Autopsy: Stab wounds to heart, lungs killed Cash App founder

May 2, 2023, 4:18 PM | Updated: 4:40 pm

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Cash App founder Bob Lee died during surgery from stab wounds that pierced his heart and a lung, according to an autopsy report released Tuesday that also shows he had alcohol and drugs in his system.

Doctors at San Francisco General Hospital tried for hours to close the wounds in Lee’s heart and save his life, but they declared him dead at 6:49 a.m. April 4, according to an 18-page autopsy report by the San Francisco Medical Examiner.

A toxicology test found Lee, 43, had alcohol, cocaine, ketamine and allergy medication in his system, Assistant Medical Examiner Dr. Ellen Moffatt wrote.

Moffatt concluded Lee’s cause of death was multiple stab wounds, and that the manner and method of death was homicide by sharp injury.

Tech consultant Nima Momeni, 38, was charged with murder with a sentencing enhancement of using a knife in the April 4 stabbing death of Lee. If convicted, he faces 26 years to life in prison.

A plea hearing on Tuesday was continued until May 18 after Momeni’s defense attorney, Paula Canny, asked for more time.

Outside the courtroom, Canny emphasized Lee’s drug use could have led him to make bad decisions.

“There’s a lot of drugs in Bob Lee’s system. I mean, Bob Lee’s system is like the Walgreens of recreational drugs,” Canny said.

“What happens when people take drugs? Generally, they act like drug people, and what drug people act like is not themselves, not happy-go-lucky,” she said. “Just kind of illusory and make bad decisions and do bad things.”

She wouldn’t say whether Momeni did drugs with Lee, who police said was his acquaintance.

Prosecutors say Momeni drove Lee to a secluded spot and stabbed him over a dispute related to Momeni’s sister. They said in court documents that surveillance video and testimony from a friend of Lee who was with him the afternoon and evening before he died led investigators to Momeni.

A friend of Lee, who was not identified, told investigators the two of them met with Momeni’s sister, Khazar Elyassnia, at an apartment where she was drinking with another unidentified man, according to court documents. The friend said he and Lee left the apartment and went to Lee’s hotel room where he witnessed a conversation in which Momeni was questioning Lee over whether his younger sister “was doing drugs or anything inappropriate,” prosecutors said.

The friend and Lee parted ways around 12:30 a.m. Minutes later, Lee can be seen on video surveillance entering the high-end Millennium Tower, where public records show Elyassnia and her husband, Dino Elyassnia, own a unit. The video also shows Lee and Momeni leaving the building shortly after 2 a.m. and driving off in Momeni’s BMW.

Prosecutors say that Momeni drove to a dark and secluded spot, parked his car and after the two got out of the car, attacked Lee with a kitchen knife, stabbing him three times, including once in the heart. He then sped away “and left victim to slowly die,” according to a motion to detain. Police recovered a knife with a 4-inch blade at the scene.

San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said defense attorneys often smear a homicide victim’s character as a defense strategy. “Whether or not someone has or has not done drugs — that does not give someone a license to kill him,” Jenkins said.

Lee is known for creating the widely used mobile payment service Cash App while working as chief technology officer of the payment company Square, now known as Block.

United States News

People pray over the body of Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster at the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apos...

Associated Press

Nun whose body shows little decay since 2019 death draws hundreds to rural Missouri

Hundreds of people flocked to a small town in Missouri this week and last to see a Black nun whose body has barely decomposed since 2019.

19 hours ago

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, top left, bows for prayer in the Senate Chamber at the Texas Capitol in...

Associated Press

Impeachment trial of Texas’ Ken Paxton to begin no later than August 28

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A historic impeachment trial in Texas to determine whether Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton should be permanently removed from office will begin no later than August in the state Senate, where the jury that would determine his future could include his wife, Sen. Angela Paxton. Ken Paxton was immediately suspended from […]

19 hours ago

Associated Press

Teenager walks at brain injury event weeks after getting shot in head for knocking on wrong door

Ralph Yarl — a Black teenager who was shot in the head and arm last month after mistakenly ringing the wrong doorbell — walked at a brain injury awareness event Monday in his first major public appearance since the shooting. The 17-year-old suffered a traumatic brain injury when he was shot while trying to pick […]

19 hours ago

Crew members assemble the main stage ahead of the 2023 Scripps Nations Spelling Bee on Sunday, May ...

Associated Press

Exclusive secrets of the National Spelling Bee: Picking the words to identify a champion

As the final pre-competition meeting of the Scripps National Spelling Bee's word selection panel stretches into its seventh hour, the pronouncers no longer seem to care.

19 hours ago

Eugene and Linda Lamie, of Homerville, Ga., sit by the grave of their son U.S. Army Sgt. Gene Lamie...

Associated Press

Biden on Memorial Day lauds generations of fallen US troops who ‘dared all and gave all’

President Joe Biden lauded the sacrifice of generations of U.S. troops who died fighting for their country as he marked Memorial Day with the traditional wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.

19 hours ago

Associated Press

Motorist with sign claiming to have an explosive device drives to Canadian border

HOULTON, Maine (AP) — The driver of vehicle with a sign indicating there was an explosive device on board led Maine State Police on a chase on Interstate 95 to the Canadian border on Monday, officials said. A trooper fired shots after the motorist attempted to maneuver the truck toward the Canadian port of entry […]

19 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Desert Institute for Spine Care

Spinal fusion surgery has come a long way, despite misconceptions

As Dr. Justin Field of the Desert Institute for Spine Care explained, “we've come a long way over the last couple of decades.”

...

re:vitalize

Why drug-free weight loss still matters

Wanting to lose weight is a common goal for many people as they progress throughout life, but choosing between a holistic approach or to take medicine can be a tough decision.

...

OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center

How to identify the symptoms of 3 common anxiety disorders

Living with an anxiety disorder can be debilitating and cause significant stress for those who suffer from the condition.

Autopsy: Stab wounds to heart, lungs killed Cash App founder