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.
Timeline of Bob Lee murder – Cash App founder who moved out of San Francisco due to rising crime rate
What we know about the murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee
Suspect in Cash App founder Bob Lee’s deadly stabbing has prior knife arrest- Cash app founder’s murder suspect smiles at family in first court appearance
- Nima Momeni: Who is the tech executive arrested for murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee?
VIDEO: Cash App Founder Bob Lee Knew the Suspect Who Allegedly Stabbed Him to Death
Momeni’s criminal record: DUI, selling knife, suspended license, and hunted by IRS
Mr Momeni had a criminal record before being accused of murder. In 2011, he was charged in Alameda County with selling a switchblade knife and driving with a suspended license, according to The Chronicle. The knife charge was dismissed and he pled no contest to the driving offence.
He was sentenced to 10 days behind bars and three years probation, a $900 fine, and he was ordered to destroy the knife. He was also charged with drunk driving in 2004.
In 2017, the IRS told him to provide $18,433 in unpaid taxes, and $32,014 in 2011.
What do we know about Bob Lee’s final moments?
Lee had been a high-profile member of the San Francisco tech community prior to relocating to Miami late last year.
The former chief technology officer for mobile payments giant Square had returned to his former hometown for a MobileCoin tech conference when he was killed.
According to the Mission Local, police believe Lee and the suspect had been in a car together in the early hours of 4 April when a fight broke out between the pair.
Citing police sources, the news site alleges that the tech executive stabbed Lee twice outside the vehicle, and responding officers recovered a knife nearby.
Lee’s murder was seized on by high-profile members of San Francisco’s tech community including Elon Musk as another example of the city’s drug-fueled crime epidemic.
San Francisco Board of Supervisors member Matt Dorsey said he was “grateful” to the city’s homicide division for “their tireless work to bring Bob Lee’s killer to justice and for their arrest of a suspect this morning” in a Twitter post.
“Obviously, nothing can undo this senseless crime, and we reiterate our condolences to Mr. Lee’s family members, friends and colleagues. But I hope today’s arrest can begin a process of healing and closure for all those touched by this tragedy,” he added.
Stabbing came after argument over suspect’s sister, court papers say
Bob Lee was stabbed three times with a four-inch kitchen knife after an argument with suspect Nima Momeni over the latter’s sister, court papers claim.
Prosecutors say that at some point while the two men were together, 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."
Cash app founder was stabbed three times after argument with suspect over sister
Suspect Nima Momeni smiled at his family during his first court appearance charged with murder on Friday
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, Mr Momeni said.
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 executive allegedly arrested for murder of Bob Lee?
Nima Momeni has been charged with the murder, according to county jail records
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
VIDEO: Cash App founder stabbing murder suspect's arraignment delayed
Suspect in Cash App founder Bob Lee’s deadly stabbing has prior knife arrest
The suspect in the deadly stabbing of Cash App founder Bob Lee has previously been arrested for a knife offence.
Police in San Francisco arrested tech executive Nima Momeni on Thursday at about 5am.
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.
Read more:
Suspect in Cash App founder Bob Lee’s deadly stabbing has prior knife arrest
Nima Momeni was ordered to destroy switchblade after 2011 charge dismissed
Suspect in Cash App founder killing makes court appearance
The 38-year-old tech consultant charged in the stabbing death of Cash App founder Bob Lee made his first appearance in a San Francisco courtroom Friday but did not enter a plea.
Nima Momeni, a tech consultant who police say knew Lee, is now scheduled to be arraigned April 25.
The judge ordered Momeni held in jail without bail, as requested by San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins.
Momeni appeared in court in an orange sweatshirt and pants. He did not speak except to say “yes, your honor” when the judge asked if he agreed to decline his right to a speedy trial.
He is represented by Burlingame attorney Paula Canny, who is on vacation and whose brother Robert Canny, also an attorney, appeared in her place Friday. “The facts of what occurred, or didn’t occur, will come out over time,” he told reporters after the hearing.
Read more:
Suspect in Cash App founder killing makes court appearance
The 38-year-old tech consultant charged in the stabbing death of Cash App founder Bob Lee has made his first appearance in a San Francisco courtroom, but he did not enter a plea
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.