CA - Cash App Creator, Bob Lee, Stabbed to Death, San Francisco, Apr 2023 *Arrest*

[neesaki]

San Francisco authorities announced an arrest in the stabbing death of Cash App founder Bob Lee Thursday, more than a week after another man allegedly stabbed him in the ribs near the Bay Bridge.

During the announcement, as authorities sought to reassure the public that police are well-equipped to handle homicide investigations, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins twice took aim at Elon Musk, the former Silicon Valley tech titan who relocated to Texas.

After San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott confirmed that the suspect, 38-year-old Nima Momeni, knew Lee, Jenkins switched gears and knocked the Tesla founder's tweets on the tragedy.

"While we're not going to release any additional facts at this time, I must point out that reckless and irresponsible statements like those contained in Mr. Musk's tweet that assumed incorrect circumstances about Mr. Lee's death serve to mislead the world in their perceptions of San Francisco and also negatively impact the pursuit of justice for victims of crime as it spreads misinformation at a time when the police are trying to solve a very difficult case," she said

A few minutes later, when asked about public safety in the city, she invoked Musk's name again.

"Since this incident happened, since waking up to Elon Musk's tweet, my office has worked hard to actually tell people not to make assumptions about this case," she said. "We knew nothing about the facts of this case immediately after it happened."

No one did, she said, adding that she had urged patience as the investigation played out.

San Francisco DA slams Elon Musk during arrest announcement in Cash App founder murder

San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins took aim at SpaceX founder Elon Musk at a news briefing Thursday about an arrest in a tech exec's homicide case.

www.foxbusiness.com

Reactions Pour In to the Arrest In Tech Exec Bob Lee's Murder

We can expect many of the San Francisco doomsayers and friends of Elon Musk to either stay silent or turn defensive following the revelation that a fellow tech entrepreneur is the prime suspect in Bob Lee's stabbing.

sfist.com

What I read posted by EM, he wasn’t really making assumptions about the case, he was speaking out about increasing violent crime in SF in general, and how violent offenders are being released immediately.
But of course the DA doesn’t like the criticism either way. It sounds to me as though the criticism is deserved. Jmo

 

[sds71]

Bob Lee’s alleged killer quizzed Lee about “inappropriate” contact with his sister and drug use, court documents reveal

https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23777761/momeni-charging-documents.pdf

Footage Appears to Show Suspect Stabbing Bob Lee With a Kitchen Knife

New details from court filings show Lee's interactions with the suspect's sister may be at the heart of the alleged crime.

sfstandard.com

 

[SophieRose]

Bob Lee, Nima Momeni argued over murder suspect’s sister, court records allege

The man accused of murdering Cash App founder Bob Lee stabbed him three times with a...

www.sfchronicle.com

There, the friend noticed Lee and Momeni having a conversation in which Lee tried to reassure Momeni that his sister was not doing drugs and that "nothing inappropriate had happened."

 

[10ofRods]

A search warrant needs probable cause before it can be signed by a judge and executed, right? And doesn't it need to be specific in what item(s) is /are to be searched for or seized?
I can understand Momeni's residence and the hotel where Lee stayed, but Momeni's sister's residence?

I am picturing a situation in which someone knows something about the brother/sister pair. For all we know, both men had been at the sister's house/condo at some point that evening. Even if the sister was being cooperative (say she noticed a knife missing and told LE) they would still get a search warrant before entering her home to take possession of the remaining set.

IMO.

 

[SophieRose]

Stabbed three times, once in the heart.

Footage Appears to Show Suspect Stabbing Bob Lee With a Kitchen Knife

New details from court filings show Lee's interactions with the suspect's sister may be at the heart of the alleged crime.

sfstandard.com

Video obtained by police also shows Lee was stabbed under the Bay Bridge on Main Street. The footage shows a stationary BMW and what appears to be Lee and Momeni standing outside of the car. At one point, the pair move closer together before Lee walks away, appearing to be wounded, as Momeni speeds away in his car.

 

[SophieRose]

I think someone posted this article earlier but here's a little early background on Momeni.

Bob Lee Killing Suspect Asked Neighbor For ‘All Your Alcohol’ Hours After Alleged Murder

Tech entrepreneur Nima Momeni worked hard and partied harder, neighbors and friends say. One person who knew him said he had been visibly on edge in the days after Lee’s killing.

www.forbes.com

“He was always working nights. We used to tease him and call him ‘Dracula’ because he had no choice [but to stay up late for work],” said a longtime family friend, who has known Momeni since he was a teenager living in the East Bay community of Albany.

“I cannot see him as a violent person, and I don’t know the circumstances that would make him violent, but he’s the type that avoids violence,” the person said. According to this person, Momeni and his mother left their home in Mashad, Iran in the years following the Iranian Revolution of 1979. They recalled Momeni struggling to grow up without a father, but said he eventually found success in IT — enjoying “cars, boats and girls” in his free time.

 

[whitelilac]

"A week ago, a visibly on-edge Momeni then asked this person to travel to Colombia with him."
from the article linked above.

Why on earth Colombia? Curious.
Does he even speak Spanish? Maybe he knows people there I guess.

 

[Zinn]

Article includes link to court documents.

Bob Lee was confronted by accused killer about sister: court documents

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Just hours before tech mogul Bob Lee was brutally stabbed to death in San Francisco, a witness overheard a conversation between the Cash App founder and his accused kil…

www.kron4.com

 

[whitelilac]

Article includes link to court documents.

Bob Lee was confronted by accused killer about sister: court documents

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Just hours before tech mogul Bob Lee was brutally stabbed to death in San Francisco, a witness overheard a conversation between the Cash App founder and his accused kil…

www.kron4.com

According to those documents, it seems this murder may have been planned....taking Lee to a secluded area in the opposite direction to Lee's hotel, ...and bringing the kitchen knife with him taken from an apartment/kitchen (his sister's where they were before ?). And, the report states he stabbed with intention to kill.

What was this guy thinking ??? Did he really think he'd get away with it? All the surveillance, Witness 1, throwing the bloody knife away etc?
Now he will go to prison for the rest of his life.

Just awful.
The poor daughters, left without a dad.....

 

[Sundog]

Article includes link to court documents.

Bob Lee was confronted by accused killer about sister: court documents

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Just hours before tech mogul Bob Lee was brutally stabbed to death in San Francisco, a witness overheard a conversation between the Cash App founder and his accused kil…

www.kron4.com

In the interview with the D.A. at this link, she says that they have not yet made the decision as to whether they will charge NM with first degree murder (premeditated) or with second degree murder (crime of passion), but she also said something to the effect of "who drives around with a kitchen knife in their car." So obviously leaning toward first degree murder. When asked by reporters if the kitchen knife came from his sister's apartment, the D.A. said they don't know that yet, the investigation is ongoing.

 

[Luna20]

Strange sibling relationship. The sister is married. Maybe Nima was thinking Lee was going to do business with his sister and was jealous?

A quote from the sister to Lee:
“Just wanted to make sure your doing ok Cause I know nima came wayyyyyy down hard on you,” she wrote”

“And thank you for being such a class man handling it with class. Love you Selfish pricks.”

Nima Momeni allegedly killed Cash App founder Bob Lee over fight about sister, court docs say

IT consultant Nima Momeni fatally stabbed CashApp founder Bob Lee through the heart after the pair fought about the suspect’s sister and whether they were doing “anything inappropriate.&#8221…

nypost.com

 

[Zinn]

Strange sibling relationship. The sister is married. Maybe Nima was thinking Lee was going to do business with his sister and was jealous?

A quote from the sister to Lee:
“Just wanted to make sure your doing ok Cause I know nima came wayyyyyy down hard on you,” she wrote”

“And thank you for being such a class man handling it with class. Love you Selfish pricks.”

Nima Momeni allegedly killed Cash App founder Bob Lee over fight about sister, court docs say

IT consultant Nima Momeni fatally stabbed CashApp founder Bob Lee through the heart after the pair fought about the suspect’s sister and whether they were doing “anything inappropriate.&#8221…

nypost.com

The sister and victim knew each other for at least 3-4 years according to the court documents that state the witness (victim’s friend) became acquainted with her through the victim 3-4 years ago.

 

[Sundog]

Strange sibling relationship. The sister is married. Maybe Nima was thinking Lee was going to do business with his sister and was jealous?

A quote from the sister to Lee:
“Just wanted to make sure your doing ok Cause I know nima came wayyyyyy down hard on you,” she wrote”

“And thank you for being such a class man handling it with class. Love you Selfish pricks.”

Nima Momeni allegedly killed Cash App founder Bob Lee over fight about sister, court docs say

IT consultant Nima Momeni fatally stabbed CashApp founder Bob Lee through the heart after the pair fought about the suspect’s sister and whether they were doing “anything inappropriate.&#8221…

nypost.com

Maybe NM was concerned about preserving his sister's marriage, maybe NM benefited monetarily from his sister's lifestyle and so didn't want anything "inappropriate" to happen to jeopardize it. Just speculating on possible motive of the murderer.

 

[SophieRose]

According to those documents, it seems this murder may have been planned....taking Lee to a secluded area in the opposite direction to Lee's hotel, ...and bringing the kitchen knife with him taken from an apartment/kitchen (his sister's where they were before ?). And, the report states he stabbed with intention to kill.

What was this guy thinking ??? Did he really think he'd get away with it? All the surveillance, Witness 1, throwing the bloody knife away etc?
Now he will go to prison for the rest of his life.

Just awful.
The poor daughters, left without a dad.....

Bob Lee’s killing called ‘planned and deliberate’, prosecutors say

Nima Momeni, who appeared in court, is suspected of stabbing the Cash App founder with a kitchen knife and leaving him to die

www.theguardian.com

Momeni made his first court appearance on Friday, but did not enter a plea. Wearing 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.

Momeni is being detained without bail and faces 26 years to life in prison if convicted, according to the district attorney’s office.

Several of Momeni’s relatives filled the courtroom on Friday, including his younger sister Khazar Elyassnia, who officials say was at the center of a dispute between the suspect and Lee, and her husband, Dino Elyassnia, a prominent San Francisco plastic surgeon.

 

[Rick_hadlee]

It is shocking Bob Lee would agree to get a ride from someone like Nima after what transpired earlier. Why didn't he just call taxi or uber ?

 

[Sundog]

Strange sibling relationship. The sister is married. Maybe Nima was thinking Lee was going to do business with his sister and was jealous?

A quote from the sister to Lee:
“Just wanted to make sure your doing ok Cause I know nima came wayyyyyy down hard on you,” she wrote”

“And thank you for being such a class man handling it with class. Love you Selfish pricks.”

Nima Momeni allegedly killed Cash App founder Bob Lee over fight about sister, court docs say

IT consultant Nima Momeni fatally stabbed CashApp founder Bob Lee through the heart after the pair fought about the suspect’s sister and whether they were doing “anything inappropriate.&#8221…

nypost.com

I get that family members support each other even when serious crimes take place, especially early on, but NM exchanging hand-heart-signals with his sister in the court room?

Edited to add - I can see this coming from him (NM), but for his sister to return the gesture in open court with the gravity of this crime and her friendship with the victim?

 

[Sundog]

It is shocking Bob Lee would agree to get a ride from someone like Nima after what transpired earlier. Why didn't he just call taxi or uber ?

I wonder if the reason Bob Lee left his hotel to go to Khazar's condo was to set things straight with Nima. Timeline from Bob Lee's friend says that Bob Lee left his hotel around 12:30 a.m. to go over to Khazar's condo (and this was after the call or facetime that he had with Nima). He may have gone over there to set the record straight. Security video shows Nima and Bob Lee leaving the condo at 2:00 a.m. So Bob Lee was there at the condo for just over an hour. He may have thought that he had been able to smooth things over with Nima, but that was obviously not the case. If Nima was leaving to go home, he probably offered Bob Lee a ride home, which Bob Lee accepted in good faith. I don't see anything odd about this.

edited spelling of name of suspect

 

[everybodhi]

Tech Leaders Blamed San Francisco for Bob Lee’s Killing. Then Came the Arrest.

Mr. Lee was killed in an upscale neighborhood called Rincon Hill, which sits between Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, and a quiet area near the bay that houses offices for companies like Google, Meta and Salesforce. San Francisco was a city he loved, Mr. Lee’s brother, Oliver Lee, said on Thursday, adding that the moves to critique the city in light of his death “wouldn’t have been like him.”

As news of his killing spread last week, some technology entrepreneurs and venture capitalists based in the Bay Area concluded that San Francisco’s approach to crime and homelessness had led to his death.

In an interview on Friday, Mr. Dash called himself an acquaintance of Mr. Lee who was familiar with the slain man’s zeal for San Francisco. “He didn’t want to see San Francisco demonized,” Mr. Dash said. “To contradict the man’s values and use it for political gain for things he did not agree with is the height of cynicism.”

Brett Ashton, 56, who is Black and has worked for tech companies in the Bay Area for more than 30 years, said that he was not surprised by Mr. Musk’s comments, given what the Tesla chief and Twitter owner had said in the past. But he said he felt that Mr. Calacanis had crossed over into new territory by blaming the local community.

“Their comments are very much about Black people and brown people and people that don’t look like them,” he said in an interview. “They are just pushing a narrative that tech bros are being victimized by a dystopian hellscape.”

 

[positive]

I wonder if the reason Bob Lee left his hotel to go to Khazar's condo was to set things straight with Nima. Timeline from Bob Lee's friend says that Bob Lee left his hotel around 12:30 a.m. to go over to Khazar's condo (and this was after the call or facetime that he had with Nima). He may have gone over there to set the record straight. Security video shows Nima and Bob Lee leaving the condo at 2:00 a.m. So Bob Lee was there at the condo for just over an hour. He may have thought that he had been able to smooth things over with Nima, but that was obviously not the case. If Nima was leaving to go home, he probably offered Bob Lee a ride home, which Bob Lee accepted in good faith. I don't see anything odd about this.

edited spelling of name of suspect

I respectfully disagree. "Business" meeting at 1230am after a facetime call? Odds are there was a relationship beyond "business " here. I don't know what it was. For a brother to stab a man to death that just had a facetime and a late night meet up with his sister sounds odd to me. Not saying they were involved in a romantic manner. Just saying this was not a silicon valley tech meeting....who lnows tho. Just my gut feeling.

 

[Sundog]

I respectfully disagree. "Business" meeting at 1230am after a facetime call? Odds are there was a relationship beyond "business " here. I don't know what it was. For a brother to stab a man to death that just had a facetime and a late night meet up with his sister sounds odd to me. Not saying they were involved in a romantic manner. Just saying this was not a silicon valley tech meeting....who lnows tho. Just my gut feeling.

I think you misread my post. Never claimed this was a business meeting on either facetime or phone, or in person when Bob Lee arrived at the condo. It clearly was about the sister and Bob Lee and Nima's concern about what may have transpired when his sister was with Bob Lee and his friend.