Cash App Founder Bob Lee's Tragic Death Shocks Tech Community (Photo : Youtube/Screenshot)
Tech consultant Nima Momeni, 38, has been charged with the murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee after allegedly planning the attack and stabbing him over a dispute involving Momeni's sister. Prosecutors released the details in a court document on Friday.
The motion to deny Momeni bail marks the first official account of what may have led to Lee's stabbing in a deserted part of downtown San Francisco in the early hours of April 4. Momeni was arrested on Thursday and appeared in court on Friday but has yet to enter a plea. His arraignment is scheduled for April 25.
The judge agreed to hold Momeni in jail without bail during Friday's brief hearing. If found guilty, he could face 26 years to life in prison, according to District Attorney Brooke Jenkins' office.
Momeni, who wore an orange sweatshirt and pants in court, only spoke to confirm that he waived his right to a speedy trial. His family members attended the hearing, including his younger sister Khazar Elyassnia and her husband, Dino Elyassnia, a well-known San Francisco plastic surgeon.
Attorney Robert Canny represented Momeni in court and told reporters after the hearing, "The facts of what occurred, or didn't occur, will come out over time."
The motion to detain Momeni relies on surveillance footage and the testimony of a friend who was with Lee the day before his death. The document indicates that Lee, Khazar Elyassnia, and the friend were drinking together at someone else's apartment. Later, the friend and Lee went to Lee's hotel room without Khazar Elyassnia, where a conversation took place in which Momeni questioned Lee about his sister's possible drug use or inappropriate behavior.
According to prosecutors, Momeni drove Lee to a dark, secluded location, attacked him with a kitchen knife, and stabbed him three times, including in the heart. He then left Lee to die and fled the scene. Police found a 4-inch-blade knife at the site.
The death of Lee, who created the widely used mobile payment service Cash App, has shocked the tech industry. Lee had recently moved to Miami with his father and was in San Francisco for business when he was found with stab wounds. He later died at a hospital.
