A doctor and former medical examiner, who is being brought into court as an expert witness by the defense, is expected to testify that CashApp founder Bob Lee may have been holding the knife he was killed with last year. The defense contends that in self-defense, Nima Momeni, the man on trial for Lee’s murder, turned it around on him.
John Marraccini, a witness expected to testify in Momeni’s defense in coming weeks, suggested today during a hearing in San Francisco Superior Court that the evidence in the case was consistent with someone defensively turning the knife on Lee on April 4, 2023. The prosecution is likely to argue that Momeni attacked Lee from the front.
That night, Lee and Momeni left a party together at the Millennium Tower home of Momeni’s sister, Khazar, and stood together in the Rincon Hill neighborhood, near the Bay Bridge. A blurry surveillance video shows one figure lunging towards the other, before Lee walked away and bled out in the street while Momeni sped away in his car.
The murder trial kicked off last week with motions about the admissibility of evidence and witnesses from both sides. Most of the hearings have been held behind closed doors for the past week “so as not to taint any potential jury pool,” according to Judge Alexandra Gordon.
Today, in the first public hearing on whether a proposed witness will testify during the trial, Marraccini said the spot where Lee was stabbed — his right hip — was an “atypical location for a willful direct assault.”
“It is consistent with Mr. Lee withdrawing a knife from [his] right pocket with his [Lee’s] right hand,” Marraccini wrote in a statement, “and having this knife (still in Lee’s hand) redirected into the right side of [his] body by the defensive actions of the defendant.”
Marraccini argued that Lee’s hip wound was on the opposite side than would be expected if the two men were facing each other and Momeni was armed with his right hand.
“[Lee] had the weapon. He drew the weapon. The evidence that our experts, the scientific evidence, supports our theory,” said attorney Saam Zangeneh after the hearing.
Momeni’s attorneys have been building a self-defense strategy for some time. Tomorrow, another hearing about a potential use-of-force expert witness from the San Francisco Police Department is expected to speak further to this strategy.
Today, Zangeneh elaborated that the defense’s premise is that Momeni “stood his ground, and he used the amount of force necessary to make sure that he wasn’t hurt, that he didn’t sustain substantial serious bodily injury or death.”
But it is unclear whether these theories will stand up in court. During questioning today, Marraccini agreed that there could have been other hypothetical series of events that could have led to Lee’s stab wounds. Moreover, he did not address the question of why Momeni sped away and left Lee to bleed out.
And prosecutors’ take on the nature of Lee’s stab wounds is uncertain.
In fact, Zangeneh today asked directly in court what the District Attorney’s Office’s theory is, but got few answers. In the past, the DA’s office has outlined that they believe Momeni was motivated to stab Lee because he had slept with his sister, but they have not delved into the specific nature of his wounds.
“Our theory of the case is that Mr. Momeni stabbed and murdered Mr. Lee,” said Dane Reinstedt, a prosecutor on the case, on Wednesday.
“How?” asked Zangeneh.
“I don’t think that there’s any requirement that we talk about that right now,” Reinstedt said.
The judge agreed.
About the author
Jim’s owners retiring, leaving future of Mission diner unclear
The mom-and-pop owners of Jim’s Restaurant on Mission Street, a community staple for over three decades, will have their last day of work this Saturday, according to the restaurant.Jim’s Restaurant announced that its owners will be retiring after Saturday. It’s unclear, however, whether Jim’s will continue operating under new management. What is clear is it will no longer be the same without Ms. and Mr. Kim. The current owners, Kim Ok Un and Kim Jung Nyun, declined to comment about their retirement or whether Jim’s would continue operating. An Instagram commenter says, “So so sooo happy for you guys!! So well deserved but Jim’s will never be the same without you”.Another says, “Legendary spot just up the street from KPOO. Thanks y’all for the decades of service to the community.”On Friday around noon, the restaurant at 2420 Mission St. between 20th and […]
Police bust man at Gwinnett McDonald’s they say tried to sell home he didn’t own
Gwinnett County police arrested a man at a local McDonald’s who they say attempted to sell a property he did not own by stealing the identity of its rightful owner.Police say 55-year-old Armond Long, of Lilburn, posed as the property owner and listed the land for sale on Zillow.The scheme unraveled when the actual owner discovered the listing while the sale was pending and contacted authorities.Records show the land was pending for $130,000 before law enforcement got involved.“He didn’t have any intention of selling that property, so he contacted local authorities,” said Cpl. Juan Madiedo.TRENDING STORIES: Authorities in Lake Havasu City, Arizona worked with Gwinnett County police to set up a sting operation.Long agreed to meet at a McDonald’s near the Mall of Georgia to sign final closing documents. An undercover Gwinnett officer, posing as a courier, handed Long documents […]
S.F. police shoot, kill Dior guard turned alleged hit-and-run driver
San Francisco police shot and killed a purportedly armed man they say they tracked down — after he allegedly hit pedestrians and a cyclist with a car on Thursday evening. Assistant Chief David Lazar, who gave a press conference this morning, said the man was believed to be a security guard at Dior, and said he discovered a firearm “on the ground” at the scene that he believed belonged to the guard. He did not give any details about whether the man was armed at the time police shot him. Lazar also could not confirm how many police officers fired their weapons at the man. The driver was allegedly driving on the sidewalk around 6:30 p.m. at Kearny and Post streets and hit two pedestrians, an 18-year-old and a 17-year-old, Lazar said, in pursuit of a man on an electric bicycle. After hitting […]
Mother of Olentangy High student that inspired sextortion bill hopes it saves lives
Editor's note: This story discusses suicide and sexual abuse. If you or someone you know is struggling, you can call or text 988.Jennifer Markus spent much of Wednesday watching The Ohio Channel as a bill to make "sextortion" a felony wound its way among lawmakers.She's a pediatric care nurse at Nationwide Children's Hospital where her colleagues have offered comfort after her son Braden Markus took his life three years ago when someone posing as a high school girl on social media asked him for intimate photos and then demanded $1,800 so they wouldn't be published.He initially refused. But within 30 minutes, the boy who loved sports and fireworks and Japanese food, who was about to get his driver's license, was gone."It's bittersweet," Mrs. Markus told The Dispatch Thursday. "Holy crap. my friends and a lot of people just got this […]
Street sheet – Mission Local
Mission Local produces enterprise reporting on San Francisco's most critical issues: police reform, corruption, public health, housing and homelessness. Learn more about us, and donate below keep us reporting.Subscribe to Mission Local's daily newsletter Source: missionlocal.org
Family Mourns 6-Year-Old Who Died After Escaping Home, Running Across Interstate
A family in San Jose, California, is mourning their 6-year-old son King Holguin, a nonverbal and autistic child who was fatally struck by a car Friday, Dec. 13, on Interstate 280, per ABC 7 News.King was two weeks shy of his seventh birthday when he died.“I just want to hold him,” the boy’s father, who was not identified, told the outlet Monday. “I want him back, but I know he is in a better place. He was always outgoing, loving and the house is quiet without him. But I know everyone misses him and I miss him.”A news release from the California Highway Patrol obtained Wednesday by People confirmed a pedestrian “ran into the number three lane” of the northbound interstate that night and was struck by a 2024 Nissan Altima driven by a 36-year-old San Jose local.The pedestrian was […]
Related
Jim’s owners retiring, leaving future of Mission diner unclear
The mom-and-pop owners of Jim’s Restaurant on Mission Street, a community staple for over three decades, will have their last day of work this Saturday, according to the restaurant.Jim’s Restaurant announced that its owners will be retiring after Saturday. It’s unclear, however, whether Jim’s will continue operating under new management. What is clear is it will no longer be the same without Ms. and Mr. Kim. The current owners, Kim Ok Un and Kim Jung Nyun, declined to comment about their retirement or whether Jim’s would continue operating. An Instagram commenter says, “So so sooo happy for you guys!! So well deserved but Jim’s will never be the same without you”.Another says, “Legendary spot just up the street from KPOO. Thanks y’all for the decades of service to the community.”On Friday around noon, the restaurant at 2420 Mission St. between 20th and […]
S.F. police shoot, kill Dior guard turned alleged hit-and-run driver
San Francisco police shot and killed a purportedly armed man they say they tracked down — after he allegedly hit pedestrians and a cyclist with a car on Thursday evening. Assistant Chief David Lazar, who gave a press conference this morning, said the man was believed to be a security guard at Dior, and said he discovered a firearm “on the ground” at the scene that he believed belonged to the guard. He did not give any details about whether the man was armed at the time police shot him. Lazar also could not confirm how many police officers fired their weapons at the man. The driver was allegedly driving on the sidewalk around 6:30 p.m. at Kearny and Post streets and hit two pedestrians, an 18-year-old and a 17-year-old, Lazar said, in pursuit of a man on an electric bicycle. After hitting […]
Street sheet – Mission Local
Mission Local produces enterprise reporting on San Francisco's most critical issues: police reform, corruption, public health, housing and homelessness. Learn more about us, and donate below keep us reporting.Subscribe to Mission Local's daily newsletter Source: missionlocal.org
Supervisor Melgar won, now the trick will be to manage her constituents’ competing interests
District 7 incumbent Myrna Melgar faced a particularly bruising re-election campaign. She squared off against significant numbers of her own constituents by supporting hot-button issues like Proposition K to close the Great Highway to cars, and upzoning parts of her district that have been previously limited to single-family housing. “If I lose this election on this issue, then that’s the right thing to do,” Melgar said in June, after a particularly contentious meeting about zoning changes coming to her district, and the rest of the city. But she didn’t lose the election. No matter the ideological differences, most of her constituents agree: She’s good at the actual work of being a district supervisor. “When I call — somebody does get back to me,” said Peggy da Silva, a West Portal resident who has reached out to Melgar’s office over concerns like city […]
SFPD arrests woman for allegedly defacing murals across city
Police officers from Ingleside Station arrested the alleged serial Mission Street mural vandal Tuesday night. She had been filmed by bystanders on Sunday defacing a mural on Mission Street by deceased muralist Mario Cid Gonzalez. Witnesses said they observed a woman matching the suspect’s description defacing that mural months prior as well. Tuesday’s arrest of 33-year-old Ana Da Costa Pereira came after the defacing of more murals that night, including one on the side of the Excelsior District’s Central Drug Store at Mission and Santa Rosa streets. Da Costa Pereira was booked into the San Francisco County jail Tuesday night at 9:22 p.m. for vandalism of more than $400 and two counts of possession of graffiti instruments.Police said that Da Costa Pereira is responsible for multiple incidents of mural vandalism up and down Mission Street. An email sent by police to […]
Fielder goes for experience and new faces for her legislative team
District 9 Supervisor-Elect Jackie Fielder’s four picks for legislative aides includes two members from current supervisor Hillary Ronen’s team, and two from the campaign team that catapulted her to a 19-point victory over her closest contestant, Trevor Chandler.Fielder’s team will be composed of Jennifer Ferrigno, Ana Herrera – both current aides to Ronen – and political outsiders Sasha Gaona and Feng Han.“I’m so excited to work with these four amazing folks who are stars in their own right and are ready to fight for our communities,” said Fielder. Fielder praised the work both Han and Gaona did in the campaign that delivered her a victory with “stunning margins.” The supervisor-elect also celebrated the experience both Herrera and Ferrigno bring to her team, “Ana and Jennifer have been serving in Supervisor Ronen’s office on some of the district’s most pressing issues, and […]
