Bob Lee killing: Tech consultant to stand trial for murder in stabbing death of Cash App founder
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The man accused of stabbing and killing Cash App founder Bob Lee will stand trial. A judge found Tuesday there is enough evidence for Nima Momeni to face a murder charge.
"He stabbed him. The fact that he stabbed him multiple times it is disgusting," said Krista Lee, Bob Lee's ex-wife.
After two days of witness testimony during a preliminary hearing, a judge found there was enough evidence for Nima Momeni to stand trial on a murder charge for stabbing and killing tech executive Bob Lee.
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Momeni's defense team attempted to convince the judge that the two were friends and that no malice existed. At one point, they asked the judge to consider a finding on manslaughter instead of murder. The judge ultimately turning down that request. Still, Momeni's defense says the outcome was as they expected.
"We used this hearing as a mechanism to learn things and to educate people. We didn't put on our case," said Momeni's defense attorney Saam Zangeneh.
The District Attorney's Office said it was focused on facts, that Momeni was the last person seen with Lee and that Momeni drove Lee to a location where Lee's blood was later found. Also that Momeni's DNA was on the handle of the murder weapon and Lee's DNA was on the blade. The knife, the same brand of a knife discovered in Momeni's sister's apartment, who refused to be interviewed by SFPD.
RELATED: Lawyers for Nima Momeni say he had no reason to kill Cash App founder
Momeni's defense team attempted to poke holes in those arguments suggesting the brand of knife was fairly common and that the murder weapon and knife found in Momeni's sister's apartment had different amounts of wear to them. Also that when Lee called 911, he said someone stabbed him, but never named Nima Momeni as that person. Momeni's atttorneys say all of those arguments were only part of their preliminary hearing strategy.
"I'll tell you, what you don't know is our defense strategy. You won't know that until trial," said Zangeneh.
Momeni will be back in court on Aug. 15 for another arraignment where his attorney says he'll again enter a not guilty plea. His attorney says he plans to file a motion for a new detention hearing subsequently. For now, Momeni is being held in custody.
Saam Zangeneh, one of Momeni's four defense lawyers, argued unsuccessfully in court Tuesday that there might be enough evidence for a manslaughter charge, but not murder. Zangeneh said they made the argument just for purposes of the preliminary hearing.
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