The high-profile trial of Nima Momeni kicked off Monday as the opposing sides painted contradictory versions of what led to the murder of CashApp founder Bob Lee in April 2023.
Prosecutors alleged Momeni stabbed Lee three times in a fit of rage prompted by what he believed to be sexual misconduct between his sister Khazar Momeni and Lee’s drug dealer Jeremy Boivin.
Momeni’s defense attorneys argued that he acted in self-defense, alleging that Lee was on a 91-hour cocaine bender and attacked first with the knife.
Lee’s shocking killing quickly became a case of national interest, cited by figures like Elon Musk as proof of San Francisco’s lawlessness. That narrative was complicated by the arrest of Momeni, who knew Lee, and a steady dribble of reporting uncovering a sordid world of sex and drug use.
Assistant District Attorney Omid Talai presented the jury with graphic pictures of Lee’s wounds, including a laceration across the chest, as well as body-cam footage showing him without a pulse. Talai said Lee and a friend were having a “normal” night when the friend heard Momeni call Lee, seething over alleged sexual contact involving his sister and Boivin. The friend is expected to testify.
“Our wannabe tough-guy brother is convinced something happened at Jeremy Boivin’s,” Talai told the jury.
He also presented text messages that appear to show Khazar Momeni initially taking Lee’s side in the conflict.
“Just wanted to make sure your doing ok,” Khazar sent in a text to Lee the night of his death. “And thank you for being such a classy man handling it with class.”
Khazar lashed out at Nima, calling him “fucking psychotic,” after the murder, texts presented by the prosecution show. Khazar is expected to testify for the defense.
Defense attorney Saam Zangeneh argued Monday that video and text message evidence shows Momeni wasn’t angry at Lee before the stabbing. Zangeneh said they exchanged friendly texts that night, and security footage shows them getting along while leaving Khazar’s apartment at the Millennium Tower, their last known location before the stabbing.
“Nima had to stand his ground against someone who had barely slept in a 90-hour span and was utilizing cocaine the whole time,” Zangeneh told the jury. “People on these long-term cocaine benders [are] paranoid, aggressive, and violent.”
The two sides also tangled over the validity of evidence collected by the San Francisco Police Department that showed only Nima’s DNA on the handle of the alleged murder weapon.
Momeni’s defense plans to put a DNA expert on the stand who will testify that the SFPD’s testing method was flawed. A medical expert and defense wound expert are expected to testify that Lee’s wounds are consistent with the defense’s explanation, according to court documents.
Talai argued that testing showed that only Nima’s DNA appeared on the handle of the weapon. He alluded to a video taken by a police detective in the days following Lee’s murder that shows Nima Momeni reenacting the stabbing to his then-defense attorney. In this reenactment, the prosecution said, Momeni didn’t appear to perform any self-defense maneuvers.
“He doesn’t do 10 stabs. He doesn’t do two stabbing motions. He does three,” Talai told the jury.
Momeni has pleaded not guilty and faces 26 years to life in prison if convicted.