The man accused of murdering Cash App founder Bob Lee was the subject of a police investigation into the stabbings of two teenagers nearly two decades ago.
Nima Momeni, 38, a tech entrepreneur, was never charged over the alleged cuts, which police at the time said was a possible “drug dispute”.
According to SF ChronicleMomeni, then 20, stabbed a 19-year-old and a 16-year-old in 2005, inflicting only minor injuries on them.
A witness claimed the young victim attacked Momeni first, and Albany police listed him as both a suspect and a victim in their incident report.
Momeni was cited for potential charges including assault with a deadly weapon, drug possession and drug possession with intent to sell, but prosecutors declined to pursue the charges.
Nima Momeni allegedly stabbed two teenagers in 2005. He is pictured in court on May 2, 2023
Momeni allegedly stabbed teenagers when he was 20 years old. He is pictured in his Albany high school yearbook photograph
The 38-year-old is charged with murdering tech rival Bob Lee on the streets of San Francisco on April 4.
Prosecutors allege he had a heated argument with Lee over his relationship with Momeni’s sister, whom Lee had visited earlier that evening.
Prosecutors argued he vowed to ‘crack down’ on Lee over his relationship with his married sister, before stabbing him in the heart with a kitchen knife.
He is expected to face a murder trial for the killing, but legal experts say his previous brush with the law aged 20 could be an “interesting development”.
Due to the time that has passed since the alleged stabbings and the lack of evidence that initially saw the case dropped, coupled with the lack of a conviction, it will likely have no legal standing.
But if Momeni were to testify in court, the incident could be used by prosecutors to question his personality and present him as a dangerous individual.
“The prosecution will be watching like hawks for an opportunity to introduce him,” Tom Kensok, a former prosecutor, told the SF Chronicle.
“It’s something the prosecution will make efforts to explore and develop.”
Lee, a father of two, was killed in the early hours of April 4 after being stabbed in the heart
The timeline of events leading up to the alleged murder of the Cash App founder
Momeni is due back in court on June 13 after previously pleading not guilty to the murders.
His last appearance before a judge led to the accused murderer parting ways with his defense team, which was replaced by attorneys Saam Zangeneh and Bradford Cohen.
In an interview with DailyMail.com, Zangeneh said Momeni was “excited” to have them on board as he tried to fight the murder charges against him.
“He is delighted that we are getting to work,” he added.
Police have surveillance footage that shows how Momeni lured Lee, a prominent and well-known Silicon Valley entrepreneur, into his car and then onto a dark San Francisco street before stabbing him to death.
Prosecutors say he was furious with his sister’s friendship with Lee.
Text messages revealed a close friendship between the couple, and some of Lee’s friends thought they might have been romantically involved.
Lee and Momeni’s sister, Khazar Elyassnia, reportedly partied together the night of her murder. She is pictured with her husband, Dr Dino Elyassnia
Shocking surveillance footage has captured Bob Lee’s agonizing final moments after he was stabbed in the heart.
The entrepreneur was filmed staggering through the streets of San Francisco begging for help as he left a trail of blood behind him.
He was seen lifting his shirt to reveal the fatal injury to an unnamed driver, who ruthlessly drove away from Lee before crashing into the street.
After Lee was rushed to hospital by paramedics, they desperately tried unsuccessfully to save his life, including stapling closed wounds to his heart during a four-hour battle.
The contractor was pronounced dead on the operating table and a coroner’s report revealed he had ketamine, cocaine and alcohol in his system.
