Tech CEO’s assistant ‘beheaded his boss in bid to stop girlfriend from finding out he’d stolen $400k from employer over fears she’d leave him’
The assistant who allegedly beheaded his tech entrepreneur boss in his multimillion-dollar Manhattan apartment did so in what prosecutors say was a crime of passion.
Tyrese Haspil, 25, appeared in Manhattan Supreme Court on murder charges for the July 13, 2020 killing of Fahim Saleh.
Saleh, 33, was allegedly dismembered by his executive assistant Haspil, who stole $400,000 from the businessman in the years leading up to his death.
Haspil was reportedly desperate to keep the theft a secret from his then French girlfriend, Marine Chaveuz, for fear she would break up with him if she found out. Prosecutors allege he felt he had no choice but to kill his boss.
Saleh’s limbless body was found in July 2020 in his $2.4 million luxury apartment on the Lower East Side.
Tyrese Haspil smiles broadly in Manhattan Supreme Court as the trial for the murder of tech entrepreneur Fahim Saleh begins
Tech entrepreneur Fahim Saleh (pictured), who was murdered and beheaded in his New York apartment in July 2020 and was worth about $6 million when he died
Saleh’s limbless body was found in his $2.4 million luxury apartment on the Lower East Side, where he had a $1.8 million mortgage
The tech CEO founded Nigerian motorcycle ride-sharing company Gokada.
Haspil allegedly entered Saleh’s apartment, where he first treated him with a Taser and then stabbed him to death.
His lawyer Sam Roberts told the jury that Haspil suffered from “extreme emotional disturbance,” which led him to kill.
Haspil has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years to life behind bars if convicted.
If the jury convicts him of manslaughter due to his “emotionally disturbed” defense, he could receive a lighter sentence of between five and 25 years.
Fearing that his girlfriend would leave him, Haspil figured his only viable options were ‘suicide or murder’.
Haspil was initially caught by Saleh after learning that he had initially stolen $90,000, but he decided not to press charges after seeing the man as his protégé.
Instead, he allowed him to pay him back through a payment plan, but Haspil continued to steal from Saleh’s company through a PayPal account. He was discovered again.
Haspil then allegedly decided to fake Saleh’s murder and get away with it.
“During this period, he not only planned to commit the murder, but also to get away with it… To cover it up and how to erase his guilt and prevent Fahim Saleh from testifying in a criminal proceeding,” Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Linda Ford told the court.
Tyrese Haspil smiles as he enters Manhattan Supreme Court while on trial for murder
Police left the building on July 14, 2020. They found Saleh’s limbs in garbage bags
Police found Saleh’s limbless body in his apartment in the luxury Lower East Side building. Above you see an apartment in the building
Prosecutors say Saleh was first tasered and then stabbed multiple times before being dismembered
Prosecutors say Haspil, pictured, stole money from his boss for years and continued to do so in the days after his death
Prosecutors described finding a Makita saw, wrecking bags containing body parts, limbs and a Home Depot receipt in Saleh’s home.
They say Haspil stole PayPal and Intuit transfers from Saleh over the course of three years, and that he was still transferring money to himself even four days after Saleh died.
Detectives began investigating Haspil after finding text messages in which Saleh accused Haspil of stealing the money, police sources said.
Saleh was tasered and then stabbed several times before being dismembered, police said.
Surveillance footage from the 265 East Houston apartment complex showed Saleh being followed into the elevator by a man — believed to be Haspil — wearing a black suit and mask.
Police alleged that Haspil, pictured during his arrest in July 2020, stole money from Saleh and took more than $400,000 between 2017 and July 2020
Investigators say Saleh, who was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, appeared suspicious as the masked man tampered with the elevator, which requires the use of a key fob.
The footage shows the victim falling to the ground as the elevator doors gave direct access to Saleh’s full-floor apartment. The elevator doors then closed, blocking the camera’s view of what happened next.
Haspil’s credit card was reportedly used after the murder to purchase a power saw and cleaning supplies at Home Depot.
The card was also reportedly used to pay for travel to and from Saleh’s apartment.
After the murder, Haspil vacuumed, but his cleaning efforts were not good enough and he was missing a single ‘anti-criminal disc’ identification tag, which was recovered at the scene.
The drive contained a unique number that matched the Taser that Haspil had sent to his Brooklyn address a month before the killing, prosecutors explained.
When police arrived on the scene, Saleh’s torso was found in the corner of his living room and his head, arms and legs had been separated in plastic bags.
An electric saw still plugged in, a vacuum cleaner and cleaning products were found nearby.
When the alleged killer returned to clean up the next day, police believe he may have been interrupted by Saleh’s cousin, who stopped by to check in on him after not hearing from him for several days.
Saleh was born to Bangladeshi parents in Saudi Arabia before moving to the US
His cousin likely pressed the buzzer at Saleh’s apartment before entering the building, alerting the killer and forcing him to abandon his efforts to dispose of the remains.
The killer allegedly fled the building via a fire escape while his victim’s cousin rode up in the elevator, police said.
Police sources initially said they believed the killing was financially motivated and was likely the fatal consequence of a business deal gone sour.
Prior to the personal assistant’s arrest, investigators had been looking into Saleh’s business affairs for possible motives or suspects.
Haspil, a native of Elmont, New York, had worked for Saleh at his investment firm Adventure Capital.