Tech exec arrested in stabbing death of Cash App founder Bob Lee

By Anna Tong and Dan Whitcomb

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -A tech executive was arrested on Thursday for the stabbing murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee in San Francisco, police said, stressing that the suspect knew the victim but declining to discuss a possible motive for the crime.

Lee was found stumbling through the streets of San Francisco at around 2:30 a.m. Pacific Time on April 4 bleeding from a stab wound. Lee, 43, later died of his wounds at a hospital.

Nima Momeni, the 38-year-old founder of software company Expand IT, was arrested on suspicion of murder in the Bay Area city of Emeryvile, where his company has offices, San Francisco Police Chief William Scott told an afternoon news conference.

“We can confirm that Mr. Lee and Mr. Momeni knew each other,” Scott said, although he declined to describe the nature of their relationship or why they were together that night.

Reuters could not reach Expand IT representatives on Thursday.

Lee’s murder touched off a furor in San Francisco and elsewhere over crime in the city amid rampant homelessness and public drug use.

Among those critics were billionaire SpaceX founder and Twitter owner Elon Musk, who tweeted that “violent crime in SF is horrific” and accused the city of too readily releasing violent offenders from custody.

San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins during Thursday’s news conference hit back at Musk, accusing him of spreading misinformation about the crime.

“I must point out that reckless and irresponsible statements like those contained in Mr. Musk’s tweet that assume incorrect circumstances about Mr. Lee’s death serve to mislead the world in their perceptions of San Francisco and also negatively impact the pursuit of justice for victims of crime,” Jenkins said.

Momeni was expected to make an initial court appearance in the case on Friday. It was not clear if he had retained an attorney.

Block Inc-owned Cash App allows users to transfer money through a mobile application, which the company touts as an alternative to traditional banking services.