Jurors in San Francisco began deliberating Wednesday morning on the fate of defendant Nima Momeni, who has been charged with murder in the 2023 slaying of Cash App founder Bob Lee.
Before the case was presented to the jury, the judge gave some final instructions on the procedures they will follow if they reach a verdict or if they cannot reach an agreement.
Momeni has been 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 said the jury’s verdict must be unanimous.
The state has accused Momeni of it fatally stabbing tech manager Lee in a remote part of San Francisco’s East Cut neighborhood on an early morning in April 2023.
Prosecutors have argued that the fatal stabbing occurred after a heated argument about his sister’s relationship with Lee and their continued drug use. Momeni’s lawyers did argued that Lee attacked Momeni in a drug-fueled rage and was accidentally stabbed while Momeni was defending herself.
Lee’s family and friends sat anxiously throughout the trial, hoping the jury would quickly return a guilty verdict. But it is unclear how long deliberations will last, or what the verdict will be, as jurors have asked dozens of their own questions during the trial.
On Wednesday, Lee’s ex-wife Krista said she believes prosecutors did their best to bring Bob’s story to the courtroom.
“I have nothing but the utmost respect for our jurors, they have a very difficult decision ahead of them. And I am extremely grateful to our legal team on this, and especially the judge. And even more so to the San Francisco Police Department. Sorry guys, this makes me a little teary,” she said, fighting back tears. “I think they all did a phenomenal job and unfortunately for our family, we will never stop fighting for Bob’s legacy.”
The start of deliberations came a day after Momeni’s lawyers concluded their closing arguments with a surprising video clip they claimed that hours later Lee used cocaine with the same knife that killed him.
Momeni’s lawyers made their last attempt to prove their client’s innocence to the jurors. They said Momeni had no motive to stab Lee and tried to paint a lasting picture that strengthened their claim that he acted in self-defense.
In criminal cases, prosecutors get the final say. During their rebuttal, the prosecutor told jurors that the likelihood of so many coincidences falling into place to make Momeni’s story possible was akin to being struck by lightning 30 times.
They urged jurors to use their common sense and return a guilty verdict. Their last words in court: “Don’t let him get away with it.”
