Jury reaches verdict in trial for Nima Momeni in slaying of Cash App founder Bob Lee
SAN FRANCISCO - A San Francisco jury reached a verdict Monday afternoon in the trial for Nima Momeni, the man accused in the fatal stabbing of Cash App founder Bob Lee.
The verdict will be read in San Francisco Superior Court on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m.
The jury began deliberations on Dec. 4 after the trial that began in October.
Bob Lee's death in April 2023
Shortly after his death, Lee’s slaying under the Bay Bridge in April 2023 was seen as a referendum of sorts about the state of crime in San Francisco, as it was initially believed that Lee had fallen victim to a random attacker. But after Momeni was arrested for allegedly attacking a colleague in the tech industry, the entire arc changed.
Bob Lee, former Square chief technology officer and Cash App founder, killed in San Francisco
The former chief technology officer of Square and chief product officer of MobileCoin Inc. was stabbed and killed Tuesday in San Francisco, according to Bloomberg. Bob Lee, 43, of Mill Valley was found wounded around 2:30 a.m. on the 400 block of Main Street, police said.
Looking back at the trial
The six-week trial cast a sometimes unwelcome spotlight on the hard-partying atmosphere of Lee and his friends, many of whom acknowledged during the trial that they did cocaine and other drugs. But they insisted Lee was never aggressive, even while under the influence of drugs, and that he was a "teddy bear" who diffused conflicts.
The prosecution said it was Momeni who stabbed Lee three times, including once in the heart, fueled by anger over his belief that Lee's alleged dealer had given Momeni's sister Khazar date-rape drugs and groped her. The prosecution said Lee's blood was found on the blade and that Momeni's DNA was found on the handle.
Khazar Momeni took the stand in October, her answers often marked by hazy memories attributed to her drug use.
Momeni's testimony
Momeni himself also took the stand and said it was Lee who attacked him after Momeni joked that Lee should be with his family instead of going to a strip club, an idea that had been floated between the two. Momeni was often combative with prosecutor Omid Talai, peppering and interrogating him with questions. Talai suggested to the jury that if Momeni could be that aggressive in court, he could be far more menacing on the street.
Momeni had five defense attorneys, many of them high-profile celebrity attorneys from Miami.
Among the defense witnesses was retired San Francisco police Inspector Steven Pomatto, who told the jury it was a reasonable explanation that Lee was the initial aggressor. But Pomatto's reputation was thrown into question after prosecutors presented evidence showing Pomatto had lied in 2004 while applying for a department tactical team, falsely claiming he had been a Navy SEAL.
Momeni had insisted it was Lee who came at him with a knife and that Momeni reacted in self-defense. In a bombshell moment during closing arguments, his attorneys played for the jury surveillance video they said showed Lee using a small knife to snort cocaine with a friend, the same knife they say Lee used to confront Momeni.
But ultimately, Talai and prosecutor Dane Reinstedt urged jurors to reject the defense's explanations for what happened and asked them to use their common sense. They said only Momeni had a clear motive for attacking Lee.
Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan