SAN FRANCISCO — A tech entrepreneur has been arrested in the slaying of tech executive Bob Lee who was found stabbed on a San Francisco street last week, a killing that re-ignited a heated debate over safety within the city.
Lee’s ex-wife Krista Lee confirmed the arrest to KPIX Thursday morning, identifying the suspect as 38-year-old Nima Momeni. Accounts on the LinkedIn and Opportunity networks corresponding to his name list him as an IT consultant/entrepreneur with Emeryville-based Expand IT.
“This is the first step toward justice,” Lee said from her home in Miami, where Bob Lee had moved from Mill Valley in the fall.
The arrest was first reported early Thursday by Mission Local; the report said the suspect was a tech industry executive who knew Lee.
Opportunity Inc.
San Francisco Police and District Attorney Brooke Jenkins were set to hold a news conference at 12:30 p.m., which will be live-streamed here:
CBS News Bay Area: Watch Live at 12:30 pm:
SFPD, Mayor London Breed. DA Brooke Jenkins holds news conference on arrest in the Lee slaying
At 8:30 a.m., San Francisco Supervisor Matt Dorsey officially confirmed the arrest in posts to Twitter.
“I’m grateful @SFPD‘s Homicide Detail and all the officers from @SFPDSouthern and elsewhere for their tireless work to bring Bob Lee’s killer to justice and for their arrest of a suspect this morning.”
“Obviously, nothing can undo this senseless crime, and we reiterate our condolences to Mr. Lee’s family members, friends and colleagues. But I hope today’s arrest can begin a process of healing and closure for all those touched by this tragedy.”
A source told KPIX that evidence has revealed that Lee had arrived in the Rincon neighborhood prior to the stabbing in a BMW driven by Momeni. The two men were recorded earlier on videotape leaving the Millennium Tower luxury apartments together.
Source said that based on assorted evidence, investigators determined that Mr. Momeni stabbed Mr. Lee, killing him and obtained an arrest warrant.
The San Francisco County jail website showed Momeni had been booked into custody Thursday morning on a murder count.
Officers responded to the 300 block of Main Street in the city’s Rincon Hill neighborhood shortly after 2:30 a.m. on April 4th after a report of a stabbing. Officers found the victim who was taken to a hospital and succumbed to his injuries there.
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Hours later friends and MobileCoin confirmed the death of the 43-year-old Lee, who was the Chief Product Officer of San Francisco-based cryptocurrency startup.
Lee had moved to Miami late last year but was in town for the MobileCoin leadership summit last week, and was staying a few nights extra to see friends.
When asked at the time if the attack was targeted or random, San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott replied, “It’s early to tell. What I will tell you is our homicide team is working tirelessly to get this to a resolution. We have a lot that’s on our plate with this investigation and following up on things that need to be followed up on. We’ll put the information out but we don’t want to do anything to compromise this investigation.”
Lee’s death ignited a debate about safety in the city, which has been in the headlines because of random street crime and drug use often caught on viral videos. The killing was framed by many – including residents, politicians, media outlets, and other tech heavyweights such as Elon Musk — as part of San Francisco’s purported descent into chaos.
However, while property crime rates have been high and the city continues to struggle with homelessness and the opioid crisis, the city’s violent crime rate is near record lows and lower than other large cities.
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