Accused says ’dangerous joke’ led to lethal conflict with Bob Lee

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SAN FRANCISCO — The tech advisor charged in Money App founder Bob Lee ‘s stabbing loss of life testified in his personal defence Wednesday that he made a “dangerous joke” to attempt to put an finish to a late night time of consuming and doing medication, and the well-known entrepreneur out of the blue attacked him.

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In his first public statements in regards to the occasions resulting in Lee’s loss of life, Nima Momeni mentioned that he joked to Lee that he may wish to spend his ultimate night time in San Francisco with household relatively than looking for a strip membership.

Momeni mentioned Lee pulled out a knife and attacked him, forcing him to defend himself. He mentioned Lee later walked away, displaying no indicators he was injured. Momeni mentioned he known as an lawyer when he discovered of Lee’s loss of life the next day.

“He’s an enormous well-known man,” he mentioned. “I’m simply a mean joe, an immigrant.”

Lee, 43, was discovered staggering on a abandoned downtown San Francisco avenue, dripping a path of blood and calling for assist. He later died at a hospital.

Prosecutors say Momeni, 40, deliberate the April 4, 2023, assault after a dispute over his youthful sister, Khazar Momeni, with whom Lee was mates. They are saying Momeni took a knife from a novel set in his sister’s rental, drove Lee to a secluded space and stabbed him 3 times, then fled.

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The defence says Lee was being erratic and aggressive, having slept solely six hours over a four-day interval of doing cocaine and ketamine and consuming.

Momeni has pleaded not responsible. He faces 26 years to life in jail if convicted.

However Momeni, who took the witness stand Wednesday, mentioned the 2 males had been on pleasant phrases when his sister kicked them each out of her rental at 2 a.m., saying she needed to sleep after hours of partying and ingesting medication.

Momeni mentioned they bought into his BMW and he began driving whereas Lee checked his cellphone for locations to go subsequent. He pulled the automobile over after they went over a pothole, inflicting Lee to spill his beer. Lee bought out of the automobile and Momeni adopted, pondering Lee was about to puke.

That was when he mentioned he made the “dangerous joke” about seeing household.

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“He simply went from zero to 100,” Momeni mentioned. “You may see the anger.”

Omid Talai, assistant district lawyer, scoffed on the story on cross-examination Wednesday.

“He needed to kill you over a nasty joke?” mentioned Talai, incredulous.

“I’m undecided why he pulled it out,” Momeni mentioned. “I used to be in worry for my life.”

Momeni pushed again Wednesday afternoon as Talai questioned him about textual content messages and testimony from others. The cross-examination continues Thursday.

Surveillance video of Lee’s ultimate night time exhibits him coming into the luxurious Millennium Tower downtown, the place Momeni’s sister lives together with her husband, a distinguished San Francisco plastic surgeon.

Video additionally exhibits Lee and Momeni leaving the constructing after 2 a.m. and driving off collectively in Momeni’s automobile. Grainy video additionally exhibits the 2 males getting out of the automobile in a remoted spot by the Bay Bridge.

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Prosecutors say that’s the place Momeni stabbed Lee, whereas the defence says that’s the place Lee attacked Momeni.

Police recovered a knife with a 4-inch (10-centimetre) blade within the secluded space the place Lee was stabbed. Prosecutors mentioned checks confirmed Momeni’s DNA on the weapon’s deal with and Lee’s DNA on the bloody blade, however the defence introduced an professional witness who mentioned the police ought to have examined the deal with for fingerprints, particularly Lee’s.

Lee’s loss of life shocked the tech group as fellow executives and engineers penned tributes to the charismatic entrepreneur’s generosity and brilliance. Lee was chief product officer of cryptocurrency platform MobileCoin when he died. He was a father to 2 kids.

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