Details emerge about Nima Momeni, suspect in tech executive’s murder

New information has emerged about Nima Momeni, the suspect arrested in the murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee.

Lee was stabbed to death on Apr. 4 in San Francisco’s Rincon Hill neighborhood. Friends of Lee said he no longer lived in San Francisco, but had visited from Miami for several days to work and see friends. 

Police have confirmed that Momeni, 38, knew Lee, but the nature of their relationship is not clear. He was arrested by police Thursday morning at his apartment building in Emeryville, a California suburb about 10 miles from San Francisco, CBS Bay Area reported. Neighbors said they were surprised by the arrest, with public relations representative Sam Singer saying Momeni was a “warm, welcoming, very nice fellow.” 

According to his LinkedIn page, Momeni went to the University of California Berkeley and has worked in the technology field since 2005, when he worked as a systems and network engineer in San Jose. In 2007, he worked as an IT administrator in the south Bay Area, a job that he stayed in until 2012. At the same time, he also served as an IT consultant. In 2010, he said he became the owner of Expand IT, a company that his profile describes as “providing solid, reliable and efficient technology solutions” in the Bay Area. 

Singer told CBS Bay Area that Momeni was “like any other tech consultant here in the Bay Area,” with an nice apartment and pleasant demeanor. 

“He handed us a stack of cards and said if you ever need anything let me know,” Singer recalled. 

Dave Johnson, who lives across the street from Momeni’s building and picks up trash in the area, told CBS Bay Area that it was surprising to see police descend on the building on Thursday. 

“It’s impossible that something like this here would have happened,” said Johnson, who describes himself as a guardian of the neighborhood’s community. “It’s really a shame. It’s really unusual.”

The investigation into Lee’s death is ongoing, police said Thursday, though Momeni is their “sole focus as a single suspect.” Officials have not suggested a motive for the killing.

According to CBS Bay Area, Momeni has interacted with the criminal justice system in the past. He was charged with a misdemeanor for driving while intoxicated in 2004, and in 2011 he pled no contest to selling a switchblade. Momeni spent 10 days in jail for the charge. 

Momeni remains in custody at the San Francisco County Jail. He is expected to be arraigned on Friday at noon local time.