SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Tech mogul Bob Lee was murdered in San Francisco by someone he knew, police and prosecutors said at a news conference Thursday.
Lee, 43, was stabbed to death on April 4 by 38-year-old Nima Momeni, Police Chief Bill Scott told reporters. Momeni was arrested at his home in Emeryville early Thursday morning and booked into jail on one count of murder. Momeni is the owner of Expand IT, a Bay Area technology and security company, according to a LinkedIn profile.
“We can confirm that Mr. Lee and Mr. Momeni knew each other,” Chief Scott said. “Most people who commit homicides know the people who they kill. This has nothing to do with San Francisco. This has to do with human nature. Right now, Mr. Momeni is our focus as the single suspect of this case.”
The Cash App founder was stabbed in the upscale Rincon Hill neighborhood near the Bay Bridge around 2:30 a.m. April 4. Surveillance video shows Lee bleeding and stumbling down the street holding his wound. He called 911 for himself.
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins described Lee’s slaying as a “heinous crime.” “Violent acts like this are jarring to us all. Everyone has wanted answers since this tragedy happened … the loss of a young, vibrant innovator,” Jenkins said.
When asked about a possible motive behind the killing, Police Chief Scott declined to answer. He explained, “I don’t want to put out information that is going to come back and haunt us in this case. There is still more work to be done.”
Mission Local reported that the two men were in the same car driving around downtown before they got into an argument. The argument allegedly led up to Momeni stabbing Lee several times, Mission Local reported.
Jenkins said her office charged Momeni with murder, as well as a special enhancement allegation for using a knife. Jenkins said Momeni is an “obvious and severe public safety risk,” and her prosecutors will fight to keep him locked up without bail.
Inmate records show Momeni is currently in jail with no bail. He will be arraigned in court Friday morning.
Lee was a longtime member of the Silicon Valley tech community. He was remembered by loved ones as “incredibly personable” and a “force of nature.”
Lee was the chief product officer of MobileCoin and creator of Cash App. Lee, a father of two, had moved from the Bay Area to Florida just a few months ago, but he returned to San Francisco in April for a business trip.
The San Francisco Police Department has not revealed exactly where Lee was stabbed, nor specified if he was stabbed inside the car, out on the street, or inside a building. Officers found Lee suffering from fatal stab wounds on the 300 block of Main Street after he called 911.
His death prompted several of Lee’s friends and associates, including Elon Musk, to cast the city in an unflattering light. In reaction to Lee’s death, Musk wrote on Twitter, “Violent crime in SF is horrific.” Musk later tweeted, “Downtown SF looks like a zombie apocalypse. People who’ve not been there have no idea.”
Fears that Lee was randomly murdered by a stranger spread last week.
Jenkins blasted back at Musk during Thursday’s news conference for spreading “misinformation.” The city’s top prosecutor said, “Mr. Lee was murdered by someone that he knew. Reckless and irresponsible statements like those tweeted by Mr. Musk assumed incorrect circumstances about Mr. Lee’s death.”
San Francisco Supervisor Dean Preston wrote, “The people who tried to exploit this tragedy to stoke hatred of the poor should be ashamed. Some public apologies are in order.”
Chief Scott said his homicide detectives worked around-the-clock to make an arrest. Detectives simultaneously served search warrants Thursday at locations in San Francisco and Emeryville connected to Momeni.
Supervisor Matt Dorsey wrote, “I’m grateful to @SFPD’s Homicide Detail and all the officers from @SFPDSouthern and elsewhere for their tireless work to bring Bob Lee’s killer to justice and for their arrest of a suspect this morning.” The stabbing happened in Dorsey’s district.
