The San Francisco murder trial of Nima Momeni, accused of fatally stabbing Cash App founder Bob Lee, entered its second day with the prosecution walking through the bloody crime scene and evidence found.
Momeni allegedly killed Lee by stabbing him with a kitchen knife on April 4, 2023. His attorneys are claiming self-defense, while the prosecution is painting a picture of Momeni stabbing Lee in a fit of aggression after he felt his sister was disrespected.
A blood-stained kitchen knife, a trail of blood drops and blood swiped on a call box were just some pieces of evidence found at the crime scene on Main Street in downtown San Francisco where Lee spent his final moments after being stabbed.
On Tuesday, the prosecution called several witnesses to the stand, including a police sergeant who discovered the knife at the scene and a crime scene analyst who photographed and examined evidence. The primary purpose of their testimonies was to establish a secure chain of custody for the evidence from when it was discovered until being tested at the forensics lab.
Photos of the knife were presented, showing a few small blood stains on the 3-inch silver blade.
“When I first looked at the knife, just plain view, I could see a reddish-brown streak on the knife,” said crime scene analyst Rosalyn Check in her testimony. Check took photographs of evidence at the crime scene and tested the knife for DNA. “It was apparent to me that it appeared to be a blood stain.”
Although the methods of collecting DNA evidence were described, the prosecution did not go into the results of the testing. For the prosecution, Check’s testimony was aimed at demonstrating how her process of collecting and testing the knife avoided the potential for contamination.
Check also walked the jury through crime scene photos depicting a trail of blood drops that became larger and more concentrated as the trail traveled north on Main Street.
“It appeared to be a single source of blood,” she said. “Blood drip trails get heavier as they go because the heart is pumping blood harder and harder.”
Meanwhile, Momeni’s defense team tried to discredit the prosecution’s witnesses, poke holes in the knife’s chain of custody and raise the possibility of evidence being contaminated.
While cross-examining Sgt. Paul McIntosh, a responding police officer who discovered the knife at the scene, the defense tried hard to convey that the knife was not monitored consistently until being collected into evidence while there were several pedestrians exiting and entering the residential buildings on Main Street.
“A couple of people were coming in and out of the building,” McIntosh said. “I did not assign anyone else other than patrol officer Rinaldi to monitor the knife.” San Francisco Officer Joseph Rinaldi was one of the first officers to encounter Lee laying on the ground in front of 403 Main St.
When asked if any other officers were tasked with watching over the knife while Rinaldi took breaks to warm up in his car, McIntosh responded “I don’t know.”
Based on evidence collected, the crime scene is believed to have taken place in a section of Main Street underneath the Bay Bridge. The prosecution has painted a picture of the area as being dark and isolated.
However, the defense was able to paint a different picture of the location as being substantially populated, suggesting that someone could have seen the crime take place or contaminated the crime scene.
“It’s not a desolated, isolated area,” said Saam Zangeneh, Momeni’s lead defense attorney. “There were multiple cars and pedestrians. This area had a gigantic residential complex that spanned the entire block on the other side. A place that had security, tons of windows and balconies.”
Momeni’s sister Khazar Momeni was expected to testify for the defense on Tuesday. However, other witness testimonies went on for longer than anticipated.
Khazar is considered a key witness since she spent time with both Momeni and Lee before the crime took place. The court hopes she will take the stand on Wednesday.
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