Tech Executive Killed Cash App Founder In San Francisco Stabbing, Police Say

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Tech executive Nima Momeni is accused of stabbing Cash App Founder Bob Lee to death last week in San Francisco, according to police, who announced charges against Momeni on Thursday.

The two men knew each other, according to Chief Bill Scott. Police responded around 2:30 a.m. April 4 to the 300 block of Main Street and found Lee, who had been stabbed and was taken to a hospital but died from his injury, Scott said.

“We never give up finding justice, justice for the victims and this city,” Scott said at a press conference streamed Thursday on Facebook Live.

Scott declined to give additional details, noting the case remained open and the investigation was ongoing.

“We are not at the end of the road,” District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said. “We are truly at the beginning of the road.”

Police took Momeni into custody Thursday morning in Emeryville on an arrest warrant and he faces a charge of murder with a special allegation that the killing was committed using a knife, according to authorities, who also served two search warrants in San Francisco and one in Emeryville. Momeni is expected to be arraigned Friday afternoon, authorities said.

Lee had served as the CTO of Square and was most recently the chief product officer at MobileCoin. He was 43.

Scott and Jenkins used the press conference to address commentary about crime in the city in the wake of the high-profile killing.

“This is more about human nature and human behavior than it is about our city,” Scott said, noting most people who commit homicides know their victims. “This is not about San Francisco.”

Jenkins made reference to “reckless and irresponsible statements,” specifically calling out tech billionaire Elon Musk for his comments on crime in the city.

Musk replied April 5 to a tweet about Lee’s death.

“Many people I know have been severely assaulted,” Musk tweeted. “Violent crime in SF is horrific and even if attackers are caught, they are often released immediately. Is the city taking stronger action to incarcerate repeat violent offenders @BrookeJenkinsSF?”

Lee's wife, Krista Lee, told KTVU her husband loved San Francisco and would not agree with portrayals of the city as lawless.

She told the station Momeni’s arrest represented “the first step toward justice.”

Krista Lee said she was confused as to what led the man to stab her husband, but that the arrest would help give their children peace of mind, according to KTVU.

“There is nothing worse than a parent having to bury their child or a young child having to bury their parent,” Jenkins said.