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San Francisco, United States:
A tech consultant was found guilty Tuesday of stabbing Cash App founder Bob Lee to death during a clash in San Francisco.
The verdict of second-degree murder pronounced for Nima Momeni marked the end of a case that was used by tech tycoon Elon Musk and others to promote a narrative that crime in the city was out of control.
A day after Lee’s stabbing death in the early morning hours of April 4, 2023, Musk posted a message on X, formerly Twitter, saying “violent crime in SF is horrific” and that “even if attackers are caught, they are often released immediately.”
Police determined that Lee and Momeni knew one another and were having a dispute concerning Momeni’s sister when Lee was stabbed to death.
Lee was stabbed several times, once in the heart, according to court documents.
Jurors found Momeni guilty of second-degree murder, not convinced at trial that the killing was premeditated or that he was merely defending himself, according to ABC News and other outlets.
Momeni faces a prison sentence of from 15 years to life behind bars.
“We all know that after Bob Lee was murdered, Elon Musk took to Twitter to make an effort to really shame San Francisco, and to make it seem like this was about lawlessness in San Francisco,” SFGate quoted District Attorney Brooke Jenkins as saying outside the courtroom after the verdict.
“He was incorrect,” she added, noting Musk’s tweet logged millions of views worldwide in the 24 hours after it was posted.
Lee’s brother Timothy Oliver Lee told journalists outside the courtroom that the family was satisfied with the verdict, according to CBS News.
“We’re happy that Nima Momeni won’t be on the streets, no longer has the opportunity to harm anyone else in this world,” Timothy Oliver Lee was reported as saying.
“The verdict of murder two will put him away for a long time.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
