A San Francisco jury has found IT consultant Nima Momeni guilty of second-degree murder in the 2023 fatal stabbing of tech executive Bob Lee. Momeni, 40, faces 16 years to life in prison, according to San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. The killing occurred after a personal dispute, despite initial speculation about rising crime in the city.

Bob Lee.

Lee, the 43-year-old founder of Cash App, was found stabbed on April 4, 2023, near downtown San Francisco and later died in the hospital. Prosecutors argued that Momeni fatally stabbed Lee following an argument about Momeni’s sister, who Lee knew and had been with earlier that evening. Momeni claimed self-defense, saying Lee attacked him with a knife.

During the trial, prosecutors alleged that Momeni drove Lee to a secluded area and stabbed him three times, including in the heart, using a 4-inch kitchen knife. The argument escalated after Momeni questioned Lee about his sister’s drug use. Witnesses reported Momeni confronting Lee about whether anything inappropriate had occurred, while Momeni’s sister testified about a prior incident involving drugs and possible assault.

Momeni maintained that the stabbing resulted from a struggle over the knife after Lee pulled it on him. He claimed they stopped their car because Lee was unwell after using drugs, and a joke about strip clubs triggered the altercation. Momeni said he didn’t realize Lee had been stabbed as Lee walked away down the street.

The case sparked widespread attention after Elon Musk publicly criticized San Francisco’s handling of violent offenders. However, police later arrested Momeni, who had no history of prior offenses.

Tim Oliver Lee, the victim’s brother, expressed gratitude for the guilty verdict, though he believed Momeni acted with premeditation. “What matters today is that we had a guilty verdict, and that Nima Momeni is going away for a very long time,” he said.

The trial began on Oct. 14, with Assistant District Attorney Omid Talai stating in opening arguments that Lee was “stabbed through his heart and left to die.” Jenkins noted the jury’s verdict reflected their assessment of the facts, saying, “We respect what that is, and we do understand how they might get there.”