15 April 2023 , 12:14
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San Francisco tech mogul Bob Lee was allegedly driven to a secluded spot and stabbed over an apparent dispute regarding the suspect's sister, prosecutors have said in a court document.
The killing was "planned and deliberate" with the Cash App founder being left to "slowly die", according to the document.
The motion to detain suspect Nima Momeni, 38, without bail is the first official account of exactly what may have led to the death of Lee in an empty part of downtown San Francisco in the early hours of April 4.
Momeni was arrested on Thursday, April 13, and appeared in court the following day. He did not enter a plea, nor did he speak except to say "Yes your honour", when the judge asked if he agreed to decline his right to a speedy trial.
Nima Momeni has been charged in connection to Bob Lee's murder (LinkedIn)Wearing an orange sweatshirt and pants, he entered the courtroom wearing a face mask. As he entered, an older woman made a heart sign with her hands, which Momeni smiled and nodded at.
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His younger sister, Khazar Elyassnia, sat with her husband - a prominent San Francisco plastic surgeon, and two other family members in the front row. The family declined to speak to reporters.
The judge in Friday's hearing agreed to detain Momeni in jail without bail. If charged with the murder, he faces 26 years to life in prison, according to the office of District Attorney Brooke Jenkins.
Momeni was represented in court by attorney Robert Canny, who said after the brief hearing: "The facts of what occurred, or didn't occur, will come out over time."
Police Chief William Scott is seen at a news conference to provide updates on Cash App founder Bob Lee's homicide investigation (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)San Francisco Police Cheif Bill Scott announced Momeni's arrest on Thursday, April 13, saying the two men knew each other but declined to elaborate on their relationship. He also refused to disclose a possible motive.
The motion to detain Momeni relies on surveillance video and testimony with a friend who was with Lee the afternoon and evening before he was stabbed.
The events that led up to his death began the day before, when the friend, along with Lee, and Khazar Elyassnia, were drinking together at someone else's apartment, according to the court document.
That night, the friend said he and Lee left the apartment. After, the went to Lee's hotel room, without Elyassnia, and noticed a conversation in which Momeni was questioning Lee over whether his younger sister "was doing drugs or anything inappropriate", it was said in the document.
Police were called to the area and found the dad-of-two suffering from multiple stab woundsLee apparently reassured Momeni nothing inappropriate had happened. It is unclear at this stage whether that conversation took place face to face or over the phone.
The friend and Lee reportedly went their separate ways around 12.30am.
Just minutes later, video footage shows Lee entering the Millennium Tower, where public records show Elyassnia owns a unit.
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The video goes on to show Lee and Momeni leaving the building just after 2am, driving off in Momeni's BMW.
Prosecutors allege Momeni drove to a dark and secluded spot before attacking Lee with a kitchen knife.
The building where a technology executive was fatally stabbed outside of is shown in San Francisco, (AP)Lee was stabbed three times, included once in the heart.
Momeni then sped away and "left victim to slowly die", according to the motion. Police found a knife with a four-inch blade at the scene.
The motion also indicates a test Elyassnia sent Lee to check in on him because her brother came "down hard" on him, and to thank him for "handling it with class".
Canny did not respond to request for comment on the details released by the prosecutor's office, neither could Elyassnia's plastic surgeon husband, Dino Elyassnia. Khazar Elyassnia could not immediately be reached for comment.
Momeni is scheduled to be arraigned on April 25.