr. Lee’s death serve to mislead the world in their perceptions of San Francisco,” Jenkins said.

AP16 April 2023 08:00

VIDEO: Cash App founder Bob Lee and stabbing suspect Nima Momeni knew each other

Cash App founder stabbing death arrest
Graig Graziosi16 April 2023 09:00

Nima Momeni: Who is the tech executive arrested for murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee?

Nima Momeni: Who is the tech executive arrested for murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee?

Police in San Francisco arrested tech executive Nima Momeni on Thursday for the fatal stabbing of Cash App founder Bob Lee.

Mr Momeni, 38, allegedly stabbed the 43-year-old after being involved in an altercation while driving in San Francisco’s Rincon Hill early on 4 April.

San Francisco Police Chief William Scott confirmed Mr Momeni had been charged with one count of murder at a press conference on Thursday.

The suspect was arrested without incident at an address in Emeryville, a city in the Bay Area, early on Thursday.

The Mission Local news site was the first to report the arrest, and said that the pair were known to each other.

Read more:

Who is Nima Momeni, the tech exec arrested for murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee?

Nima Momeni has been charged with the murder, according to county jail records

Graig Graziosi16 April 2023 10:00

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

Graig Graziosi16 April 2023 11:00

Cash App founder Bob Lee reportedly stabbed by a kitchen knife, prosecutors reveal

Bob Lee, the founder of Cash App who was murdered earliert this month, was reportedly stabbed with a kitchen knife, according to prosecutors.

NBC Bay Area reviewed court documents that provide further details into the night Mr Lee was murdered.

They further say the attack was “planned” and “deliberate.”

Nima Momeni, another tech executive, has been arrested in connection with Mr Lee’s death.

Graig Graziosi16 April 2023 13:00

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