During the closing arguments of the murder trial of a suspect accused of killing Cash App founder Bob Lee in San Francisco, the defense attorneys presented a surveillance video that they claim shows Lee using a knife to snort cocaine hours before his death. The lawyers representing Nima Momeni, a self-described tech entrepreneur, argued that Lee used the same knife to confront their client over a bad joke, leading to a struggle in which Momeni acted in self-defense, resulting in Lee's fatal stab wounds.
Defense attorney Saam Zangeneh asserted that Lee was using the knife to 'scoop and sniff' cocaine during a bender that culminated in the altercation under the Bay Bridge. Zangeneh emphasized the similarity between the knife seen in the video and the one found outside the Caltrans parking lot, linking it to the case.
The prosecution, on the other hand, alleged that Momeni planned the attack on Lee after learning that the tech mogul had introduced his younger sister to a drug dealer who allegedly assaulted her. Prosecutors claimed that Momeni lured Lee to a secluded spot near the Bay Bridge, stabbed him multiple times with a knife from his sister's kitchen set, and fled the scene in Lee's car.
Surveillance footage captured the two men leaving the defendant's sister's condo late at night and later getting out of a car near the Bay Bridge, where the stabbing occurred. Lee was discovered wounded and seeking help on a deserted San Francisco street before succumbing to his injuries at a hospital.
During his testimony, Momeni recounted a confrontation with Lee that escalated after a joke he made, leading to Lee's outburst of anger. However, the prosecution questioned the credibility of Momeni's account, highlighting his failure to report the alleged attack or Lee's subsequent death to the authorities.
The case is set to go to the jury for deliberation, with Momeni facing a potential sentence of 26 years to life in prison if convicted.
