麻豆影视

Business

    • Tech consultant goes on trial in death of Cash App founder Bob Lee

    Nima Momeni, the man charged in the fatal stabbing of Cash App founder Bob Lee, makes his way into the courtroom for his arraignment in San Francisco, May 2, 2023. (Gabrielle Lurie/San Francisco Chronicle via AP, Pool, File) Nima Momeni, the man charged in the fatal stabbing of Cash App founder Bob Lee, makes his way into the courtroom for his arraignment in San Francisco, May 2, 2023. (Gabrielle Lurie/San Francisco Chronicle via AP, Pool, File)
    Share
    SAN FRANCISCO -

    The tech consultant charged in Cash App founder Bob Lee's stabbing death had no motive to kill him and in fact was forced to defend himself against Lee, who had become aggressive while on a multiday drug bender, lawyers for Nima Momeni said in opening statements Monday.

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

    鈥淪tabbed through his heart and left to die,鈥 said Omid Talai, assistant district attorney, 鈥渙ur victim was stabbed repeatedly, once in his chest, once in his hip and literally one puncturing his heart.鈥

    Lee鈥檚 death at age 43 鈥 after staggering on a deserted downtown San Francisco street seeking help 鈥 stunned the tech community, and 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 two children.

    Flowers sit at a tree in front of the building where a technology executive was fatally stabbed outside of in San Francisco, April 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

    Judge Alexandra Gordon has told jurors the long-awaited trial that began Monday in San Francisco Superior Court is expected to last two months. Momeni, who lives in nearby Emeryville, California, has been in custody since his arrest days after Lee died at a San Francisco hospital.

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

    Lawyer Saam Zangeneh told jurors that defense attorneys will show that Momeni bore Lee no ill will and that wound patterns show that Momeni was forced to defend himself after Lee pulled a knife out of his pocket, high on drugs and having slept only six hours over a four-day period of doing cocaine and drinking.

    鈥淲e feel that once we present this case ... and once we fill in the gaps, the only viable verdict in this case is a verdict of not guilty,鈥 Zangeneh said. 鈥淪omebody鈥檚 dead. Nobody likes that, but you have the right to defend yourself.鈥

    Momeni, seen at previous court hearings in orange jail clothing, was seated Monday with his lawyers, wearing a dark suit. His mother, who has been a steadfast presence at hearings, was in the courtroom.

    On the other side of the courtroom sat members of Lee鈥檚 family, including his ex-wife, father and brother. Lee's brother put an arm around his father when the 911 call Lee made was replayed in court.

    In it, Lee is heard repeatedly asking for help, unable to answer the dispatcher's questions about where he was and what his name was. He said he had been stabbed.

    Talai, the assistant district attorney, said jurors will hear from a friend of Lee鈥檚, who was with him and Momeni鈥檚 sister the day before Lee was stabbed.

    The friend will testify that Momeni angrily grilled Lee on the phone that night over his sister, drugs and 鈥済irls getting naked,鈥 acting like 鈥渁n overprotective, wannabe tough guy鈥 while Lee was being mellow and happy, Talai said.

    Zangeneh said he will show that the friend is not a reliable witness and that Momeni and Lee had traded friendly texts that night. Lee likely invited Momeni to join him at a strip club, Zangeneh said.

    Surveillance video of Lee鈥檚 final night shows him entering the posh Millennium Tower downtown, where Momeni鈥檚 sister lives with her husband, a prominent San Francisco plastic surgeon.

    Video shows Lee and Momeni leaving the building after 2 a.m. and driving off together in Momeni鈥檚 car.

    Other video will show the two men getting out of the car in a isolated spot by the Bay Bridge, and then Momeni stabbing Lee three times, tossing the knife from his sister鈥檚 kitchen set and quickly driving away, Talai said.

    Talai said the prosecution will share text messages in which Momeni, the following morning, tells his sister he did not know what happened to Lee that night but that he was preparing a rape case against him, thinking Lee had assaulted Khazar.

    The attorney said video recorded by a San Francisco police detective trailing Momeni before his arrest shows him reenacting the three stabbing motions outside his previous lawyer鈥檚 office, but no reenactment of a struggle over the knife that Momeni's attorneys say Lee wielded first.

    Police recovered a knife with a four-inch (10-centimeter) blade in the secluded area where Lee was stabbed. Prosecutors said tests showed Momeni鈥檚 DNA on the weapon鈥檚 handle and Lee鈥檚 DNA on the bloody blade.

    Zangeneh said Monday that police should have tested the handle for fingerprints, namely Lee鈥檚. He scoffed at the idea of Momeni bringing what was essentially a "paring鈥 knife from his sister's kitchen to kill Lee, and said that Momeni did not realize Lee was hurt, much less fatally wounded.

    He said his client is eager to tell his side of the story, but they haven鈥檛 decided whether Momeni will testify in his defense.

    Family members for Momeni and Lee declined to comment Monday.

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    Police have confirmed the body of an employee who died at a Walmart in Halifax over the weekend was found in a walk-in oven.

    At least seven large-scale butter thefts have been reported in Guelph, Ont. over a 10-month period, including two hauls in just the last month.

    Quebec Premier Francois Legault promised on Tuesday to toughen secularism measures in schools, saying he was 'shocked' by revelations about a Montreal public school where a group of teachers had tried to introduce what the premier described as 'Islamist' beliefs.

    Canada

    • A Superior Court justice in Milton has been ordered to participate in coaching from a more senior judge after the Canadian Judicial Council found that his tone was 'abusive and intimidating' during a family court hearing last September.

    • Quebec Premier Francois Legault promised on Tuesday to toughen secularism measures in schools, saying he was 'shocked' by revelations about a Montreal public school where a group of teachers had tried to introduce what the premier described as 'Islamist' beliefs.

    • Police have confirmed the body of an employee who died at a Walmart in Halifax over the weekend was found in a walk-in oven.

    • Former volunteers with Eastern Ontario Cats (EOC) are working to track cats they say are either dead or missing after allegations of abuse, neglect and falsified medical records surfaced in recent months.

    • The Quebec government says it wants to hear from Quebecers about the possibility of scrapping the twice-yearly time change.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    Sports

    Autos

    Local Spotlight

    Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

    A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

    A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

    A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

    Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.

    Looking for a scare with good intentions this Halloween season? The ghosts and ghouls of Eganville, Ont. invite families to tour the Haunted Walk at Lekbor Manor.

    The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.

    A Moncton, N.B., home has been donated to the Friends of The Moncton Hospital Foundation and will be transformed into a resource hub for people living with cancer.

    A Nova Scotia man crossing Canada on foot is passing through southwestern Ontario. Trevor Redmond is perhaps better known as the 鈥楩ellow in Yellow.鈥

    • The B.C. Greens say Sonia Furstenau will be staying on as party leader, despite losing her seat in the legislature in Saturday's provincial election.

    • Police say a youth has been arrested after a report of online threats against a school in the Metro Vancouver community of Richmond, B.C.

    • Mounties are investigation after a 19-year-old driver was killed in a crash on Vancouver Island on Monday night.

    • Police have released video footage of a recent home invasion in Richmond Hill as they search for three outstanding suspects who they say may have returned to the residence the following day to take another vehicle.

    • A Superior Court justice in Milton has been ordered to participate in coaching from a more senior judge after the Canadian Judicial Council found that his tone was 'abusive and intimidating' during a family court hearing last September.

    • A group of professional engineers plan to soon withdraw services from key Ontario infrastructure projects Highway 413 and the Bradford Bypass as part of a bargaining dispute with the province.

    • An electrical grid alert was issued throughout Alberta on Tuesday morning as temperatures cooled.

    • More than a decade after the death of Colton Crowshoe, the man responsible is expected to be sentenced in a Calgary court on Tuesday.

    • Morning commuters in Calgary got the first taste of winter driving for the season on Tuesday.

    • Memorials and tributes are taking place across Ottawa on Tuesday to remember Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, an honour guard stationed at the National War Memorial, killed 10 years ago today.

    • Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

    • Former volunteers with Eastern Ontario Cats (EOC) are working to track cats they say are either dead or missing after allegations of abuse, neglect and falsified medical records surfaced in recent months.

    • Quebec Premier Francois Legault promised on Tuesday to toughen secularism measures in schools, saying he was 'shocked' by revelations about a Montreal public school where a group of teachers had tried to introduce what the premier described as 'Islamist' beliefs.

    • The Quebec government says it wants to hear from Quebecers about the possibility of scrapping the twice-yearly time change.

    • A Montreal suburb has started an operation to kill white-tailed deer in one of its local parks, after years of legal battles with activists seeking to save the animals.

    • Edmonton police are looking for information on a man they say is connected to a July house fire in the Fraser neighbourhood.

    • Edmonton Public Schools (EPS) custodians have voted 97 per cent in favour of going on strike.

    • A six-year-old springer spaniel named Dash is integral to limiting the spread of bed bugs in Edmonton.

    • Police have confirmed the body of an employee who died at a Walmart in Halifax over the weekend was found in a walk-in oven.

    • A member of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party is crossing the floor and joining the Progressive Conservatives.

    • Communities east of Alberta set record high temperatures for an Oct. 21 while Alberta itself contended with the first snowfall of the season in some areas.

    • The Manitoba government is restoring the 1:1 apprentice-to-journeyperson ratio.

    • Brandon police are looking to find the owners of a small litter of puppies found abandoned in the city on Tuesday.

    • It was lights, cameras, and action at a beachfront Manitoba community last week as a Hollywood movie shoot took over the town once again.

    • Saskatchewan's Conflict of Interest Commissioner (COIC) has found that former Saskatchewan Party MLA Gary Grewal violated legislative rules by profiting from hotels while they were party to government contracts.

    • Two bullet holes were discovered at the campaign office of a Saskatchewan Party candidate in Regina.

    • EXCLUSIVE

      EXCLUSIVE

      The NDP appears to have some momentum in Saskatchewan鈥檚 provincial election campaign with less than a week until votes are tallied.

    • Police are investigating a suspicious fire at a Kitchener playground.

    • At least seven large-scale butter thefts have been reported in Guelph, Ont. over a 10-month period, including two hauls in just the last month.

    • People living in Doon South say they鈥檝e seen a group of teens running around and knocking down Halloween displays.

    • A city planning document for the Bus Rapid Transit system (BRT) sparked controversy over the weekend, with three civic election candidates alleging Confederation Mall was at risk of being demolished and replaced with dense housing.

    • The Saskatchewan RCMP has confirmed a pedestrian was killed after being hit by a vehicle on Highway 2 near Wakaw on Sunday.

    • The Saskatchewan NDP says signs of internal struggle at the Saskatchewan Party are begging to show after the party leaked audio of an opposition candidate being critical of his party's policies.

    • Warning: This story includes graphic descriptions of a murder scene many will find upsetting. Reader caution strongly is advised. After three weeks of testimony, a Sudbury jury has begun deliberations in the case of a woman charged with second-degree murder in a gruesome stabbing death in December 2020.

    • After operating for 51 years, General Motors has announced it is closing the Kapuskasing Proving Ground, a facility the automaker used to test the durability of its vehicles in cold weather.

    • Police have confirmed the body of an employee who died at a Walmart in Halifax over the weekend was found in a walk-in oven.

    • On the stand of a London courthouse on Tuesday, Rachel Johnson described how a fun bush bash birthday party on July 30, 2021 turned deadly.

    • The head of the union representing thousands of teachers believes the embattled Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) is 鈥渕oving in the right direction.鈥

    • It may not look like much now, but when the United Way is done with the second floor of a building in downtown Listowel, there will be new affordable rental units for the community's less fortunate.

    • Police laid two dozen charges in connection with a month-long investigation into a criminal auto theft enterprise.

    • Police have arrested one person after an alleged bank robbery in Orillia.

    • A fire that caused $2.5 million damage at a newly constructed house in Adjala-Tosorontio early Tuesday morning is being investigated as suspicious.

    • 鈥榁ampire Zombies鈥rom Space!鈥 and 鈥楾hundersnake鈥, two films that are showing at the Windsor International Film Festival (WIFF), were both shot across the city and in the County of Essex.

    • NextStar Energy is celebrating the official start of battery module production.

    • Researchers at the University of Windsor have been given $2.5 million from the Public Health Agency of Canada to advance a sexual violence prevention program.

    • The B.C. Greens say Sonia Furstenau will be staying on as party leader, despite losing her seat in the legislature in Saturday's provincial election.

    • Mounties are investigation after a 19-year-old driver was killed in a crash on Vancouver Island on Monday night.

    • A 55-year-old man has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder in connection with the killing of a woman in northern British Columbia last summer.

    • Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.

    • A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.

    • Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.

    • Lethbridge police are advising the public of officer training on Tuesday that will happen in two different venues throughout the day.

    • Calgary scored three times in the first, and three times in the third as the Hitmen defeated the Lethbridge Hurricanes 6-1 Saturday at the Saddledome.

    • The last students to graduate from Lethbridge College will make history this weekend as they cross the stage at fall convocation.

    • Rallies by a group called Voices Against Violence took place across the country on Monday, including Sault Ste. Marie.

    • An Indigenous group in northwestern Ontario shut down the highway for a couple of hours Monday morning in protest after ancestral remains were found at a construction site.

    • The owners of 73 vacant properties in the Sault have been fined for violations of the city's vacant properties bylaw, including 33 owned by a firm going through a high-profile insolvency process.

    N.L.

    Shopping Trends

    The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at 麻豆影视. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop.聽Read about us.

    Stay Connected
    Follow 麻豆影视