San Francisco prosecutors made opening statements Monday within the homicide trial of a tech advisor charged within the stabbing demise of Money App founder Bob Lee, previewing a timeline of occasions earlier than the demise and makes an attempt afterward by the defendant to cover what he did.
Lee’s demise at age 43 — after staggering on a abandoned downtown San Francisco road searching for assist — surprised the tech group, and fellow executives and engineers penned tributes to his generosity and brilliance. Lee was chief product officer of cryptocurrency platform MobileCoin when he died. He was a father to 2 kids.
Prosecutors say Nima Momeni, 40, deliberate the April 4 assault after a dispute over his youthful sister, Khazar, with whom Lee was pals. They are saying Momeni took a knife from a novel set in his sister’s condominium, drove Lee to a secluded space and stabbed him 3 times, then fled.
“Stabbed through his heart and left to die,” stated Omid Talai, assistant district lawyer, “our victim was stabbed repeatedly, once in his chest, once in his hip and literally one puncturing his heart. Robert Lee. Known as Bob.”
Protection attorneys disagree, they usually say that Lee, excessive on medicine, attacked Momeni. They plan to make their opening assertion after lunch.
“Our theory is that Bob had the knife, and that Nima acted in self defense,” lawyer Saam Zangeneh advised The Related Press final week.
He stated his consumer is keen to inform his aspect of the story, however they haven’t determined whether or not Momeni will testify in his protection. Momeni, who lives in close by Emeryville, California, has been in custody since his arrest days after Lee died at a San Francisco hospital.
On Monday, Momeni was seated along with his attorneys, sporting a darkish go well with.
His mom, who has been a steadfast presence at hearings, was in court docket alone Monday morning. On the opposite aspect of the courtroom sat members of Lee’s household, together with his ex-wife, father and brother.
Talai, the assistant district lawyer, stated jurors will hear from a good friend of Lee’s, who frolicked with him and Momeni’s sister the day earlier than Lee was stabbed.
The good friend will testify that Momeni angrily grilled Lee on the telephone that night time over his sister, medicine and “girls getting naked,” performing like “an overprotective, wannabe tough guy” whereas Lee was being mellow and joyful, Talai stated.
Surveillance video of Lee’s remaining night time reveals him getting into the luxury Millennium Tower downtown, the place Momeni’s sister lives together with her husband, a distinguished San Francisco plastic surgeon.
Talai stated jurors will see video of Lee and Momeni leaving the constructing after 2 a.m. and driving off collectively in Momeni’s automobile. Different video will present the 2 males getting out of the automobile in a remoted spot by the Bay Bridge, after which Momeni stabbing Lee 3 times, tossing the knife from his sister’s kitchen set and rapidly driving away.
Talai stated the prosecution will share textual content messages through which Momeni, the next morning, tells his sister he didn’t know what occurred to Lee that night time.
The lawyer stated video recorded by a San Francisco police detective trailing Momeni earlier than his arrest reveals him reenacting the three stabbing motions outdoors his earlier lawyer’s workplace, however no reenactment of a wrestle over the knife that his attorneys say Lee wielded first.
Police recovered a knife with a 4-inch (10-centimeter) blade within the secluded space the place Lee was stabbed. Prosecutors stated assessments confirmed Momeni’s DNA on the weapon’s deal with and Lee’s DNA on the bloody blade. However the protection has stated police ought to have examined the deal with for fingerprints, specifically Lee’s.
Lee was discovered round 2:30 a.m. within the Rincon Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, which has tech places of work and condominiums however little exercise within the early morning hours.
He known as 911 as he staggered, bleeding out and begging dispatch for assist, Talai stated.
Members of the family for Momeni and Lee declined remark Monday.
Momeni, who has pleaded not responsible, faces 26 years to life in jail if convicted.
San Francisco Superior Court docket Decide Alexandra Gordon has advised jurors the trial may final till mid-December.
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