Momeni made ‘stabbing movements’ by police, jury hears

SanFrancisco – Jurors in the Nima Momeni murder trial were shown secretly recorded video on Monday showing the defendant making “stabbing motions” that mimicked how he killed Cash App founder Bob Lee, according to the prosecution.

But the defense argues that the video is far from conclusive without proper context.

San Francisco police officer David Goff told the jury he secretly took video of Momeni talking to a private investigator who worked for the former defense attorney. The officer testified that Momeni made three “stabbing movements” and then made a movement as if he were throwing an object. The exchange was captured about a week after Lee was killed.

However, when questioned by the defense, Goff confirmed that there was no sound in the video he shot. The defense argues that their client’s movements could very well show Lee’s arm movements, which supports their case: Momeni took the knife from the drug-addicted Lee and fatally stabbed Lee in self-defense.

KTVU legal analyst Michael Cardoza said the video shows what will ultimately be in the eyes of the jury.

“The jury will have to decide how much weight to give to this video,” Cardoza said. “The judge ruled, this is evidentiary, but will the jury interpret it as Bob Lee’s request, or will they interpret it as ‘the defendant shows the investigator how he stabbed Bob Lee’? That’s at the jury’s discretion.”

Outside court, Bradford Cohen, one of Momeni’s five lawyers, said some of his client’s actions did not correspond to some of the injuries Lee suffered.

“They don’t know what the argument is, and that’s attorney-client privilege anyway,” Cohen said. “But long story short, I think there are huge differences between what they say they will show and what they actually show.”

The jury also heard Monday from Dr. Lee, the forensic pathologist who performed Lee’s autopsy. He also listened to Ellen Moffatt. He said Lee suffered three stab wounds, including one that pierced his heart.

Lee’s ex-wife Krista Lee

Bob Lee’s ex-wife Krista Lee wiped her eyes during autopsy testimony. Lee’s brother and father decided not to be present while the forensic pathologist testified. The hearing will continue on Tuesday.

Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. Email Henry at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan