Nima Momeni, the man accused of killing Cash App inventor Bob Lee in San Francisco, plans to enter a not guilty plea next week, according to his counsel.
Momeni’s arraignment on a murder charge was scheduled on Tuesday, but it was postponed until May 2 after defence attorney Paula Canny requested extra time to prepare.
After the hearing, Canny told reporters that her client will also deny the special allegation of using a knife in the crime.
Lee, a cofounder of the mobile payment service firm Cash App, was stabbed to death early on April 4 in the Rincon Hill neighbourhood.
Momeni, 38, of Emeryville, California, and Lee, according to authorities, knew each other and were in a vehicle soon before the stabbing.
According to the district attorney’s office, the stabbing was possibly planned.
“This is a person who was in his vehicle with a kitchen knife,” San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said earlier this month.
“That’s not something most of us carry around at all times with us.”
Canny stated that she believes she has evidence proving Momeni’s innocence.
According to the attorney, she has seen surveillance tapes in the case but is still waiting for police reports and the entire autopsy report.
Jenkins stated that autopsy reports normally take around 60 days and that the report in this case is not yet complete.
Canny stated that she believes her client is not a danger to the community or a flight risk and that she will seek bail. Jenkins was not convinced. “Certainly, someone we believe committed murder poses a serious threat to public safety.”
The hearing was attended by approximately 20 members of Lee’s family and friends.