By LAUREN ACTON-TAYLOR, US NEWS REPORTER Published: 06:16, 14 August 2026 | Updated: 06:28, 14 August 2026 The killer of Cash App founder Bob Lee will argue that racial bias played a role in his conviction as he seeks an appeal. Nima Momeni will re-enter the courtroom in San Francisco for an evidentiary hearing on Friday as part of a bid to overturn his conviction for the murder of Lee. Momeni, 42, was found guilty of fatally stabbing Lee, 43, in April 2023 and is facing 16 years to life in prison. But his defense team plans to argue that prosecutors violated California's Racial Justice Act. According to Courthouse News, the hearing is set to hear statements referring to Momeni, who was born in Iran, as an 'animal' as well as using dehumanizing descriptions of his instability. Momeni's defense team are also set to submit evidence that the prosecution emphasized the keffiyeh, a traditional Middle Eastern headscarf, and other ethnically rooted tactics in the prosecution's strategy, the outlet reported. Daniel Shriro, Momeni's attorney, told Courthouse News in a statement that he was looking forward to the hearing. The law passed in 2020 prohibits 'biased based on race, ethnicity, or national origin in charges, convictions and sentences.' Nima Momeni, 42, was found guilty of killing Bob Lee in December 2024, but is set to return to court on Friday as his defense team plans to argue that prosecutors violated California's Racial Justice Act Momeni stabbed Lee (pictured) three times in April 2023 after hearing that his drug-dealing friend plied his younger sister, Khazar Momeni, with GHB and other drugs and sexually assaulted her Khazar Momeni accused the alleged drug dealer, Jeremy Boivin, of giving her the 'date rape' drug GHB, pulling her pants down and sexually assaulting her while she remained unconscious 'The prosecution made an argument, "this is the type of person to do this,"' Shriro said on Tuesday, the outlet reported. 'It's bad because it's character evidence; it's worse because the traits are linked to the defendant's ethnicity and racial group.' Assistant District Attorney Natalie Fuchs said that she believed the racial bias evidence presented 'lacked specificity where particular issues occurred.' She added that descriptors such as 'animal' and 'psycho' were taken from text messages or testimony from Momeni's sister. 'The evidence, if you can even call that evidence, does not rise to that threshold,' Fuchs added. Momeni stabbed Lee three times in April 2023 after hearing that his drug-dealing friend allegedly plied his younger sister, Khazar Momeni, with GHB and other drugs and sexually assaulted her. In lengthy testimony, she accused the alleged drug dealer, Jeremy Boivin, of giving her the 'date rape' drug GHB, pulling her pants down and sexually assaulting her while she remained unconscious. Khazar stated that Lee brought Boivin to her home on the morning of April 3, 2023, the day before the fatal stabbing. The defense is set to claim statements made during the trial referring to Momeni, who was born in Iran, as an 'animal' were racially biased Momeni drove Lee to a secluded area several streets over, where he stabbed the Cash App founder multiple times with a kitchen knife and left him to bleed out on April 4, 2023 'I did not know he's a drug dealer, as we don't get close to our drug dealers or invite them upstairs even. He was introduced to me as a friend,' she said. '[H]e brought me a big tank of nitrous and he had a big bottle of a liter of GHB.' Khazar later went to Boivin's home, where Lee and another friend also stopped by. After Lee and his friend left, she claimed she passed out after consuming drugs. She told the court that she had consumed three shots of a drink mixed with GHB before 'passing out.' 'He asked me about GHB and gave me, like, this sweet little drink, a little shot. And I drank it. I thought I could trust him,' Khazar said. 'I remember waking up twice: One time he (Boivin) pulled down my pants and slapped my ass. And another time he grabbed my ass, but I couldn't move or do anything.' At a party, on the night of the murder, Momeni confronted Lee about his sister, asking if she was doing drugs or 'anything inappropriate.' According to a witness, Lee told Momeni that nothing inappropriate had happened. Momeni and Lee met up again later that night at Khazar's luxury apartment in Millennium Tower. Surveillance footage showed the two getting into Momeni's white BMW at around 2am on April 4 and leave the scene. The killing unfolded after Momeni grilled Lee over whether anything inappropriate happened with his sister and his alleged drug dealer friend Momeni is yet to be sentenced and remains in a San Francisco County Jail. He faces 16 years-to-life behind bars He drove Lee to a secluded area several streets over, where he stabbed the Cash App founder multiple times with a kitchen knife and left him to bleed out. The tech mogul was found staggering on a deserted downtown street, dripping a trail of blood and calling for help. Lee later died in hospital. 'One person called 911 pleading for help, saying somebody stabbed me,' said Dane Reinstedt, assistant district attorney, adding that the other person never called police or told anyone what happened that night until the trial. But defense attorneys said Lee had been on a multi-day drug bender of cocaine and ketamine that made him agitated and violent, and that he attacked the defendant with a knife. They said Momeni was forced to use his Krav Maga martial arts skills in the early morning hours of April 4, 2023, after 'making a 'bad joke' that upset Lee - and did not realize he had stabbed him. Lee's ex-wife, Krista Lee, said her former spouse could have given anyone the 'shirt off his back.' 'Had Bob been approached by someone that was trying to mug him, he would’ve given him, them, the shirt off his back, his wallet, his keys, his clothes. He would’ve said: "Hey, man, let me buy you a meal. Please don’t hurt me,"' she told Dateline. Momeni is yet to be sentenced and remains in a San Francisco County Jail. The Daily Mail has reached out to Assistant DA Fuchs and Momeni's lawyer Daniel Shiro.
المصدر: Daily Mail
| Source: Daily Mail
