Nima Momeni took the stand Wednesday in the trial of Bob Lee’s murder, telling the court that the killing was self-defense. Momeni also said that he knew his sister had not been sexually assaulted in the hours before Lee’s killing. Momeni’s testimony appeared to undermine the prosecution’s narrative that Momeni killed Lee because he allowed another man to take advantage of his sister.
Momeni has been charged with murder for allegedly stabbing tech executive Lee on April 4, 2023, in what prosecutors have argued was a crime of revenge.
Momeni testified in San Francisco Superior Court about a series of phone calls and text messages the day before the stabbing, in which he tried to piece together whether an outlandish story his sister Khazar Momeni told him was true: that she was sexually assaulted by Lee’s alleged drug dealer and friend Jeremy Boivin. By 9 p.m. on April 3, 2023, Momeni said, he had been convinced that the assault never occurred.
Defense attorneys showed the jury text messages from April 3 between Momeni and Lee, after the defendant called Lee to learn more about Boivin. “Thank u again for talking to me, good timing,” Momeni wrote. That message was liked by Lee.
Momeni testified that the phone conversation with Lee put his mind at ease about Boivin’s character. Later that night, when Boivin came to Khazar’s apartment to pick up some items, Momeni testified, “he was super polite and apologetic about everything that had happened. It didn’t seem that he would be that type.”
As to Khazar’s initial claim that Boivin had assaulted her: “It sounded like something my sister said, being emotional, trying to get attention,” Momeni said.
Prosecutors have argued that the stabbing in the early morning of April 4, 2023, under the Bay Bridge was a direct result of Momeni’s rage at Lee. Lee had been in attendance at a small party where Khazar took GHB, commonly known as the “date rape drug,” and claimed Boivin sexually assaulted her while she was under the influence.
Prosecutors have presented video evidence putting Lee and Momeni at the scene of the crime, as well as DNA evidence linking Momeni to the murder weapon.
Momeni’s legal team argues that he acted in self-defense against a strung-out Lee, who was found to have cocaine, ketamine, and alcohol in his system at the time of the stabbing.
Momeni’s testimony about his conversation with Lee being friendly was contradicted in earlier testimony by a prosecution witness, Lee’s friend Bo Mohazzabi, who said Momeni was upset at Lee.