Bob Lee murder trial set to resume in San Francisco Wednesday
The Bob Lee murder trial is scheduled to continue in San Francisco Wednesday for the first time since the last day in court for the high-profile case a week ago.
Prosecutors in the murder trial of Cash App founder Lee have charged Nima Momeni in the fatal stabbing of the tech executive in April of last year in San Francisco's Rincon Hill/East Cut neighborhood. Momeni was arrested nine days later. Prosecutors allege that Momeni stabbed Lee with a kitchen knife taken from his sister Khazar's apartment.
The defense is arguing Momeni killed Lee in self-defense and that it was Lee who was the aggressor after a drug-fueled bender.
Plans for a half-day on Thursday were canceled due to the strike by San Francisco Superior Court clerks. Monday and Tuesday of this week were already planned "dark days" in the trial.
Much of the testimony in the trial so far has focused on Khazar Momeni's relationship with Lee and their alleged drug use. Last Tuesday, Khazar claimed that Lee was "all over the place" and "aggressive" while high on cocaine and ketamine days before his death.
However, she also testified that she was frequently intoxicated herself, in one instance having consumed cocaine, nitrous oxide, the depressant drug GHB that comes in liquid form and is also known as the "date-rape drug" and the hallucinogen LSD.
Early on in her testimony Wednesday, Lee's ex-wife Krista made comments denouncing Khazar and saying she had "no right to make herself a victim in this." The judge decided to bar her from the courtroom for the rest of Khazar's testimony.
During the prosecution's redirect questioning of Khazar Momeni, Assistant San Francisco District Attorney Dane Reinstedt pointed out the differences in her responses about text exchanges she had with her brother, depending on which attorneys were asking the questions.
Reinstedt asked Momeni again about texts she sent to her brother Nima in the hours following Bob Lee's murder, calling him "psychotic" and "lunatic." When he asked about the texts last week, Khazar Momeni said she did not recall those texts and that she didn't remember much from that day because of her drug use and distress over Lee's death.