Man accused of killing Cash App founder Bob Lee faces arraignment

CNN

Nima Mumeni, who is accused of murdering Cash App founder Bob Lee shortly after a meeting in San Francisco, will appear before a judge on Tuesday to face a charge of murder.

Lee, who founded the mobile payment provider Cash App in 2011, was fatally stabbed on the morning of April 4th, in the Rincon Hills neighborhood.

According to authorities, Momeni and Lee, both 38 years old and from Emeryville in California, were friends and had been in a car together shortly before the stabbing.

California Secretary of state records show that Momeni was the owner of a business in IT. Since his arrest, nearly two weeks ago, he has been detained without bail.

The district attorney’s office indicated that it is possible the alleged murder was premeditated.

Brooke Jenkins, San Francisco's District Attorney, said this earlier in the month: 'This was a person with a knife who was inside his car.' "That's something we don't carry with us at all times."

Paula Canny, Momeni’s lawyer, told KNTV almost two weeks ago there was a "much greater background story" than what had been revealed. There is more to it than what meets the eye. She told the station that her client was not guilty of murder.

CNN has reached Canny to ask for a comment on the murder charge.

Conversations between Lee and Momeni

The documents from the district prosecutor's office detail what the authorities believe led up to the stabbing.

In a motion to detain, a police interviewee and footage from security cameras are cited as providing a detailed timeline on where Lee and Momeni had been.

The document says that a witness who was described as a friend of Lee went to the apartment on April 3 after Lee invited him. Lee had been drinking with a woman, later identified as Momeni’s sister.

According to the police report, the witness said that the woman was married, but her "relationship could be in danger." He was also unsure if the woman and Lee were having an intimate relationship. Lee told the witness they were going to Lee's hotel room. He invited the woman, but she refused.

According to the document, while in the hotel room the witness stated that Lee had a conversation Momeni. Momeni said he would be picking up his sister at the apartment Lee and witness were at previously. Momeni asked Lee "whether his sister had been doing drugs or something inappropriate", according to the document. According to the document, Lee told Momeni that nothing had happened.

The late-night drive

The document states that after the conversation with Momeni Lee and the witness stayed at Lee's flat until around 12:30 am on April 4 when Lee left.

Surveillance video shows Momeni driving into his sister's building in a BMW at around 8:30 pm on April 3. Lee then enters the building at around 12:39 am on April 4. Security footage from a little after 2 am shows Lee and Momeni getting into Momeni’s BMW together. Other footage shows them driving together in the BMW.

The document states that the video shows the BMW driving to a "dark and secluded" area on Main Street. However, the interaction between two men is not visible in the video.

The two subjects who appear to be wearing identical clothing but are not identifiable by their faces eventually return into the frame. The document states that after about five minutes the subject in a white top, which is consistent with the clothing Momeni was wearing, "suddenly moved(s) towards the other subject." The two subjects separate.

Document states that the man in dark clothing, whom authorities believe is Lee, walked north, while the man in light clothing walked south, stopping along a fence where the knife was recovered. The BMW then "leaves at high speed," the document says.

According to documents, an autopsy revealed that Lee had been stabbed 'three separate times', once in his hip and twice in his chest. Lee died because one of the stabs 'directly' penetrated his heart.

In a press conference, Jenkins, the District Attorney, said that a kitchen knife had been found nearby. He added that the department has 'proof beyond reasonable doubt' (that Meni committed murder).

According to the document requesting detention, on April 11, investigators discovered a text from Momeni’s sister to Lee. The message showed that Momeni’s sister was checking up on Lee. According to the document, Momeni's sister sent Lee a text message on April 11 asking him if he was doing well.

Momeni is alleged to be involved in another incident

San Francisco Chronicle reported on Monday that a police report revealed additional details about an incident in August 2022 involving a female and Momeni.

The newspaper reported that the police in Emeryville released Momeni after he was cited for misdemeanor assault charges. This came about when a woman claimed he had attacked her. CNN requested the documents, and reached out Emeryville Police.

According to the police report, Momeni and the woman, whose identity was redacted, got into a fight on the afternoon of 1 August 2022.

When questioned by the responding officers, Momeni denied this allegation.

The Chronicle reported that the woman had told the police that Momeni's behavior was unpredictable, saying that "one minute he would be fine, and the next, he'd go off without reason."

Canny, Momeni’s lawyer, said in a Monday statement to CNN, ‘It's only a police record.'

There was no arrest. She said that no charges were filed because the Alameda District Attorney declined to bring charges.

The Alameda county district attorney's office confirmed last week to CNN that it had not filed charges, but refused to give any more details or explain why.

The Chronicle reports that the woman told police she was not dating Momeni and said in the report she had met him a week before and he let her stay on his couch if she cleaned the house.

The Chronicle reports that the woman told police she was in the kitchen of the loft when Momeni came down and shouted at her to gather her belongings and go, earlier in the day.

According to The Chronicle, Officer Johnson noted in his report that 'Momeni grabbed her upper right arm and right side of her waist'. He then pushed her into a counter.

According to the newspaper, he denied the allegation. A roommate also told police that she was the aggressor and that he did not see any violence.

The Chronicle reports that Momeni said he told officers that he wished to press charges against the woman who had pushed him the previous day when they also argued.