Verdict Reached in Bob Lee Murder Trial: Nima Momeni Found Guilty of Second-Degree Murder

Cash App creator Bob Lee’s killer found guilty of second-degree murder

A San Francisco jury has delivered a verdict in the case of the fatal stabbing of Bob Lee, the co-founder and former CTO of Block (formerly Square) and MobileCoin. Nima Momeni has been found guilty of second-degree murder.

The jury did not find Momeni guilty of first-degree murder, which typically carries harsher penalties than second-degree murder. Prosecutors had alleged that Lee’s death was a premeditated act carried out by Momeni in the heat of passion.

According to reports, the jury heard testimony about Lee’s two-day drug binge with Khazar Momeni, Nima’s sister, before his death. Prosecutors claimed that Lee’s friend and drug dealer had sexually assaulted Khazar during the escapade, leading to a heated exchange between Lee and Nima Momeni. It was during this confrontation that Nima allegedly pulled out a kitchen knife from Khazar’s home and stabbed Lee.

Bob Lee, 43, was the chief product officer at MobileCoin at the time of his death. He had previously led technology development at Jack Dorsey’s Block, where he created the mobile payment service Cash App. The tech executive was also an investor in SpaceX, Clubhouse, Tile, and Figma. Early in his career, Lee helped develop the Android operating system at Google.

Lee’s colleagues and peers have praised his contributions to the technology industry, with Dylan Field, CEO of Figma, stating that Lee first met with him when he was just 14 and served as an early supporter of Figma. Jack Dorsey, formerly CEO of Square and Block, credited Lee for playing a crucial role in creating Square, which later became Block.

Following Lee’s murder, many speculated that the incident was unrelated to San Francisco’s homeless crisis or crime problem, citing that Lee had previously worked with Momeni in some capacity.

Source: techcrunch.com