SAN FRANCISCO – Lee Authorities reported Thursday that a software consultant was detained and charged with murder in the stabbing death of the gregarious and popular Cash App inventor Bob Lee last week in downtown San Francisco.
Nima Momeni, 38, and Lee, 43, knew each other, according to San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott at a news conference, although he declined to elaborate. Momeni was arrested and detained on suspicion of murder in Emeryville, a San Francisco suburb, on Thursday morning.
Lee’s slaying stunned the IT industry, with friends and former colleagues lamenting the loss of a talented and generous guy. At 2:30 a.m. on April 4, police discovered Lee with stab wounds in San Francisco’s Rincon Hileighbourhood. He passed away in a hospital.
Scott refused to elaborate on how the killing was tied to Momeni. In addition, the chief declined to reveal a possible motive. Search warrants were served in San Francisco and Emeryville. Scott would not indicate whether or not a weapon had been discovered.
Momeni has been charged with murder in Lee’s death, according to San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, and is set to be arraigned on Friday. Prosecutors would request that he be held without bail, she added.
Lee’s slaying stunned the IT industry.
It was unclear whether Momeni had a lawyer to speak on his behalf.
Momeni lists himself as an “IT Consultant/Entrepreneur” and the owner of Expand IT on his LinkedIn profile. According to state company papers, Momeni is the chief executive officer, secretary, and chief financial officer of Expand IT INC, which is defined as an information technology consulting firm. He signed the paperwork in August 2022.
According to his LinkedIn page, Momeni has been “a dedicated technology partner since 2005” and founded Expand IT in 2010.
Momeni was charged with carrying a switchblade in 2011, a misdemeanor offense, according to court documents. After pleading guilty, the matter was dismissed the next year.
Momeni met publicist Sam Singer about a month ago because Singer’s office is next door to Momeni’s live-work loft in the trendy Besler Building Lofts. Momeni was described as “very welcoming, warm” by Singer, and his apartment as a “typical Bay Area technology consultant’s office,” complete with a large pool table, gourmet cuisine, and a high-end stereo system.
Lee is most recognized for developing the widely used mobile payment service Cash App while serving as the chief technology officer of Square, now known as Block. At the time of his death, he was the chief product officer for the cryptocurrency startup MobileCoin.
Lee was raised in Missouri and had recently moved to Miami with his father before being assassinated in San Francisco on business. Friends characterized him as daring, bold, and a devoted father to his two children.
It was unclear whether Momeni had a lawyer to speak on his behalf.
“I acknowledge and understand how the loss of a young, vibrant leader and innovator has rocked our city and even beyond,” Jenkins said during the news conference.
Lee’s brother, Tim Oliver Lee, expressed the family’s thanks to the San Francisco Police Department for apprehending the suspect on Facebook. Tim Lee stated that his brother wished to make technology available to everyone and that he made friends from all walks of life.
“Bob adored San Francisco, and San Francisco adored Bob.” “It was sometimes difficult to walk down the street because every young person with a dream would seek him out, and he would make time for everyone,” his brother wrote.
Following Lee’s murder, notable tech executives, including tech billionaire Elon Musk, flocked to Twitter to grieve Lee’s death and chastise San Francisco for the city’s “lax attitude towards crime.”
Musk responded to Jenkins’ tweet by noting that crime in San Francisco is “horrific” and that even when attackers are apprehended, they are frequently released.
Mayor London Breed and other top city officials have pushed back against that narrative, and Jenkins addressed Musk directly on Thursday.
“I must point out that reckless and irresponsible statements like those contained in Mr. Musk’s tweet, which assumed incorrect circumstances about Mr. Lee’s death, serve to mislead the world in their perceptions of San Francisco,” Jenkins stated.
SOURCE – (AP)