SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Nima Momeni’s defense attorneys called on their final witness and rested their case Tuesday afternoon. San Francisco jurors breathed a sigh of relief as the judge repeated, “Let that sink in, that’s what he said, the defense rests. I think you deserve a day and a half off.”
Momeni, 40, of Emeryville, is charged with murdering Cash App founder Bob Lee on April 4, 2023 out of revenge for his sister, Khazar, prosecutors said.
The jury will return to the courtroom on Thursday, when prosecutors will call four more witnesses to the stand for their rebuttal. Those witnesses will be: Lauren Weiniger, Carlos Whitt, and two SFPD officers.
Bob Lee
Earlier in the trial, Khazar testified that she was sexually assaulted by Lee’s drug dealer the day before the homicide. Prosecutors said Momeni plotted to murder Lee because he was enraged about what happened to his sister, and was suspicious about Lee’s “inappropriate” relationship with her.
Momeni testified on the stand for three days. He told jurors that he made a “bad joke” about Lee hanging out in strip clubs instead of with his family. Lee “exploded” over the joke and attacked Momeni with a knife, the accused killer testified.
Momeni testified, “I made a bad joke. I said if it was my last night in town, I’d go hang out with my family instead of f**king around in strip clubs. It set him off. He just blew up in front of me. He went from zero to one hundred.” Momeni said he fought back in self-defense, and he didn’t call 911 because he had no idea that Lee was injured during their altercation under the Bay Bridge.
Nima Momeni walks into a courtroom on May 2, 2023. (Gabrielle Lurie/San Francisco Chronicle via AP, Pool, File)
Lee’s brother, Timothy Lee, told reporters that Momeni took the stand to “re-write history” and “spin lies.” Timothy Lee said, “We only get to see Nima tell his story. Unfortunately (the jury) cannot hear Bob’s side of the story, and they can’t see who Bob was, from inside that courtroom.”
Bob Lee was stabbed three times, including a fatal blow through his heart. He left behind a blood trail on Main Street as he called 911 and desperately searched for anyone who would help him.
On Tuesday, defense attorneys brought their final two witnesses into the courtroom: Computer programmer Mark Sieden and former San Francisco Police Department officer Steven Pomatto.
Sieden analyzed call logs and message logs extracted from Lee’s cellphone. He focused on the time period between April 1, 2023, and when Lee called 911 on April 4, 2023. Sieden never talked about the content of Lee’s messages, nor the significance of his phone calls.
Earlier in the trial, however, prosecutors said Khazar sent a revealing text message to Lee on April 4, 2023. She wrote the message just hours after Lee was slain, and before she knew he was dead. “Just wanted to make sure your doing ok. Cause i know nima came wayyyyyy down hard on you,” Khazar wrote to Lee.
Khazar Momeni walks out of a San Francisco courtroom with her mother on Oct. 22, 2024. (KRON4 Photo)
Pomatto was paid more than $12,000 to testify for the defense as an expert witness in teaching self-defense tactics and evaluating knife wounds. Pomatto repeatedly told the jury that he believes Lee attacked first, and Momeni re-directed the knife in self defense.
Assistant District attorney Omid Talai questioned Pomatto’s credibility during cross-examination. Talai said all of Pomatto’s testimony was speculation. “You were obviously not there. You have no clue what happened,” Talai asserted.
attorney re-enacted as altercation between Momeni and Bob Lee. (Courtroom sketch by Vicki Behringer)” loading=”lazy” width=”900″ height=”506″ decoding=”async” data-nimg=”1″ class=”rounded-lg” style=”color:transparent” src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/VX..y42EztC2w3JfY2WBtg–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MA–/https://media.zenfs.com/en/kron_articles_710/719d50e5509b240eaeb890cca4942580″/>
On Nov. 13, 2024 in a San Francisco courtroom, Nima Momeni and his defense attorney re-enacted as altercation between Momeni and Bob Lee. (Courtroom sketch by Vicki Behringer)
The prosecutor hammered the ex-officer for an incident at the San Francisco Police Department when he allegedly told other officers that he served in the military as a Navy SEAL. Pomatto, who served in the U.S. Navy but never became a Navy SEAL, denied the allegation. “I was deployed to the Gulf War. I worked with Navy SEALS, I find it disrespectful that you would question my service,” the ex-officer testified.
Talai said a police officer lying about his experience in the military is one of the most “disgraceful” things an officer can do. Pomatto said he agreed, but he never lied about being a Navy SEAL.
Two witnesses who are slated to testify during the prosecution’s rebuttal Thursday are high-ranking SFPD officers. Talai said those officers will confirm that Pomatto posed as a fake Navy SEAL while he was an officer at SFPD.
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