(Rightallegiance.com) – A San Francisco jury delivered a verdict on Tuesday convicting IT consultant Nima Momeni of second-degree murder in the 2023 fatal stabbing of tech entrepreneur Bob Lee. The killing, which initially sparked concerns over rampant street crime in the city, was later revealed to be the result of a personal dispute.
While the jury acquitted Momeni of first-degree murder, they unanimously found him guilty of second-degree murder. This decision came after deliberations that began on December 4 and concluded with the announcement of the verdict on December 5. Jurors were also asked to consider whether Momeni used a deadly weapon in the crime, as reported by NBC Bay Area.
Momeni remained stoic as the verdict was read, and his lead attorney, who attended the hearing via Zoom, showed little visible reaction. The 40-year-old now faces a potential sentence of 16 years to life in prison, according to San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins.
The victim, Bob Lee, was a 43-year-old tech executive best known as the founder of the money transfer platform Cash App. In the early hours of April 4, 2023, Lee was found gravely injured near downtown San Francisco. He had been stabbed multiple times and was rushed to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. Recordings from the incident revealed that a dispatcher alerted police to a man screaming for help and stating that he had been stabbed.
The case quickly garnered national attention, particularly after Elon Musk commented on social media, attributing Lee’s death to rising crime in San Francisco and criticizing local authorities for allegedly allowing repeat violent offenders to operate unchecked. However, just a week after Lee’s death, San Francisco police arrested Momeni, who had no prior history of violent crimes. Momeni’s sister was revealed to be a close friend of Lee, adding another layer of complexity to the case.
Prosecutors alleged that Momeni had driven Lee to a secluded area before stabbing him three times with a 4-inch kitchen knife, with one of the wounds piercing Lee’s heart. They argued that the attack was premeditated, citing an argument between Momeni and Lee over Momeni’s sister as the likely motive. According to court documents, Momeni had confronted Lee about whether his sister had been engaging in inappropriate activities, including drug use. Lee reportedly reassured Momeni that nothing untoward had occurred.
During the trial, Momeni’s defense team argued that he acted in self-defense. Testifying in his own defense, Momeni claimed that on the night of the incident, he and Lee had been in a car together when Lee became ill. Momeni said he pulled over to allow Lee to vomit, but an argument ensued after Momeni made a comment about preferring to spend his last night in San Francisco with family rather than at strip clubs. Momeni alleged that Lee then attacked him with a knife, prompting a struggle during which Lee was stabbed. Momeni stated that he was unaware Lee had been seriously injured as Lee walked away from the scene.
The trial, which began on October 14, included opening statements from Assistant District Attorney Omid Talai, who described the crime as a brutal and senseless act. Talai told jurors that Lee, who was serving as the chief product officer of the cryptocurrency firm MobileCoin at the time, had been “stabbed through his heart and left to die.”
Following the verdict, District Attorney Jenkins addressed the jury’s decision to convict Momeni of second-degree rather than first-degree murder. “Of course, we presented evidence that we thought substantiated a first-degree murder conviction, but at the end of the day, the jury has weighed in with their verdict, and we respect what that is,” Jenkins said. “Based on the facts, we understand how they might reach this conclusion.”
The trial’s outcome underscores the complexity of the case, which intertwined personal relationships, allegations of drug use, and conflicting narratives of the events leading to Lee’s death. As the sentencing phase approaches, the tragedy of Lee’s untimely death continues to resonate within the tech community and beyond.