Suspect arrested in San Francisco killing of tech executive Bob Lee
A suspect was arrested Thursday in the San Francisco killing of Cash App founder Bob Lee, officials said. San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott identified the suspect as Nima Momeni, 38, and said Momeni and Lee knew each other.
Momeni was booked on suspicion of murder, Scott said during a news conference. San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said Momeni was being charged with murder in Lee's death with an enhancement alleging the murder was committed with a knife. Momeni is expected to be arraigned Friday.
Scott declined to give details on how they linked the death to Momeni or how the men knew each other. The chief also didn't disclose a possible motive for the killing, saying the investigation was ongoing.
CBS station KPIX-TV reporter Jocelyn Moran reported on CBS News that the suspect and Lee were recorded leaving the Millennium Tower condominium building together prior to the attack, according to a source close to the investigation.
The arrest was first reported by independent news website Mission Local.
Police found Lee with stab wounds in the Rincon Hill neighborhood of San Francisco at approximately 2:35 a.m. April 4. He died at a hospital.
"I hope today's arrest can begin a process of healing and closure for all those touched by this tragedy," San Francisco Supervisor Matt Dorsey tweeted.
Prominent tech leaders took to social media to mourn Lee's death and blame San Francisco for what they call the city's lax attitude toward crime.
San Francisco's moribund downtown has not yet bounced back from the pandemic. The neighborhood where the stabbing occurred is near the Embarcadero waterfront and full of tech offices, towering condominium buildings and not much else late at night.
Lee is known for creating the widely used mobile payment service Cash App while working as chief technology officer of the payment company Square, now known as Block. He was the chief product officer for the cryptocurrency firm MobileCoin at the time of his death.
Lee was back in San Francisco for a visit after moving to Miami in October, his father, Rick Lee, said on social media. The two had been living in the San Francisco suburb of Mill Valley.
"Bob would give you the shirt off his back," Rick Lee wrote. "He would never look down on anyone and adhered to a strict no-judgment philosophy. Bobby worked harder than anyone and was the smartest person I have ever known."
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