Prosecution in Nima Momeni trial for Bob Lee's murder makes closing arguments
Closing arguments began Monday morning in the San Francisco murder trial of Nima Momeni, the man accused of fatally stabbing tech executive and Cash App founder Bob Lee.
It's expected that the prosecution and defense will each take about two hours to present their final arguments to the jury. It is also possible the closing arguments could continue into Tuesday.
Monday's hearing began with the judge issuing instructions to the jury, including telling them not to investigate the facts or the law, do any research, conduct tests, or visit the crime scene. Jurors were also told they could use notes in their deliberations and not allow any biases to influence their decision.
Prosecutors claim Momeni stabbed Lee in April 2023 in a remote area under the Bay Bridge after a heated discussion regarding his sister's relationship with Lee and their ongoing drug use. At the time of his death, Lee was the CPO of the cryptocurrency MobileCoin and the former CTO of financial services firm Square, now known as Block.
Momeni's lawyers claim he acted in self-defense when he stabbed Lee, who the defense says lunged at Momeni with a knife in hand while high on cocaine and ketamine. The defense claims Lee became erratic and aggressive after Momeni made a "bad joke" at the expense of Lee's family.
However, the prosecution countered that version of events with testimony from friends of Lee who insisted he was not the type to engage in a physical confrontation or speak negatively about others, even under the influence of drugs.
The prosecution presented its closing arguments first, spending the day trying to tear down that defense. Family and friends of Lee filled the courtroom to hear the first day of closing arguments in the trial. I think I've aged five years in the last six weeks."
"I don't want to see Bob's kids ever have to watch the man who killed him back on the street," said Lee's brother Timothy Oliver Lee outside the courtroom. "This is emotionally taxing and very rough.
Never before seen video played by prosecutor Dane Reinstedt revealed that it's unlikely that Lee had a knife in his front right jacket pocket as suggested by Momeni.
The video shows Lee and Momeni walking out of the lobby of the Millenium tower apartment about 30 minutes before the stabbing as a gust of wind causes Lee's jacket to flap. Prosecutors argued that couldn't have happened if the murder weapon -- a nearly eight-inch Joseph Joseph paring knife -- was in Lee's pocket.
"It was corroboration that Bob Lee not only wasn't the type of person to carry a knife, but he appeared to in fact not be carrying a knife," said attorney Shannan Dugan, who has been observing the trial. "And that was, I think, extremely helpful for the prosecution."
She also said that the DNA pulled from the murder weapon is one of the prosecution's strongest pieces of evidence.
In the prosecution's closing argument, Reinstedt highlighted that on the blade of the knife, 98% of the DNA found belonged to Lee, while the handle of the knife is where 99% of DNA collected belonged to Momeni.
Dugan says those numbers may be enough to convince the jury that lee never held the knife or took it from the apartment the men were hanging out in the hour before the stabbing.
"What the DA also said is if Bob Lee had had this what he called a 'death grip' on the knife, then Bob Lee's DNA would have been on that knife [handle]," Dugan explained. "A very important fact, and they reinforced it with the jury."
They also questioned how Momeni acted after the deadly encounter, asking the jury why the defendant didn't call police and why he never told anybody about what happened that night.
Prosecutors argued Momeni acted like a guilty man, revisiting their description of Momeni as an over-protective brother who became enraged after he believed his little sister had been sexually assaulted.
Prosecutors reminded jurors of texts where Momeni called Lee and his friend Jeremy Bovin "creeps" and "sex offenders," as well as text messages from Momeni's sister where she called him "psychotic" and "a lunatic," at one point even writing, "You scare me."
Lee and Nima Momeni's sister Khazar Momeni were reportedly known in wealthy Bay Area tech circles as participants in what the Wall Street Journal described as a sex and drugs-fueled underground party scene. Charging documents have alleged some type of relationship between Lee and Khazar Momeni, who is married to a prominent San Francisco plastic surgeon. Khazar Momeni has denied having a sexual relationship with Lee.
If convicted, Momeni faces 26 years to life in prison.
