Murder Trial Begins For US Tech Consultant Accused In Death of Cash App Founder (www.cbc.ca) 10
An anonymous reader quotes a report from CBC News: The murder trial of a tech consultant in the stabbing death of Cash App founder Bob Lee begins Monday, a year and a half after the widely admired entrepreneur was found staggering on a deserted downtown San Francisco street seeking help. Lee's death at age 43 stunned the tech community, and fellow executives and engineers penned tributes to his generosity and brilliance. Lee was chief product officer of cryptocurrency platform MobileCoin when he died. He was a father to two children.
Prosecutors say Nima Momeni, 40, planned the April 4 attack after a dispute over his younger sister, Khazar, with whom Lee was friends. They say Momeni took a knife from his sister's condo, drove Lee to a secluded area and stabbed him three times, then fled. Defence lawyers disagree, and they say that Lee, high on drugs, attacked Momeni. "Our theory is that Bob had the knife, and that Nima acted in self defence," attorney Saam Zangeneh said.
He said his client is eager to tell his side of the story, but they haven't decided whether Momeni will testify in his defence. Momeni, who lives in nearby Emeryville, Calif., has been in custody since his arrest days after Lee died at a San Francisco hospital. Momeni's mother has been a steadfast presence at court hearings, and he is close to his sister. [...] Momeni, who has pleaded not guilty, faces 26 years to life if convicted. San Francisco Superior Court Judge Alexandra Gordon has told jurors the trial could last until mid-December.
Prosecutors say Nima Momeni, 40, planned the April 4 attack after a dispute over his younger sister, Khazar, with whom Lee was friends. They say Momeni took a knife from his sister's condo, drove Lee to a secluded area and stabbed him three times, then fled. Defence lawyers disagree, and they say that Lee, high on drugs, attacked Momeni. "Our theory is that Bob had the knife, and that Nima acted in self defence," attorney Saam Zangeneh said.
He said his client is eager to tell his side of the story, but they haven't decided whether Momeni will testify in his defence. Momeni, who lives in nearby Emeryville, Calif., has been in custody since his arrest days after Lee died at a San Francisco hospital. Momeni's mother has been a steadfast presence at court hearings, and he is close to his sister. [...] Momeni, who has pleaded not guilty, faces 26 years to life if convicted. San Francisco Superior Court Judge Alexandra Gordon has told jurors the trial could last until mid-December.
I'm No Attorney, But I have Questions... (Score:3)
So your telling me that the Defendant was SO concerned about the deceased's conduct that he conveniently grabbed a knife from his Sister's condo to defend himself yet willingly drove the Defendant out to a secluded area to talk to him about something as yet not disclosed? If the Defendant was SO concerned about the deceased's conduct or state of mind, wouldn't it have been, oh, COMMON SENSE to have another person available in case the Deceased got violent ...OR, wouldn't it have been common sense to at least have been in a crowded/occupied area so that there were, oh OTHER WITNESSES to corroborate any action the deceased did in case he actually did become violent based on the discussion?!
The Defense attorney's comments already make me thing they are grasping at straws to try and get their client off.
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The Defense attorney's comments already make me thing they are grasping at straws to try and get their client off.
Well that is generally the defense attorneys job isnt it? It might even work to a degree. Remember the prosecution has to prove all the elements of the crime. Getting a manslaughter conviction is also better than being convicted of murder 1. One of the elements of murder one is premeditation.
Selling a few jury members on the idea its at least possible your client is just a first-class-knucklehead to stupid see that 1 + 1 + 1 is likely to result in 3, might just be enough for them to allow he might not have
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Yes, the prosecution's interpretation of the facts is a lock. That's their job.
The defense is disputing where the knife came from (claiming the victim was the one with the knife and attacked).
I'm not sure which is true (in theory the trial will determine that), but if we took the defenses story at face value as you are the prosecution's there's a different outcome. The fact that there are facts in dispute is why a trial is necessary.
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The defense is disputing where the knife came from (claiming the victim was the one with the knife and attacked).
Apparently the knife came from the sister's home, so I'm not sure how far that's gonna fly. According to the article, "They say Momeni took a knife from his sister's condo..."
Did the victim conveniently steal the knife from Momeni's sister's condo and then give it to Momeni so he could be stabbed to death with it?
I'm not saying it's impossible, I'm saying it smells like bullshit. I think we all know what happened, we just don't know why it happened yet.
Our theory? (Score:2)
"Our theory is that Bob had the knife, and that Nima acted in self defence," attorney Saam Zangeneh said.
Shouldn't the defence have a clear position, which they are presenting as fact? If they only have a "theory" about what happened, it makes it sounds like their client hasn't actually told them anything and they're having to make up the best story they can on their own. Or is this just odd US legal phrasing I haven't come across before?
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Hmm, how have I missed that despite years of watching US legal/police drama? Anyway, makes perfect sense from your link, but still jars when I read it in the article.
TV (Score:2)
Most TV shows and movies get the US legal system wrong on purpose, because it's usually pretty boring. A lawyer dramatically standing up and shouting "I move to dismiss!" Nope, that stuff is done in writing and takes days to hash out before a judge will rule on it in open court.
I've heard from multiple lawyers that the closest thing to reality is the movie My Cousin Vinny. The courtroom procedure might be off, but the legal reasoning used in the prosecution and defense cases is pretty sound. It probably hel
Honor killing (Score:2)
"Prosecutors say Nima Momeni, 40, planned the April 4 attack after a dispute over his younger sister, Khazar, with whom Lee was friends."
This sounds like it may be some sort of twisted "honor" killing, where Momeni was (in his mind) 'defending' his sister's 'honor' by murdering someone who he believed had, or would have, brought some unspecified 'dishonor' upon her. (Like living her own life, dating, having sex, etc etc.)
This is a serious thing in many Muslim cultures, an overweening sense of honor that mus