Suspect accused of killing Cash App founder pleads not guilty

The man accused of killing Cash App founder Bob Lee last month pleaded not guilty Thursday to murder charges, with a judge ordering him held without bail.

Nima Momeni, a tech consultant who has been charged in the fatal stabbing of Lee in the streets of San Francisco, was arrested last month and charged with murder. Prosecutors allege that Momeni drove Lee to a secluded spot and killed him, saying the conflict arose from a dispute over Momeni’s sister. 

Lee founded Cash App, the popular mobile payment platform, and was the chief product officer of MobileCoin, a cryptocurrency. He was found outside of an apartment building April 4 with three stab wounds, including one to his heart, in the early hours of the morning. He later died in a hospital. Lee was 43 years old.

Investigators said the DNA of Momeni, 38, was found on the blade handle of a knife that also had Lee’s blood on it. Momeni’s attorney Paula Canny entered the plea for him.

Canny admitted that Momeni and Lee argued in a car before the incident, saying Momeni’s actions were partly self-defense and partly an accident. 

“People can have a fight and not know that somebody’s been mortally wounded,” Canny told reporters outside court, according to The Associated Press.

The judge ordered Momeni held and offered him no bail, arguing if he was released he could pose bodily harm to others.