Nima Momeni, the tech consultant charged in the stabbing death of Cash App founder Bob Lee, testified in his own defense, claiming he acted in self-defense after Lee allegedly attacked him with a knife. Momeni described making a “bad joke” to Lee about spending his final night in San Francisco with family instead of seeking a strip club, which he says triggered Lee’s aggression.
Prosecutors allege that Momeni planned the April 2023 attack after a dispute involving his younger sister, Khazar Momeni, and used a knife from her condo to stab Lee three times in a secluded area. Surveillance footage captured Lee and Momeni leaving Khazar’s residence together after 2 a.m. and driving off in Momeni’s car, later stopping near the Bay Bridge.
The defense argues that Lee, erratic after days of drug use and little sleep, initiated the confrontation. Momeni, who has pleaded not guilty, faces 26 years to life if convicted. Cross-examination of his testimony, including disputes over text messages and surveillance evidence, continues.
According to the prosecution, this is the location where Momeni fatally stabbed Lee. However, the defense contends that this is where Lee allegedly initiated an attack on Momeni.
Law enforcement recovered a knife with a 4-inch (10-centimeter) blade in the secluded area where the incident occurred. Prosecutors assert that forensic testing identified Momeni’s DNA on the handle of the weapon and Lee’s DNA on the blade. Conversely, the defense introduced an expert witness who argued that the police investigation was incomplete, suggesting that the knife’s handle should have been tested for Lee’s fingerprints.
A forensic pathology expert testified yesterday in the trial concerning the murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee. The expert informed the jury that the nature of Lee's stab wounds was consistent with the self-defense theory advanced by the defendant, Nima Momeni. Dr. John Marraccini testified in the trial of Nima Momeni on Nov. 12 and 13, 2024.John Marraccini, from Florida and a former chief medical examiner was called as an expert witness to lend gravitas to the argument that Lee attempted to stab Momeni, forcing Momeni to turn the knife on Lee.
“Usually a vital organ is targeted when someone assaults someone else with a knife,” Marraccini said. Lee, however, was stabbed in the hip, and Marraccini said that “the pathway was very superficial” and “very atypical,” which raises the question: “Was this a deflection attempt?’”
Much of Dr. Marraccini's testimony during yesterday’s proceedings was speculative in nature, acknowledging the possibility of multiple interpretations of the events. Dr. Marraccini concurred with an alternative theory proposed by prosecutor Dane Reinstedt, suggesting that Momeni may have inflicted two stab wounds to Lee's chest and, as Lee attempted to move away, delivered a superficial stab to his hip.
DNA expert Greg Hampikian was the first witness for the defense, which has chastised police for failing to examine rubber haandle of the alleged murder weapon for fingerprints.
On cross-examination by the prosecution, Greg Hampikian confirmed he’s being paid $12,000 by the defense to review the DNA analysis and to testify, and hotel costs are also included, plus travel from Idaho. He resides in Idaho as a professor at Boise State University where he was the founder of the Idaho Innocence Project.
Eddie Price
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