UPDATED 4/14, 3:40 p.m. ET: According to new legal documents, Cash App founder Bob Lee was fatally stabbed by fellow tech executive Nima Momeni after they got into an argument over the suspect’s sister.
As NBC News reports, the docs indicate Momeni drove Lee to a quiet area of the suburb of Emeryville in San Francisco on the morning of April 4 and stabbed him four times. He used a 4-inch kitchen knife, and one of the stab wounds punctured Lee’s heart. Before the fatal stabbing, the two men allegedly got into an argument over Momeni’s sister.
In texts sent to Lee, Momeni’s sister wrote, “Just wanted to make sure your doing ok Cause [I] know nima came wayyyyyy down hard on you. ...Thank you for being such a classy man handling it with class. Love you Selfish pricks."
Momeni will be charged with murder and is scheduled to be arraigned on April 25. He is facing 26 years to life in prison.
The news that Momeni and Lee knew each other came after incorrect speculation—including from Elon Musk—that the Cash App founder was killed in a random act of violence. San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins has condemned Musk’s remarks as “reckless and irresponsible,” per the San Francisco Chronicle.
See original story below.
Police have reportedly arrested a fellow tech executive for the brutal murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee, who was stabbed to death in downtown San Francisco last week.
The arrest comes after San Francisco Police discovered Lee in a critical state and took him to the hospital before he succumbed to his injuries. Per local outlet Mission Local, Nima Momeni was arrested on Thursday in Emeryville, California. He reportedly worked with Lee and was an acquaintance who currently still works in tech. Momeni was reported to be with Lee on the morning of his murder on April 4.
Police said the pair were allegedly driving through downtown San Francisco together in a car registered to Momeni, and that a conflict ensued both inside and outside of the vehicle. Police allege Momeni stabbed Lee multiple times when they got out of the vehicle, and the knife was recovered near the crime scene of 300 Main Street.
During his time in tech, Lee worked for various companies including Google, where he helped launch the Android operating system. He also served as an early investor in MobileCoin, which he later joined in 2011.
“Bob was a force of nature. Helped to birth Android and CashApp into our world,” MobileCoin CEO Joshua Goldbard told KGO. “Moby was his dream: a privacy protecting wallet for the 21st Century. I will miss him every day.” No details have been released regarding any potential suspects.
“I just found out my good friend was killed last night while walking him in San Francisco,” wrote Lee’s friend and former UFC fighter Jake Shields in a tweet. Elon Musk responded to Shields’ tweet and said he was “very sorry” to hear about Lee’s death.
