Tech executive found guilty for murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee
Paul Kuroda-Pool/Getty Images
(SAN FRANCISCO) — A fellow tech executive was found guilty in a San Francisco courtroom on Tuesday for the murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee.
Prosecutors said Nima Momeni stabbed Lee three times with a kitchen knife after driving him to a secluded area in April 2023.
Defense attorneys for Momeni previously said he acted in self defense in response to an attempted assault by an intoxicated Lee. Momeni had pleaded not guilty.
Lee, a former executive at cryptocurrency firm MobileCoin, was killed in the early morning hours on April 4, 2023, in the San Francisco neighborhood of Rincon Hill, according to police.
At about 2 a.m., camera footage showed Lee and Momeni leaving Lee’s hotel and getting into Momeni’s car, a BMW Z4, prosecutors said in a court filing.
Video shows the BMW drive to a secluded and dark area where the two men got out of the car. Momeni “moved toward” Lee and the BMW drove away from the scene at high speed, according to the court document.
Prosecutors have alleged that Momeni killed Lee over the alleged sexual assault of Momeni’s sister by an acquaintance of Lee.
Paula Canny, the defense attorney for Momeni, said at a hearing in May that Lee’s death arose from a mix of self-defense and accidental harm.
“There was no premeditation,” Canny said.
On the witness stand last month, Momeni said Lee had attacked him in a fit of anger touched off by a joke. Momeni had teased Lee, saying that he would rather spend his last night in town with his family than going to a strip club, where the two were possibly headed, Momeni recounted.
In the scuffle that ensued, Momeni did not realize that Lee had been fatally injured, said Momeni, the owner of an Emeryville, California-based company called Expand IT.
(WASHINGTON) — Claiming superior leadership and casting himself as the true agent of change were keys to Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election, per ABC News exit poll results.
He also prevailed by a wide margin among the small group of so-called “double haters” — voters with an unfavorable opinion of both candidates.
In a list of four candidate qualities, 30% of voters nationally rated “has the ability to lead” as most important to their vote, and about as many, 28%, chose “can bring needed change.” Fewer picked “has good judgment” (20%) or “cares about people like me” (18%).
These choices were closely tied to candidate preferences. Among those who cited leadership ability as the top candidate attribute, Trump beat Kamala Harris by 2-1, 66-33%. On bringing about change, the gap widened to 3-1, 74-24%.
That huge gap on change reflects Harris’ difficulties distancing herself from the unpopular Biden administration, a dynamic covered in ABC News/Ipsos pre-election polling. Seventy-four percent of Americans said they wanted Harris, if elected, to take a new direction from President Joe Biden’s. Only 33% thought she would.
Harris pushed back with big leads among voters who picked judgment or empathy as most important — but there were fewer of them.
Taken another way, among Trump supporters, 41% chose “can bring needed change” as the most important candidate attribute in their vote and 40% chose leadership, totaling to eight in 10 of all his voters.
By contrast, about six in 10 Harris supporters chose judgment or caring as top qualities to them. Compared with Trump, half as many cited leadership and a third as many picked the ability to bring change.
Personal favorability was another factor.
In 2020, Biden was seen favorably by 52%, 6 percentage points above Trump’s 46%. This year, Harris ended up rated essentially as unfavorably as Trump — 47-52%, favorable-unfavorable, for Harris, and 46-53% for Trump. (This is a change from preliminary exit poll results, in which Trump was 11 points underwater in favorability, Harris just 2 points.)
Notably, Trump won the 8% of voters who rated both candidates unfavorably, by 26 points, 56-30%.
Look also at assessments of how extreme the candidates’ views were: 47% said Harris’ views were too extreme; 54% said that of Trump. But among those who said both were too extreme, again 8% of voters, Trump won by a broad 42 points, 63-21%.
(LAS VEGAS) — Matthew Livelsberger — the driver of the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded on New Year’s Day outside the Trump International Las Vegas Hotel — shared personal and political “grievances” in two letters found on a phone in the vehicle and called the attack a “wake up call,” authorities said Friday.
Livelsberger, an active-duty Army soldier, said the country was being led by the “weak” and those out to “enrich themselves,” while also claiming the incident was not meant as a terrorist attack, according to excerpts of the two letters shared by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
“I know everyone is very eager to try to understand and be able to explain what happened,” Las Vegas Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren said during a press briefing on Friday. “We still have a large volume of data to go through, a lot of content to go through.”
The department said they would release the two letters to the public.
“You’ll see that he actually calls it a stunt, in one of these documents that we’re going to release to you, that he was trying to get the attention of the American people because he was upset about a number of different things,” Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said during Friday’s briefing. “But I’ll let those writings speak for themselves.”
Livelsberger died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound prior to the blast, the Clark County coroner confirmed Thursday evening. No one else was seriously hurt, though seven bystanders sustained minor injuries, officials said.
The evidence shows Livelsberger “thoughtfully prepared” and acted alone in the incident, Spencer Evans, special agent in charge for the FBI’s Las Vegas division, said during Friday’s press briefing. Livelsberger was not on the FBI’s radar prior to the incident, Evans said.
“Although this incident is more public and more sensational than usual, it ultimately appears to be a tragic case of suicide involving a heavily decorated combat veteran who was struggling with PTSD and other issues,” Evans said.
Authorities are also looking into a letter purportedly sent by Livelsberger and shared by the military-themed “Shawn Ryan Show” podcast on Friday. That information was sent to the FBI following the attack, Evans confirmed.
“We still have not conclusively determined that that’s from the subject, but feel confident, based on evidence that we’re uncovering on his devices, that that was, in fact, from Livelsberger,” Evans said.
In the Cybertruck, officials found credit and identification cards in Livelsberger’s name, evidence he owned the weapons found in the destroyed vehicle and identified tattoos that appeared to match Livelsberger’s body, however, severe physical injuries slowed the identification process.
The Clark County coroner ultimately identified Livelsberger — of Colorado Springs, Colorado — as the driver on Thursday. His cause of death was a self-inflicted intraoral gunshot wound.
Livelsberger was found with a gun at his feet. Two firearms — one handgun and one rifle — were found in the vehicle “burnt beyond recognition,” McMahill said.
Both weapons were purchased legally on Monday, he added.
Two phones were recovered from the vehicle, including one containing the two letters, Koren said. Investigators have been unable to access the other phone at this time, he said.
It is unclear why Livelsberger chose a Tesla or the route he took, authorities said Friday.
Livelsberger rented the Tesla vehicle on Saturday in Denver via the Turo app, before driving to Las Vegas through cities in Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. His progress was tracked through Tesla charging stations, officials said.
The vehicle first pulled into the Trump International Las Vegas Hotel valet area just after 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, officials said. It then left the area, driving along Las Vegas Boulevard, before returning to the valet area at about 8:39 a.m., exploding 17 seconds after its arrival.
Livelsberger served as a Green Beret in the Army and was on approved leave from serving in Germany at the time of his death, a U.S. Army spokesperson said Thursday.
He received extensive decorations in combat, including the Bronze Star with a “V” device for valor, indicating heroism under fire. Livelsberger received four more standard Bronze Star medals, according to Army records. He also earned the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with three stars. Each star represents service in a separate campaign in Afghanistan.
Livelsberger had been receiving mental health assistance over the last year, a U.S. official confirmed Friday.
Another U.S. official confirmed that officials thought Livelsberger was stable enough to go home for Christmas and his leave was approved.
The Department of Defense has turned over Livelsberger’s medical records to local law enforcement, Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters during a briefing on Friday.
“I just don’t have more details to share,” she added, when asked about reporting from CNN that the suspect had been diagnosed with depression last year.
Singh noted that service members are encouraged to seek help with any mental health issues.
The Las Vegas incident is not believed to have any direct connection to the New Year’s Day truck attack in New Orleans that killed 14 people — as well as the suspect — and injured 35 others, according to the FBI. The truck used in the New Orleans attack was also rented using the Turo app, officials said.
Evans reiterated Friday that there is no evidence that the two events are connected, saying there are “coincidental similarities” between them — including that both drivers were in the military, rented vehicles through the same service and stayed in an Airbnb.
There is no evidence at this time that the two drivers had any overlap even though both served in Afghanistan, Singh also said Friday.
Livelsberger was a supporter of President-elect Donald Trump, an official briefed on the probe told ABC News. His wife, who investigators spoke to in Colorado Springs, said he had been out of the house since around Christmas after a dispute over allegations of infidelity, the official said.
His wife told officials she did not believe Livelsberger would want to hurt anyone, the official told ABC News.
Livelsberger is believed to have told the person he rented the truck from that he was going camping at the Grand Canyon, the official told ABC News.
Investigators are still looking to determine how the items in the truck were detonated, but with the contents of the vehicle so badly burned, it may be a slow process, according to the official.
The sheriff said Tesla CEO Elon Musk helped the investigation by having the truck unlocked after it auto-locked in the blast and by giving investigators video of the suspect at charging stations along its route from Colorado to Las Vegas.
McMahill said police believe the explosion was an “isolated incident” and that “there is no further threat to the community.”
Video played at Thursday’s Las Vegas news conference showed a load of fireworks-style mortars, gasoline cans and camping fuel canisters in the back of the truck.
If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or worried about a friend or loved one, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free, confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
(LOS ANGELES) — California homeowners shared evacuation stories and video clips of the damaging flames plowing through their community as the Pacific Palisades fire continues to blaze since its start on Tuesday.
Zibby and Kyle Owens, who own a home in Pacific Palisades but also reside in New York, sat down with Diane Macedo on ABC News Live on Wednesday morning, showcasing footage from their Google Nest camera that reveals the devastating flames. The camera faces their backyard, with the fire engulfing the surrounding area and moving closer to their pool.
“This is the worst-case scenario playing out in front of our eyes right now,” Kyle Owens said. “It’s not just a place, it’s a beautiful community.”
The video was the last contact the Owens received from their home since they lost power shortly afterward.
Fires are common in California, and the Owens said they are not new to this experience. The couple recently evacuated from a New Year’s Eve fire that started with fireworks. However, these particularly powerful Santa Ana wind gusts, which allow the fire to burn five football fields per minute, concerned Kyle Owens about the future of this community.
“If we’re able to go back at some point, I don’t know what we are going back to,” Kyle Owens said.
Kyle Owens also discussed how Pacific Palisades, one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the area, is particularly difficult to evacuate due to its hillside homes and winding streets. Many friends waited over three hours to get down the mountain, a drive that would normally take around two minutes.
Two other Pacific Palisades residents, Kenny and Tricia Rakusin, who live along the coastline, said they also struggled to escape the fire zone as a buildup of vehicles trying to travel the hill toward Pacific Coast Highway clogged the road. Tricia Rakusin said her daughter also witnessed many people forced to abandon their cars along Sunset Boulevard.
“This neighborhood has been in place for decades, there’s never been a fire anywhere close to where we live,” Tricia Rakusin said. “No one has ever conceived the possibility of this.”
Along with the stress of the destructive flames and imminent damage, Tricia Rakusin said their insurance canceled all policies in their area four months ago.
“When we go up there, it will be from a war zone,” Kenny Rakusin said. “The unknown is really challenging.”
As of now, the Pacific Palisades fire, which is among two other fires in LA County, has grown to at least 3,000 acres and is zero percent contained.
On top of the uncertainty of their home’s condition, the Owens worry the flames could travel to Zibby’s bookshop in Santa Monica, which is also under an evacuation warning. For the Owens and many others, these flames are wiping away businesses and homes full of memories and connection.
“There is so much soul to the neighborhood,” Zibby Owens said. “It’s unthinkable that this place could vanish.”
