A tech consultant has been found guilty of second-degree murder in the brutal fatal stabbing of Cash App founder Bob Lee.
IT consultant Nima Momeni, 40, was convicted by a San Francisco jury on Tuesday in the stabbing that happened in an empty downtown street last year.
The jury acquitted Momeni of first-degree murder, which was his initial charge. They deliberated for two days after closing arguments.
Momeni appeared to show no emotion as his verdict was read, NBC Bay Area reported.
Leeโs ex-wife, Kirsta Lee, said she was โvery happyโ with the verdict and embraced his father, Richard Lee, while tearing up.
โBob was here with us today for sure,โ she said. โI can feel him.โ
The victimโs brother, Oliver Lee, said of Momeni: โHeโs going to be in jail for a long time. Now we can start healing.โ
Lee, 43, co-founded the digital wallet company Cash App in 2013 and was serving as chief product officer of the cryptocurrency startup MobileCoin when he was killed on April 4, 2023.
Cops found Lee, who called 911, bleeding from the hip and heart at a doorway near Oracle Park. He died shortly after at a nearby hospital.
Momeni was arrested 10 days after the stabbing. He had moved from San Francisco to Miami but was visiting and partying at a Millennium Tower condominium hours earlier.
He faces 16 years to life in prison, according to District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. Momeniโs sentencing date was not immediately announced. He plans to file an appeal.
โWe will fight on,โ said Tony Brass, one of Momeniโs lawyers.
โA lot of legal decisions were made that need to be revisited with a calmer eye.โ
Leeโs killing shocked the tech industry as other executives and workers hailed him for his generosity and leadership.
Momeniโs verdict comes nearly two weeks after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot dead outside a New York City hotel. Ivy League graduate Luigi Mangione, 26, has been charged with second-degree murder and other charges in Thompsonโs killing, and is being held in a Pennsylvania state prison.
Unlike Leeโs case, the public has been divided on Thompsonโs killing, with some people praising Mangioneโs alleged criticism of health insurance companies denying patient claims. Mangioneโs supporters have raised more than $110,000 for his legal defense fund. (Metro)