Nima Momeni: Cash App founder Bob Lee's murder accused to plead not guilty to the crime, reveals lawyer
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: Nima Momeni, the man accused of murdering Cash App inventor Bob Lee, 43, appeared in court on Tuesday, April 25, in San Francisco. Reportedly, 20 members of Lee's family showed up in the courtroom.
The family remained orderly as IT consultant Momeni who has been charged with stabbing Lee to death on April 4 was brought into court. However, the arraignment was rescheduled for May 2 after Paula Canny, Momeni's lawyer, raided "discovery issues" for not having time to review the crucial evidence in the case.
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Nima Momeni: CashApp founder Bob Lee's alleged killer cited for battery months prior to murder
Momini intends to plead not guilty to the murder
Soon after the arraignment was rescheduled, Canny told reporters that Momini intends to plead not guilty to the murder when the time comes, New York Post reported. The police have said that Momini killed Lee following an argument about the suspect's sister Khazer Elyassnia also called Tina who allegedly was "romantically close" to Lee despite being married to plastic surgeon Dino Elyassnia.
Daily Mail reported that Momini didn't speak in court during his appearance on Tuesday, April 25, where he was scheduled to be arraigned on murder charges. The 38-year-old hugged his attorney Paula Canny before he left the courtroom. He is being held without bail until his next appearance.
Momeni has been on suicide watch in a San Francisco jail
Momeni has been on suicide watch in a San Francisco jail, according to Canny, who said that is standard procedure for suspects in high-profile cases. According to court filings, Lee met with his suspected killer's sister, Khazar Momeni, hours before his death and police pieced together the crime in part by studying text messages sent between Lee and Khazar Momeni.
In a text exchange recounted by prosecutors in court files, Khazar Momeni warned the tech titan that he "handled himself with class" after her brother allegedly "came way down hard" on him. According to a witness, In Lee's hotel room, Nima Momeni was questioning him about "whether his sister was doing drugs or anything inappropriate," as per a Fox News report.
Bob Lee visited a suspected drug dealer's apartment with the sister of his alleged killer
In a recent report in The San Franciso Standard, Bob Lee visited a suspected drug dealer's apartment with the sister of his alleged killer just hours before his violent death. "She was basically asking me to buy drugs with my money," Samira Kuduzovi, who was friends with her, said.
The sources, cited in the report, said Lee and Khazar paid a visit to the residence of a man with a criminal record for selling drugs on the day of his death. It's unclear if they bought anything from him that day. According to a previously filed court filing, the three were 'drinking' at his house. The man in issue has yet to be identified.
'Lee liked to party'
Taraneh Ipakchi, a close friend of Lee's who also knew Khazar Momeni, believes the two met around 2020. According to her, their relationship appeared to be romantic. When Ipakchi informed Lee that Khazar Momeni was married, he said. "It doesn't seem like it matters to her because she's flirting with me." Ipakchi also said Lee “liked to party.” He liked to, unfortunately, do a lot of drugs,” Ipakchi said. “But he was the sweetest guy ever. He always had this light around him,” the publication reported.