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Bob Lee killing: Suspect Nima Momeni appears in court, family members at his side

Dr. Dino Elyassnia (center right) and Khazar Momeni (center left) attend Nima Momeni’s first appearance in court at the Hall of Justice in San Francisco on April 14, 2023. | Jonah Owen Lamb/The Standard

The man accused of killing tech executive Bob Lee appeared in court for the first time Friday for a murder case that attracted international attention and sparked heated discussions about public safety in San Francisco.

Nima Momeni wore an orange jumpsuit and appeared at his arraignment in a courtroom packed with journalists. His sister Khazar Momeni, also known as Khazar Elyassnia, and her husband, Dr. Dino Elyassnia, attended the hearing along with three other family members, identified by Momeni’s stand-in attorney Robert Canny.

Canny’s sister Paula Canny is a private attorney who will represent Momeni throughout the rest of his court hearings. She did not appear in court Friday. 

Judge Christine Van Aken blocked media from taking pictures or making sketches of Momeni.

READ MORE: Bob Lee Killing: SF Police Search Downtown Tower Where Suspect’s Sister Owns a Home

Khazar Momeni (center left) and Dr. Dino Elyassnia (center right) attend Nima Momeni's first appearance in court at the Hall of Justice in San Francisco on April 14, 2023. | Justin Katigbak for The Standard

Momeni will remain in custody without bail and did not enter a plea or make any comment in the courtroom. He is next scheduled to appear on April 25 at 9 a.m. 

Momeni stands accused of stabbing Lee, a renowned tech entrepreneur known for creating Cash App, during the early morning hours of April 4 in San Francisco’s Rincon Hill neighborhood.

Surveillance footage from the area showed Lee wandering through the area, gripping his side, before collapsing on the sidewalk.

He was taken to a hospital where he later died.

Flowers are left on Main Street close to where Cash App creator Bob Lee was found with stab wounds. | Noah Berger for The Standard
A LinkedIn profile photo shows Nima Momeni, who has been arrested and charged with the stabbing death MobileCoin CTO Bob Lee.

In the wake of Lee’s death, tech executives took to social media to decry the supposedly high level of violent crime in San Francisco. 

But after Momeni’s arrest on Thursday, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins and Police Chief Bill Scott announced that Momeni and Lee knew each other and the crime was not random.

Khazar Momeni (left) and her husband, Dr. Dino Elyassnia (not pictured), attend Nima Momeni's first appearance in court at the Hall of Justice in San Francisco on April 14, 2023. | Justin Katigbak for The Standard
Dr. Dino Elyassnia (right) and Khazar Momeni (left) | Justin Katigbak for The Standard
Robert Canny, the stand-in attorney for Paula Canny, who will be representing Nima Momeni, addresses the press after Momeni's first appearance in court in San Francisco on April 14, 2023. | Justin Katigbak for The Standard
Randy Quezada, the communications director of the DA’s Office, addresses the press after Nima Momeni's first appearance in court in San Francisco on April 14, 2023. | Justin Katigbak for The Standard
Dr. Dino Elyassnia (center right) and Khazar Momeni (center left) attend Nima Momeni's first appearance in court at the Hall of Justice in San Francisco on Friday, April 14, 2023. Momeni was arrested in connection with the killing of MobileCoin CTO Bob Lee. | Justin Katigbak The Standard

Jonah Owen Lamb can be reached at jonah@sfstandard.com