Tech advisor accused of murdering CashApp founder Bob Lee tells jury they clashed over ‘bad joke’ | EUROtoday

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The tech advisor charged in Cash App founder Bob Lee ‘s stabbing dying testified in his personal protection Wednesday that he made a “bad joke” to attempt to put an finish to a late night time of consuming and doing medicine, and the well-known entrepreneur instantly attacked him.

In his first public statements in regards to the occasions resulting in Lee’s dying, Nima Momeni mentioned that he joked to Lee that he would possibly wish to spend his closing night time in San Francisco with household relatively than looking for a strip membership.

Momeni mentioned Lee pulled out a knife and attacked him, forcing him to defend himself. He mentioned Lee later walked away, displaying no indicators he was injured. Momeni mentioned he known as an legal professional when he realized of Lee’s dying the next day.

“He’s a big famous guy,” he mentioned. “I’m just an average joe, an immigrant.”

Lee, 43, was found staggering on a deserted downtown San Francisco street, dripping a trail of blood and calling for help. He later died at a hospital.

Prosecutors say Momeni, 40, planned the April 4, 2023, attack after a dispute over his younger sister, Khazar Momeni, with whom Lee was friends. They say Momeni took a knife from a unique set in his sister’s condo, drove Lee to a secluded area and stabbed him three times, then fled.

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The defense says Lee was being erratic and aggressive, having slept only six hours over a four-day period of doing cocaine and ketamine and drinking.

Momeni has pleaded not guilty. He faces 26 years to life in prison if convicted.

But Momeni, who took the witness stand Wednesday, said the two men were on friendly terms when his sister kicked them both out of her condo at 2 a.m., saying she wanted to sleep after hours of partying and ingesting drugs.

Momeni said they got into his BMW and he started driving while Lee checked his phone for places to go next. He pulled the car over after they went over a pothole, causing Lee to spill his beer. Lee got out of the car and Momeni followed, thinking Lee was about to puke.

That was when he said he made the “bad joke” about seeing family.

“He just went from zero to 100,” Momeni said. “You could see the anger.”

Omid Talai, assistant district attorney, scoffed at the story on cross-examination Wednesday.

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“He wanted to kill you over a bad joke?” said Talai, incredulous.

“I’m not sure why he pulled it out,” Momeni mentioned. “I used to be in worry for my life.”

Momeni pushed again Wednesday afternoon as Talai questioned him about textual content messages and testimony from others. The cross-examination continues Thursday.

Surveillance video of Lee’s closing night time exhibits him coming into the luxurious Millennium Tower downtown, the place Momeni’s sister lives together with her husband, a outstanding San Francisco plastic surgeon.

Video additionally exhibits Lee and Momeni leaving the constructing after 2 a.m. and driving off collectively in Momeni’s automotive. Grainy video additionally exhibits the 2 males getting out of the automotive in a remoted spot by the Bay Bridge.

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Prosecutors say that’s the place Momeni stabbed Lee, whereas the protection says that’s the place Lee attacked Momeni.

Police recovered a knife with a 4-inch (10-centimeter) blade within the secluded space the place Lee was stabbed. Prosecutors mentioned assessments confirmed Momeni’s DNA on the weapon’s deal with and Lee’s DNA on the bloody blade, however the protection offered an skilled witness who mentioned the police ought to have examined the deal with for fingerprints, particularly Lee’s.

Lee’s dying shocked the tech group as fellow executives and engineers penned tributes to the charismatic entrepreneur’s generosity and brilliance. Lee was chief product officer of cryptocurrency platform MobileCoin when he died. He was a father to 2 kids.