Cash App Founder’s Alleged Killer Pleads Not Guilty to Murder

On Thursday, Nima Momeni pleaded not guilty to charges alleging that he fatally stabbed Cash App founder Bob Lee in San Francisco and left him to bleed to death, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Momeni, who also worked in tech, was arrested April 13 for Lee’s murder, nearly two weeks after Lee had been found on the street in the upscale neighborhood of Rincon Hill. When responders arrived, he was unresponsive and “uncontrollably bleeding” from stab wounds to his chest and hip, according to an affidavit filed by prosecutors. He was taken to a nearby hospital where he was later pronounced dead. 

When police announced the arrest, they confirmed the two men knew each other. They said that they were in Momeni’s car when they’d gotten into an argument. Lee then got out of the car, police said, and Momeni followed and stabbed him multiple times before discarding the knife and fleeing the scene. 

The prosecution’s affidavit revealed Lee had some kind of a relationship with Momeni’s sister, who is unnamed in court filings but who reports have identified as Khazar Momeni. The filing alleged that on the day before Lee’s death, a witness saw Momeni speaking with Lee about his sister and “questioning” Lee “regarding whether his sister was doing drugs or anything inappropriate.” 

Friends of Lee’s told the Wall Street Journal he and Momeni’s sister had been “casually” having sex before he was killed. Before that, about three years ago, Lee had also dated Momeni’s ex, sources told WSJ. The same report said Lee was part of an underground party scene where people indulged in recreational drugs and sex.

The medical examiner’s report on Lee’s death revealed a number of drugs in his system, including cocaine and ketamine. Momeni’s attorney told reporters in early May the toxicology results would have a major impact on Momeni’s defense strategy. “Bob Lee’s system was like the Walgreens of recreational drugs,” she said. She later apologized for the “insensitive” comments.

Before Momeni’s arrest, some tech executives speculated that the stabbing had been random and publicly blamed rising violent crime rates in the city. Elon Musk tweeted, “Violent crime in SF is horrific,” then tagged District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, asking, “Is the city taking stronger action to incarcerate repeat violent offenders?” 

At a press conference announcing the arrest, District Attorney Jenkins chided Musk for spreading “misinformation” and called his tweet “reckless and irresponsible.” Musk’s statement, she said, “assumed incorrect circumstances about Mr. Lee’s death” and “served to mislead the world in their perceptions of San Francisco and also negatively impacted the pursuit of justice for victims of crime.”