SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Within the midst of a San Francisco jury’s marathon deliberation, Nima Momeni’s protection crew tried to steer a decide to throw out your complete trial. Jurors started their sixth day of deliberations on Thursday making an attempt to achieve a verdict. Momeni is charged with murdering tech star Bob Lee underneath the Bay Bridge in April of 2023.
This week, protection attorneys filed a movement asking Choose Alexandra Gordon to declare a mistrial on the grounds of prosecutorial misconduct. Momeni’s protection crew accused prosecutors of eliciting “perjured testimony” from their star witness, Borzu “Bo” Mohazabbi, in entrance of jurors.
Mohazabbi took the stand to testify early within the homicide trial on October 16 and 17. He was shut buddies with Lee, works within the tech business, and performs as a DJ, in accordance with testimony. His Instagram web page features a pictures of Mohazabbi DJing at festivals across the Bay Space and partying with Diddy at Burning Man.
Borzu “Bo” Mohazabbi, left, and Bob Lee, proper. (KRON4 Picture / X)
Protection attorneys filed a movement on Monday claiming Mohazzabi dedicated perjury on the stand. Throughout direct examination, “the witness stated under oath that he affirmatively did not engage in drug use, specifically cocaine. This testimony was false, as evidenced by surveillance video outside Battery Club from the night in question, which is part of the discovery in this case. The video clearly shows the witness with the victim, while the two of them are snorting cocaine. The witness’s false testimony directly bolstered the prosecution’s case, prejudicing the Defendant and undermining the integrity of these proceedings,” the movement states.
Bo the tech bro testified for the Bob Lee homicide trial in the present day. Bo Mohazzabi was shut buddies with Lee and works in tech. Prosecutors say Bo heard Nima Momeni "interrogate" Lee about Khazar. @kron4news pic.twitter.com/jM6ZgOcP8T
— Amy Larson (@AmyLarson25) October 17, 2024
Behind closed courtroom doorways, Choose Gordon denied the mistrial movement and jurors continued deliberating for a possible verdict.
Because the founding father of Money App and government for cryptocurrency firm MobileCoin, Lee was a preferred and revered tech mogul. He spent his final three days alive partying with buddies round San Francisco, together with: Mohazzabi, Momeni’s youthful sister, Khazar; and Lee’s alleged drug seller, Jeremy Boivin.
Round 2:30 a.m. on April 4, 2023, Lee known as 911 begging for assist as he stumbled away from the Bay Bridge and bled to loss of life on Foremost Road. Prosecutors mentioned Momeni is a cold-blooded assassin who stabbed Lee to get revenge for Khazar after she was sexually assaulted by Boivin. Khazar and Boivin met one another for the primary time on April 3, 2023 when Lee launched them they usually used get together medicine collectively, in accordance with testimony.
Khazar Momeni walks out of a San Francisco courtroom together with her mom on Oct. 22, 2024. (KRON4 Picture)
On the witness stand, Mohazzabi mentioned he overheard a heated cellphone name between Momeni and Lee the night time earlier than the murder. He testified that Momeni known as Lee to “interrogate” him about what occurred when Lee, Mohazzabi, Khazar, and Boivin have been collectively within the drug seller’s house. Khazar testified that she advised her brother that Boivin gave her a “date rape” drug GHB, pulled her pants down, and sexually assaulted her earlier than she wakened face-down on his mattress.
Khazar Momeni defends her brother on the stand
Prosecutors painted Khazar, 39, as Momeni’s motive for homicide. Lee and Mohazzabi had left the house earlier than the sexual assault occurred, however prosecutors mentioned Momeni nonetheless blamed Lee for what occurred.
Khazar, who’s married to a rich plastic surgeon, and Lee, a divorced father of two, reportedly had an off-the-cuff courting relationship. Khazar known as Lee “babe” in some flirty messages, and wrote “love you,” in others.
Bob Lee
Boivin advised police that Khazar invited him over to her luxurious house in Millennium Tower across the identical time that Lee was stabbed to loss of life. Khazar testified that she invited Boivin over, simply hours after she accused him of sexual assault, as a result of she needed extra medicine from him. Khazar’s husband caught her in mattress with Boivin on April 4, 2023, Momeni testified.
Nima Momeni walks into the courtroom for his arraignment in San Francisco on Could 2, 2023. (Gabrielle Lurie /San Francisco Chronicle through AP, Pool, File)
In closing arguments, protection lawyer Saam Zangeneh performed a surveillance video exhibiting Lee and Mohazzabi standing outdoors The Battery bar and allegedly sniffing cocaine on the night time of April 3, 2023. In entrance of the jury, Zangeneh all of a sudden declared that the video reveals Lee utilizing a knife to smell cocaine. He boldly implied that it was the identical knife that police discovered close to the murder scene. The video was too grainy for reporters within the courtroom to know if the thing in Lee’s hand was a knife or one thing else.
Protection frames Bob Lee homicide trial as ‘average Joe’ vs. tech star
Lee’s household known as the protection’s declare outrageous. The sufferer’s brother advised reporters, “Nima Momeni did not only kill Bob … now he’s trying to kill his character, trying to kill his legacy. Bob was a great man. For this person to try and traumatize us again and again, it’s horrible.”
Nima Momeni's protection lawyer, Saam Zangeneh, threw a Hail Mary for closing arguments with video he claims reveals Bob Lee holding the knife that was later discovered close to the murder scene. pic.twitter.com/VkYTsygZvP
— Amy Larson (@AmyLarson25) December 4, 2024
Prosecutors mentioned Lee was unarmed when he was slain. For closing arguments, Mohazzabi sat within the courtroom gallery with Lee’s household to indicate help for his grieving kids and ex-wife. He politely declined to speak to reporters.
The protection crew’s movement states that Mohazzabi’s testimony violated Momeni’s proper to a good trial as a result of prosecutors have a “constitutional duty to correct the false impression of the facts. The prosecutor sat silently as his witness lied.”
Bob Lee’s shut good friend and tech employee Bo Mohazzabi leaves the courtroom on Oct. 16, 2024. (KRON4 Picture)
“Given the gravity of the prosecutor’s misconduct and the resulting prejudice to the Defendant, no lesser remedy than a mistrial can ensure the Defendant’s right to a fair trial. The impact of the false testimony on the jury cannot be undone,” protection attorneys wrote.
Choose Gordon disagreed and struck down the movement.
Twelve jurors have deliberated for six days with out reaching a verdict. Momeni, 40, is charged with first-degree homicide. Jurors should resolve: Did Momeni stab Lee to loss of life as a premeditated act of murderous revenge? Or, was the defendant telling the reality when he testified that he acted in self-defense?
Earlier within the trial, Momeni claimed he made a joke about Lee spending time with strippers as a substitute of his household, Lee “blew up” with anger, and the sufferer pulled out a knife. Momeni advised jurors that he fought again in self-defense.
If jurors consider Momeni killed Lee in self-defense, they might discover him not responsible of homicide, and responsible of manslaughter. Choose Gordon’s directions for jurors state, “Your verdict on each count must be unanimous. This means that, to return a verdict, all of you must agree to it. You must reach your verdict without any consideration of punishment.”
Authorized analysts mentioned there are seemingly disagreements between jurors within the deliberation room.
