周二,舊金山陪審團裁定一名技術(shù)顧問犯有二級謀殺罪,罪名是刺死Cash App創(chuàng)始人鮑勃·李,該罪名可判處16年到終身監(jiān)禁。陪審團駁回了被告的自衛(wèi)主張。
陪審團花了七天時間對尼瑪·莫梅尼在2023年4月4日發(fā)生的李遇害案中的罪名做出裁決。李是一位受人喜愛的科技大亨。被目擊者發(fā)現(xiàn)時,他正在市中心一條冷清的街道上踉蹌前行,身上滴著血并大聲求救。43歲的李后來在醫(yī)院去世。
受害者的兄弟蒂姆·奧利弗·李對記者表示:“我們認(rèn)為今天正義得到了伸張。重要的是我們得到了有罪判決,尼瑪·莫梅尼將面臨漫長的刑期?!?
檢察官稱莫梅尼蓄意策劃了對李的襲擊。他將李帶到海灣大橋下的一處偏僻地點,用從他妹妹廚房里拿來的刀刺了李三刀。他們表示莫梅尼對李將他妹妹介紹給一名毒販感到憤怒,他妹妹稱毒販給了服用了GHB(“聽話水”)和其他毒品,然后對她實施了性侵。
但莫梅尼在法庭上聲稱他責(zé)備李當(dāng)天晚上應(yīng)該多花些時間陪陪家人,而不是去找脫衣舞俱樂部,于是惱羞成怒的李用刀攻擊了他。曾學(xué)過武術(shù)的莫梅尼主張自己是在自衛(wèi),稱他沒有意識到會給李造成致命傷,甚至不知道李受傷了。
可能是由于李在科技界的地位,該起案件在全美引起關(guān)注。最初,他的遇害引發(fā)了關(guān)于舊金山公共安全問題的辯論,X的老板埃隆·馬斯克在社交媒體上發(fā)帖稱“舊金山的暴力犯罪很可怕,即使襲擊者被捕,他們也經(jīng)常被很快釋放”。
舊金山地區(qū)檢察官布魯克·詹金斯表示,判決表明這起謀殺案是一次有針對性的犯罪,而不是城市中的隨機違法行為。
詹金斯在庭審結(jié)束后對記者表示:“我們是一個實行問責(zé)制的城市,我們致力于保障城市的公共安全?!?/p>
40歲的莫梅尼自2023年4月被捕后一直被拘留,當(dāng)時他被指控犯有一級謀殺罪。該案件于10月14日開始審理,陪審團于12月4日開始審議。
周二,莫梅尼的五位律師中,有兩人親自出庭,另外三位律師通過Zoom在佛羅里達(dá)州參加了庭審。
托尼·布拉斯表示:“我們對這個判決感到非常失望?!彼硎韭蓭焾F隊正在評估上訴的可能性。
陪審團在周一下午晚些時候做出了裁定,但法院選擇在周二上午宣判。法庭上擠滿了李的家人、朋友和記者。記者們一直在密切關(guān)注這場備受矚目的審判。
雙方的家人都出席了庭審。被告的母親馬赫納茲·塔亞拉尼坐在法庭的一側(cè),而李的父親、兄弟和前妻坐在另一側(cè),李的尸檢照片和911電話錄音令他們感到震驚。
周二,塔亞拉尼眼含淚水地哭訴判決不公。
她表示:“我兒子不是他們所認(rèn)為的那樣。他非常善良,有愛心,尊重他人,富有同情心?!?
李生前創(chuàng)建了移動支付服務(wù)Cash App,并擔(dān)任加密貨幣平臺MobileCoin的首席產(chǎn)品官。他已經(jīng)從舊金山灣區(qū)搬到了邁阿密,而他的前妻克里斯塔·李和他們的兩個孩子住在舊金山灣區(qū)。
對于導(dǎo)致兩人在4月4日凌晨發(fā)生對峙的事件順序,雙方?jīng)]有異議。但沒有獨立的記錄顯示他們互相說了什么或是誰拿出了刀,而且他們最后一次遭遇的視頻畫質(zhì)很差。
檢方稱視頻顯示莫梅尼刺了李三刀。他們還表示,兇器是一把近8英寸的削皮刀,刀刃長約4英寸,刀柄上有莫梅尼的DNA,刀刃上有李的DNA。
陪審團最終駁回了一級謀殺罪的指控,因為一級謀殺罪名需要檢方證明莫梅尼存在故意、蓄意和預(yù)謀。二級謀殺罪則不需要這些要素。
陪審團周二拒絕接受媒體采訪。
案發(fā)前一天的下午,李和卡扎爾·莫梅尼在李認(rèn)識的一名毒販的公寓里吸毒和喝酒。李在尼瑪·莫梅尼去接妹妹之前離開,妹妹告訴哥哥自己遭到了侵犯。
李的一位朋友作證說,莫梅尼隨后在電話中質(zhì)問李在毒販公寓里發(fā)生了什么事。他發(fā)短信說那兩個人是變態(tài)和性侵犯者。
莫梅尼后來和李在他妹妹的公寓里待了一段時間,直到她把他們趕出去,說她需要睡覺。
監(jiān)控視頻顯示,兩人在凌晨2點左右離開了卡扎爾·莫梅尼的豪華公寓,并坐上了尼瑪·莫梅尼的寶馬(BMW)車。其他監(jiān)控視頻顯示,兩人在海灣大橋附近下車,那里正是謀殺案的案發(fā)地。
莫梅尼作證說,他在經(jīng)過一個坑洼時導(dǎo)致李灑了手里的啤酒,于是他才停車。莫梅尼表示,他開了個玩笑,說李應(yīng)該在探親的最后一晚陪陪家人,而不是試圖尋找脫衣舞俱樂部繼續(xù)派對。
當(dāng)時,李突然大發(fā)雷霆,并呵斥莫梅尼質(zhì)疑他撫養(yǎng)孩子的能力,然后從外套口袋里掏出刀對他進行攻擊。
莫梅尼在庭審時表示:“我很擔(dān)心自己的生命安全?!彼淖C詞毫無邏輯且充滿爭議。
他說李從沖突現(xiàn)場離開,且沒有任何受傷的跡象。他表示,他在第二天才得知李已經(jīng)去世。
莫梅尼表示:“我對他的家人和他本人的遭遇感到非常難過。他不應(yīng)該遭受這樣的命運。我認(rèn)為沒有人應(yīng)該遭受這種痛苦?!?/p>
檢方認(rèn)為莫梅尼的說法非常可笑,他們指出他從未就他所聲稱的李攻擊他的事件報警,甚至在得知李因刺傷而亡命街頭之后也沒有報警。
檢方還出示了卡扎爾·莫梅尼發(fā)給她哥哥的短信,詢問他把李送去了哪里,但他并沒有回答。她還發(fā)短信給李,詢問他的情況,因為她的哥哥對他“下手很重”,并感謝他“以得體的方式處理了這件事”。(財富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:劉進龍
審校:汪皓
周二,舊金山陪審團裁定一名技術(shù)顧問犯有二級謀殺罪,罪名是刺死Cash App創(chuàng)始人鮑勃·李,該罪名可判處16年到終身監(jiān)禁。陪審團駁回了被告的自衛(wèi)主張。
陪審團花了七天時間對尼瑪·莫梅尼在2023年4月4日發(fā)生的李遇害案中的罪名做出裁決。李是一位受人喜愛的科技大亨。被目擊者發(fā)現(xiàn)時,他正在市中心一條冷清的街道上踉蹌前行,身上滴著血并大聲求救。43歲的李后來在醫(yī)院去世。
受害者的兄弟蒂姆·奧利弗·李對記者表示:“我們認(rèn)為今天正義得到了伸張。重要的是我們得到了有罪判決,尼瑪·莫梅尼將面臨漫長的刑期?!?
檢察官稱莫梅尼蓄意策劃了對李的襲擊。他將李帶到海灣大橋下的一處偏僻地點,用從他妹妹廚房里拿來的刀刺了李三刀。他們表示莫梅尼對李將他妹妹介紹給一名毒販感到憤怒,他妹妹稱毒販給了服用了GHB(“聽話水”)和其他毒品,然后對她實施了性侵。
但莫梅尼在法庭上聲稱他責(zé)備李當(dāng)天晚上應(yīng)該多花些時間陪陪家人,而不是去找脫衣舞俱樂部,于是惱羞成怒的李用刀攻擊了他。曾學(xué)過武術(shù)的莫梅尼主張自己是在自衛(wèi),稱他沒有意識到會給李造成致命傷,甚至不知道李受傷了。
可能是由于李在科技界的地位,該起案件在全美引起關(guān)注。最初,他的遇害引發(fā)了關(guān)于舊金山公共安全問題的辯論,X的老板埃隆·馬斯克在社交媒體上發(fā)帖稱“舊金山的暴力犯罪很可怕,即使襲擊者被捕,他們也經(jīng)常被很快釋放”。
舊金山地區(qū)檢察官布魯克·詹金斯表示,判決表明這起謀殺案是一次有針對性的犯罪,而不是城市中的隨機違法行為。
詹金斯在庭審結(jié)束后對記者表示:“我們是一個實行問責(zé)制的城市,我們致力于保障城市的公共安全?!?/p>
40歲的莫梅尼自2023年4月被捕后一直被拘留,當(dāng)時他被指控犯有一級謀殺罪。該案件于10月14日開始審理,陪審團于12月4日開始審議。
周二,莫梅尼的五位律師中,有兩人親自出庭,另外三位律師通過Zoom在佛羅里達(dá)州參加了庭審。
托尼·布拉斯表示:“我們對這個判決感到非常失望?!彼硎韭蓭焾F隊正在評估上訴的可能性。
陪審團在周一下午晚些時候做出了裁定,但法院選擇在周二上午宣判。法庭上擠滿了李的家人、朋友和記者。記者們一直在密切關(guān)注這場備受矚目的審判。
雙方的家人都出席了庭審。被告的母親馬赫納茲·塔亞拉尼坐在法庭的一側(cè),而李的父親、兄弟和前妻坐在另一側(cè),李的尸檢照片和911電話錄音令他們感到震驚。
周二,塔亞拉尼眼含淚水地哭訴判決不公。
她表示:“我兒子不是他們所認(rèn)為的那樣。他非常善良,有愛心,尊重他人,富有同情心?!?
李生前創(chuàng)建了移動支付服務(wù)Cash App,并擔(dān)任加密貨幣平臺MobileCoin的首席產(chǎn)品官。他已經(jīng)從舊金山灣區(qū)搬到了邁阿密,而他的前妻克里斯塔·李和他們的兩個孩子住在舊金山灣區(qū)。
對于導(dǎo)致兩人在4月4日凌晨發(fā)生對峙的事件順序,雙方?jīng)]有異議。但沒有獨立的記錄顯示他們互相說了什么或是誰拿出了刀,而且他們最后一次遭遇的視頻畫質(zhì)很差。
檢方稱視頻顯示莫梅尼刺了李三刀。他們還表示,兇器是一把近8英寸的削皮刀,刀刃長約4英寸,刀柄上有莫梅尼的DNA,刀刃上有李的DNA。
陪審團最終駁回了一級謀殺罪的指控,因為一級謀殺罪名需要檢方證明莫梅尼存在故意、蓄意和預(yù)謀。二級謀殺罪則不需要這些要素。
陪審團周二拒絕接受媒體采訪。
案發(fā)前一天的下午,李和卡扎爾·莫梅尼在李認(rèn)識的一名毒販的公寓里吸毒和喝酒。李在尼瑪·莫梅尼去接妹妹之前離開,妹妹告訴哥哥自己遭到了侵犯。
李的一位朋友作證說,莫梅尼隨后在電話中質(zhì)問李在毒販公寓里發(fā)生了什么事。他發(fā)短信說那兩個人是變態(tài)和性侵犯者。
莫梅尼后來和李在他妹妹的公寓里待了一段時間,直到她把他們趕出去,說她需要睡覺。
監(jiān)控視頻顯示,兩人在凌晨2點左右離開了卡扎爾·莫梅尼的豪華公寓,并坐上了尼瑪·莫梅尼的寶馬(BMW)車。其他監(jiān)控視頻顯示,兩人在海灣大橋附近下車,那里正是謀殺案的案發(fā)地。
莫梅尼作證說,他在經(jīng)過一個坑洼時導(dǎo)致李灑了手里的啤酒,于是他才停車。莫梅尼表示,他開了個玩笑,說李應(yīng)該在探親的最后一晚陪陪家人,而不是試圖尋找脫衣舞俱樂部繼續(xù)派對。
當(dāng)時,李突然大發(fā)雷霆,并呵斥莫梅尼質(zhì)疑他撫養(yǎng)孩子的能力,然后從外套口袋里掏出刀對他進行攻擊。
莫梅尼在庭審時表示:“我很擔(dān)心自己的生命安全?!彼淖C詞毫無邏輯且充滿爭議。
他說李從沖突現(xiàn)場離開,且沒有任何受傷的跡象。他表示,他在第二天才得知李已經(jīng)去世。
莫梅尼表示:“我對他的家人和他本人的遭遇感到非常難過。他不應(yīng)該遭受這樣的命運。我認(rèn)為沒有人應(yīng)該遭受這種痛苦?!?/p>
檢方認(rèn)為莫梅尼的說法非??尚?,他們指出他從未就他所聲稱的李攻擊他的事件報警,甚至在得知李因刺傷而亡命街頭之后也沒有報警。
檢方還出示了卡扎爾·莫梅尼發(fā)給她哥哥的短信,詢問他把李送去了哪里,但他并沒有回答。她還發(fā)短信給李,詢問他的情況,因為她的哥哥對他“下手很重”,并感謝他“以得體的方式處理了這件事”。(財富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:劉進龍
審校:汪皓
A San Francisco jury on Tuesday found a tech consultant guilty of second-degree murder in the stabbing death of Cash App founder Bob Lee, which carries a sentence of 16 years to life, rejecting the defendant’s claim that he had acted in self defense.
Jurors took seven days to deliver their verdict against Nima Momeni in the April 4, 2023, death of Lee, a beloved tech mogul who was found staggering on a deserted downtown street, dripping a trail of blood and calling for help. Lee, 43, later died at a hospital.
“We think justice was done here today,” the victim’s brother, Tim Oliver Lee, told reporters. “What matters today is that we had a guilty verdict and Nima Momeni is going away for a very long time.”
Prosecutors said Momeni planned the attack on Lee, driving him to an isolated spot under the Bay Bridge and stabbing him three times with a knife he took from his sister’s kitchen. They say Momeni was angry with Lee for introducing his younger sister to a drug dealer she says gave her GHB and other drugs and then sexually assaulted her.
But Momeni testified on the stand that Lee was the one who attacked him with a knife, angry after the tech consultant chided him about spending more time with his family instead of searching for a strip club that night. Momeni, who studies martial arts, claimed self-defense and said he didn’t realize he had fatally wounded Lee or that Lee was even hurt.
The case has drawn national attention, partly given Lee’s status in the tech world. At first, his death enflamed debate over public safety in San Francisco as X owner Elon Musk took to the social media site to post that “violent crime in SF is horrific and even if attackers are caught, they are often released immediately.”
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said the verdict showed that the killing was a targeted crime and not an example of random lawlessness in the city.
“We are a city committed to accountability, we are a city committed to public safety,” Jenkins told reporters after the hearing.
Momeni, 40, has been in custody since his arrest in April 2023, when he was charged with murder in the first degree. Jurors received the case, which started Oct. 14, on Dec. 4.
Two of his five attorneys were in court Tuesday, with the others attending via Zoom from Florida.
“This is obviously very disappointing for us,” said Tony Brass, adding that the team would evaluate for an appeal.
Jurors reached their decision late Monday afternoon, but the court chose to announce the verdict Tuesday morning. The courtroom was crowded with Lee’s family and friends and journalists who have been following the high-profile trial.
Family members of both men have faithfully attended the trial. Mahnaz Tayarani, mother of the defendant, has sat on one side of the court room while Lee’s father, brother and ex-wife sat on the other, recoiling at Lee’s autopsy photos and 911 call.
On Tuesday, Tayarani had tears in her eyes as she called the verdict unfair.
“My son is not the person that they think,” she said. “He’s very kind, he’s very loving and respectful and caring.”
Lee had created mobile payment service Cash App and was the chief product officer of the cryptocurrency MobileCoin when he died. He had moved to Miami from the San Francisco Bay Area, where his ex-wife Krista Lee lives with their two children.
Both sides agreed on the sequence of events that led to the two men facing off in the early morning hours of April 4. But there is no independent documentation of what they said to each other or who brought out the knife, and video of their final encounter is grainy.
The prosecution said the video showed Momeni stabbing Lee three times. They also said the murder weapon — a nearly 8-inch paring knife with a roughly 4-inch blade — had Momeni’s DNA on its handle and Lee’s DNA on the blade.
Jurors in the end rejected a charge of murder in the first degree, which required prosecutors prove that Momeni acted deliberately, willfully and with premeditation. Murder in the second degree does not require that element.
Jurors on Tuesday declined to speak to the press.
The afternoon before the stabbing, Lee and Khazar Momeni had been doing drugs and drinking at the apartment of a drug dealer Lee knew. Lee left before Nima Momeni went to pick up his sister, who told him she had been assaulted.
A friend of Lee’s testified Momeni then grilled Lee over the phone about what happened to his sister while at the drug dealer’s apartment. He sent text messages saying that the two men were creeps and sexual predators.
Momeni later hung out with Lee at his sister’s condo until she kicked them out, saying she needed to sleep.
Surveillance video shows the two men leaving Khazar Momeni’s posh condo around 2 a.m. and getting into Nima Momeni’s BMW. Other surveillance footage then shows them getting out of the car near the Bay Bridge, where the stabbing took place.
Momeni testified he stopped his car after going over a pothole that caused Lee to spill the beer he was holding. Momeni said he then cracked a joke suggesting Lee should spend the last night of his visit with family instead of trying to find a strip club to keep the party going.
That’s when he says Lee snapped, yelled at him about questioning his parenting skills and pulled out the knife from his jacket pocket, and attacked.
“I was scared for my life,” Momeni said during trial, in testimony that was rambling and contentious.
He said Lee walked away from the encounter, and showed no evidence of being hurt. He didn’t realize Lee had died until the following day, he said.
“I feel awful to his family, to himself,” Momeni said on the stand. “He didn’t deserve it. I don’t think anyone deserved that.”
The prosecution mocked Momeni’s story, pointing out that he never called police to report Lee’s alleged attack or even after he learned Lee had died of stab wounds on the street where he had last seen him.
Prosecutors also showed text messages Khazar Momeni sent her brother, asking where he had dropped off Lee — a question he sidestepped. She sent a text message to Lee checking on him because her brother came “down hard on you” and to thank him for “handling it with class.