Jurors in the trial of Nima Momeni, who is accused of killing Cash App founder Bob Lee in San Francisco, concluded their fifth day of deliberations on Wednesday without reaching a verdict.
The jury will reconvene at 9:30 am on Thursday to resume deliberations.
Thursday is the “hardship date” set by the judge during jury selection. If a verdict has not been reached by the end of the day on Thursday, any juror who wishes can opt out of the trial and end their participation as a juror.
If that happens and a replacement has to be chosen, deliberations will have to be restarted. And if there aren’t enough alternates to fill the jury, a mistrial is declared.
When asked how long deliberations lasted Wednesday, defense attorney Saam Zangeneh did not appear to think the time elapsed was an indication of which way the jury was leaning.
“This is one of the longer deliberations I’ve personally been involved in, but it doesn’t mean anything, you know?” he said. “Listen, they’re doing their job. That’s all I can say.’
On Tuesday afternoon, the defense filed a motion for a mistrial, saying prosecutor witness Borzu Mohabezzi lied on the stand and accused the prosecutor of knowing about it. The request was quickly rejected by the judge.
Mohabezzi described himself as a good friend of Lee. During his testimony in Octoberhe explained what drugs they took when they partied with the defendant’s sister the day before Lee was killed.
Jurors received the case last Wednesday, after 21 days of testimony that at times became controversial.
Momeni is accused of it killing Lee in a remote part of San Francisco’s East Cut neighborhood under the Bay Bridge early one morning in April 2023. The prosecutor argued that Momeni stabbed the technology executive out of anger over the introduction his sister Khazar Momeni to an alleged drug dealer who gave her drugs and sexually abused her.
During the trial, Momeni’s lawyers claimed their client acted in self-defense when Lee lunged at Momeni with a knife in hand while high on cocaine and ketamine. The defense said Lee became erratic and aggressive after Momeni made a “bad joke”. about the tech executive who wants to go to a strip club instead of spending time with his family.
Momeni was charged with first-degree murder, which carries a prison sentence of 26 years to life. Jurors are also considering murder and manslaughter in the case.
The judge instructed the jurors that whatever verdict they reached must be unanimous.
