Brooke Jenkins, District Attorney of San Francisco (Credit: sf.gov)
By Gary Raynaldo – DIPLOMATIC TIMES CORRESPONDENT
SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins Thursday lashed out at Twitter billionaire Elon Musk for his “reckless” statements on the murder of cash app founder Bob Lee. The Twitter CEO, immediately after Lee’s April 4 brutal stabbing, suggested in a tweet that Jenkins and San Francisco’s “lax law enforcement” encouraged violent criminals and caused Lee’s death. “Violent crime in SF is horrific and even if attackers are caught, they are often released immediately,” Musk tweeted on April 4. “Is the city taking stronger action to incarcerate repeat violent offenders @BrookeJenkinsSF?” However, police officials confirmed that the suspect arrested Thursday, Nima Momeni, 38, was an acquaintance of Lee and that they had been in the same vehicle right before the murder. Momeni was taken into police custody and charged with Lee’s murder.
Tech mogul Bob Lee was murdered in San Francisco, CA April 04, 2023.
Many right-wing critics of the left-leaning city also jumped to the conclusion that Lee’s murder was another random act of violence San Francisco. Jenkins said Musk’s tweets contributed to a “dangerous fog of misinformation” surrounding the case.
“The killer was a known person to Mr. Lee. I must point out that reckless and irresponsible statements, like those contained in Mr. Musk’s tweet that assumed incorrect circumstances of Mr. Lee’s death, serve to mislead the world in its perception of San Francisco,”
-San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins
(Photo by Gary Raynaldo / ©Diplomatic Times ) San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins provides an update on the homicide investigation of Bob Lee during a press conference after announcing arrest of a suspect Apr. 13, 2023.
“Since waking up to Elon Musk’s tweet, my office has worked hard to tell people not to make assumptions about this case,”
-SF DA Jenkins
Police remained tight lipped on specific details such as how Lee and Momeni knew each other or what the motive was.
“I know acts of violence like this shake our communities and I thank the San Francisco Police Department for their tireless efforts to solve this case. With this arrest, we will now work to bring justice and closure for Mr. Lee’s family, friends and our city that has been gripped by this case. My office is working closely with law enforcement agencies and our other city partners every day to enhance and improve public safety in San Francisco.”
-SF DA Jenkins
(Photo by Gary Raynaldo / ©Diplomatic Times ) San Francisco Police chief William Scott (right) District Attorney Brooke Jenkins (center) and Mayor London Breed during a press conference after announcing arrest of a suspect in Bob Lee murder Apr. 13, 2023.
Suspect stabbed Lee in the heart with kitchen knife
The alleged killer also works in tech. Momeni describes himself on his LinkedIn profile as an “IT Consultant/Entrepreneur” and the owner of a company called Expand IT. Momeni appeared in court Friday where he was charged with murder. He is being held without bail. The suspect and Lee apparently got into an argument before the killing. Momeni allegedly drove Lee to a secluded area and stabbed him three times with a kitchen knife, including one that penetrated his heart, prosecutors stated in a court filing.
