The suspect in the murder of tech mogul Bob Lee has been arrested and according to police and prosecutors, it was someone he knew.
On April 4, 43-year-old Lee was stabbed to death by Nima Momeni, 38. Police Chief Bill Scott told reporters that Momeni was arrested at his home in Emeryville Thursday morning and booked into jail on one count of murder.
Momeni’s LinkedIn profile states he is the owner of Expand IT, a Bay Area technology and security company.
“We can confirm that Mr. Lee and Mr. Momeni knew each other,” Chief Scott said. “Most people who commit homicides know the people who they kill. This has nothing to do with San Francisco. This has to do with human nature. Right now, Mr. Momeni is our focus as the single suspect of this case.”
Lee was stabbed in the upscale Rincon Hill neighborhood near the Bay Bridge on April 4 at around 2:30 a.m. Surveillance video shows Lee bleeding and stumbling down the street. He also called 911 himself.
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins described Lee’s slaying as a “heinous crime.” “Violent acts like this are jarring to us all. Everyone has wanted answers since this tragedy happened … the loss of a young, vibrant innovator,” Jenkins said.
When asked about a possible motive behind the killing, Police Chief Scott declined to answer. He explained, “I don’t want to put out information that is going to come back and haunt us in this case. There is still more work to be done.”
It was reported that the two men were in the same car driving downtown before getting into an argument. This allegedly led to Momeni stabbing Lee multiple times.
According to Jenkins, her office charged Momeni with murder, as well as a special enhancement allegation for using a knife. Her prosecutors will fight to keep him in jail without bail.
Inmate records show Momeni is currently in jail with no bail. He will be arraigned in court Friday morning.
