A man accused of fatally stabbing the founder of Cash App in San Francisco has denied murder charges.
Nima Momeni, 38, allegedly killed Bob Lee, 43, in the early morning of 4 April in the city, the prosecution claims Mr Momeni planned the attack and drove to a remote area.
The judge ruled that Mr Momeni should remain in custody until the trial. His attorney, Paula Canny, challenged the prosecution’s evidence, saying the CCTV footage was unclear.
The San Francisco Standard said it saw CCTV footage that showed Mr Lee walking down an empty alleyway, apparently seeking help on the night of the attack.
He is seen lifting his shirt to show his wound to a car that was parked nearby, the outlet said, but the car drove away before Mr Lee collapsed.
Mr Lee was found unconscious in the Rincon Hill area with two chest wounds. He later died in hospital.
The prosecution did not give a reason for the attack but said there was DNA evidence that contradicted the defence’s argument of self-defence.
According to court documents, a witness told police that Mr Momeni asked Mr Lee about his sister the night before the stabbing.
He asked Mr Lee if his sister was “doing drugs or anything inappropriate”, prosecutors said. Mr Lee “had to reassure [Mr Momeni] nothing inappropriate happened”.
Mr Momeni’s sister, Khazar Elyassnia, is married to a well-known plastic surgeon in the Bay Area – both of whom were at Thursday’s hearing.
Around midnight, Mr Lee went to Mrs Elyassnia’s apartment. Mr Momeni was there and CCTV shows Mr Lee and Mr Momeni leaving together in Mr Momeni’s BMW about 30 minutes before the murder.
The hearing heard that Mr Momeni had a drink driving conviction in 2004, and was charged in 2011 with a minor offence for having a switchblade, criminal records show, but that case was dropped after he took a plea deal.
According to public records, Mr Momeni’s IT consulting firm was failing, and acquaintances described him as a loner, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Ms Canny said Mr Momeni was not a US citizen and faced being sent back to Iran, the San Francisco Standard reported.
Mr Lee’s death sparked fears and criticism of increasing crime in the city, before police announced the suspect was known to him.
