The accused murderer of Cash App founder Bob Lee appeared in court on Wednesday to schedule a preliminary hearing to decide whether the case will go to trial.
Prosecutors have released nine new surveillance images they say show suspected killer Nima Momeni, 38, and Lee together shortly before the tech titan was stabbed to death in San Francisco last month.
One of the images obtained by NBC Bay Area shows Lee, 42, at 12:39 a.m. in the lobby of Millennium Tower, where Momeni’s 37-year-old sister Khazar Elyassnia lives. Lee and Elyassnia reportedly partied together the night of his murder.
A second image shows Lee and Momemi in an elevator in the building about an hour and a half later, and a third shows the pair exiting the elevator in the tower’s garage and walking toward a white BMW convertible.
Lee and Momeni are then seen getting into the car on a fourth surveillance image.
In the following surveillance image released by prosecutors, Lee appears to be walking alone down the main street, near where police say the murder took place.
The final image shows Lee near a vehicle he allegedly tried to flag down before collapsing.
New surveillance footage shows the pair together before the tech titan was stabbed to death. An image shows Lee and Momemi in an elevator in the Millennium Tower building
One of the images shows Lee, 42, at 12:39 a.m. in the lobby of Millennium Tower, where Momeni’s 37-year-old sister Khazar Elyassnia lives. Lee and Elyassnia reportedly partied together the night of his murder.
The pair are seen exiting the building and approaching a white BMW convertible
Lee and Momeni are then seen getting into the car on a fourth surveillance image
Security video obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com previously showed a bloodied and dazed Lee stumbling down Main Street and stumbling toward an apartment before falling backwards when he tried to hit the electronic intercom.
During Wednesday’s court hearing, Momemi disagreed with his own attorney Paula Canny over the date for his preliminary hearing, with the defendant wanting the earliest possible date, as reported by NBC Bay Area journalist Sergio Quintana.
Prosecutors are expected to release new details of their investigation at the preliminary hearing, scheduled for May 30, when a judge will decide whether there is enough evidence to bring the murder case to trial.
Momemi’s lawyer revealed in court last week that he is not a US citizen and was at risk of being sent back to Iran.
Lee’s stabbing death on April 4 was originally believed to be the result of random violence in the crime-ridden city of San Francisco.
But as a web of connections between Lee, Momemi and his sister and alleged presence at underground sex and drug parties, other theories about the crime have emerged.
In the following surveillance image released by prosecutors, Lee appears to be walking alone down the main street, near where police say the murder was committed
Accused murderer Nima Momeni appeared in court on Wednesday to schedule a preliminary hearing
New images released by prosecutors show Cash App founder Bob Lee with Momeni the night the tech mogul was fatally stabbed
Lee and Momeni’s sister Khazar Elyassnia reportedly partied together the night of his murder. She is pictured with her husband Dr. Dino Elyassnia
Prosecutors believe Momeni stabbed Lee in the heart after vowing to “put him down hard” over his relationship with his married sister, with whom the Cash App founder exchanged intimate text messages.
Hours before his murder, Momeni Lee had reportedly grilled about his relationship with Elyassnia, who is married to prominent local plastic surgeon Dr. Dino Elyassnia.
According to prosecutors, he demanded to know if she had taken “drugs” or done anything “inappropriate” while spending time with Lee.
According to a witness, Lee told Momeni that nothing inappropriate had happened.
Authorities say Momeni and Lee met again later that night at Elyassnia’s luxury apartment in Millennium Tower.
Nima Momeni (left) vowed to “come down real hard” on Lee hours before the stabbing. Prosecutors say it was a planned attack in which he used a kitchen knife to stab Lee in the heart
Lee could be seen on surveillance footage near the apartment building holding his wound
The glamorous sister of Lee’s accused killer, who allegedly attended drug-related sex parties with him, is coming to court to support her brother for his charges
Momeni then allegedly took Lee to a shady downtown street, where he stabbed him three times, including once in the heart, prosecutors say. Momemi then allegedly left Lee to bleed to death in the middle of the street.
An unnamed witness who said he had been friends with Lee for 10 years told police he believed Lee and Elyassnia had an intimate relationship and that her marriage may have been “in jeopardy.”
In a text to Lee earlier in the day, she gushed, “Just wanted to make sure you’re okay because I know Nima came at you really hard and thank you for being such a classy man who did it with class.” tackles.
“I love your selfish pr***s.”
Elyassnia has refused to cooperate with investigators, according to San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins.
In a court case last week, Momeni’s attorney Paula Canny said the story created by law enforcement against her client was built on a flawed foundation and does not prove he killed Lee in the early hours.
According to the San Francisco Standard, Canny states that eight days after the murder, police were shooting a compilation video consisting of blurry surveillance footage.
She said the case relied too heavily on these images and it was too blurry to identify Momeni or Lee.
Momeni and Elyassnia moved to the US from Iran as children.
He was known for being more reclusive, as she married a plastic surgeon and was a glamorous party girl at San Francisco’s so-called “The Lifestyle.”