Bob Lee killer Nima Momeni gets 16 years to life in prison

Who was Bob Lee?

Lee was a key figure in building Cash App while serving as chief technology officer at Square. He was also a Google engineer from 2004 to 2010 and worked on Android. Later he became chief product officer at the crypto payments company MobileCoin, and he helped the World Health Organization launch its mobile app during the COVID-19 pandemic.

What actually happened?

Before anyone had been arrested, some loud voices in tech decided what the killing meant. Elon Musk tweeted that many people he knew had been severely assaulted in San Francisco and that attackers are often released immediately. Investor Jason Calacanis called those running the city "incompetent lunatics" and spoke of "utter chaos." San Francisco has a comparatively low crime rate, and its homicide rate has fallen over the last four years.

The case turned out to be personal. Lee was involved with Momeni's sister and had been partying with the two of them on the night of the killing. Prosecutors said Momeni attacked Lee after learning that Lee had introduced his sister to drug dealers who abused her.

Momeni's defense said he acted in self-defense after Lee lunged at him with a knife. Lee had cocaine, ketamine and alcohol in his system.

The judge rejected Momeni's request for a new trial. His lawyers say they plan to appeal.