Evidence favorable to the prosecution continues to be collected in the murder trial of Nima Momeni, the sole suspect in the April 4 killing of Bob Lee in downtown San Francisco. And the latest is a case of violence from 18 years ago.
As the Chronicle reports, back when he was 20 years old, Momeni was apparently involved in some kind of knife fight/altercation with two teenagers — one a 19-year-old the other a 16-year-old.
For some reason, this incident didn't surface in the early reporting on Momeni — perhaps because people weren't looking in the right place. The case was under the jurisdiction of the Albany Police Department, and Momeni was listed as both suspect and victim in the altercation, according to a police report.
Prosecutors in the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office declined to file charges in the case, and the Chronicle notes that portions of the report involving the DA's office were redacted. The potential charges that Momeni would have faced were assault with a deadly weapon, possession of drugs, and possession of drugs with the intent to sell — and Momeni was found to have over 14 grams of marijuana on him at the time.
So, Momeni doesn't have the squeakiest clean of pasts! But earlier we only knew of some minor incidents, and those that suggested a violent streak never resulted in charges being filed.
The incident happened on January 18, 2005, outside an apartment building on Kains Avenue in Albany where Momeni lived with his mother at the time. The officer who filed the police report noted that Momeni was "attacked and beaten" by the 16-year-old, and it's unclear which of the individuals was said to have "initiated the confrontation" because the name is redacted. The other person involved, 19-year-old Nicholas Pitti, would end up dead nine years later, at age 28, as the Chronicle found in an online obituary.
We knew from the day after Momeni's arrest that he had a misdemeanor DUI on his record in Alameda County from 2004 — when he would have been around 19 years old. Then, interestingly, in 2011, he was arrested for allegedly selling a switchblade knife and driving with a suspended license. He would end up pleading no contest to the license charge and serving 10 days in jail, and the knife-selling charge was dropped.
Then, in August 2022, Momeni was cited by Emeryville police for domestic battery, in an incident in which a girlfriend called the cops. No charges were ever filed in that case either.
Legal experts suggest that the 2005 stabbing case may not ever come up in the trial, and because there were no charges filed there seems to be a likely claim of self-defense there. But the SF DA's office will no doubt be looking for an opening to bring it up to counter any claims by the defense that Momeni has never engaged in any violent behavior.
As one expert, former Santa Clara County prosecutor Steve Clark, tells the Chronice, "This [case] could come down to a battle of character. Bob Lee’s character was already impugned."
Momeni is due back in court with his new lawyer on Tuesday, June 13, for a preliminary hearing.
Top image: Nima Momeni arrives in court at the Hall of Justice on May 18, 2023 in San Francisco, California. 38 year-old tech entrepreneur Nima Momeni was arraigned today in a San Francisco courtroom in connection with the stabbing murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee. Momeni pleaded not guilty to a murder charge. (Photo by Paul Kuroda-Pool/Getty Images)
