Nima Momeni, man convicted in Bob Lee's murder, hires new attorneys
Nima Momeni has fired the attorneys that represented him through his trial that concluded last last year with a conviction of second-degree murder.
Momeni was found guilty in December of fatally stabbing tech executive Bob Lee on April 3, 2023.
He appeared in court Wednesday alongside two new lawyers, Daniel Shriro and Boris Bindman, both based in the Bay Area. Prosecutors Omid Talai and Dane Reinstedt were present for the preliminary hearing ahead of an expected sentencing hearing.
Momeni was slated to be sentenced on May 16, but as he changes his legal team, they must get up to speed on the entire case and trial before a sentencing hearing can take place.
Shriro told CBS News Bay Area they have serious concerns with the fairness of the trial.
"He is anxious to get through with this process and move on to the next stage," Shriro said. "There are good reasons to believe that there are problems with the trial that compromised the fairness of the proceedings and we're going to address those going forward."
At the time the verdict was reached in December, his former attorneys, Saam Zangeneh and Bradford Cohen, also expressed concerns with the fairness of the trial and suggested they would be appealing the verdict after Momeni was to be sentenced.
Shriro and Bindman say the transcripts for the trial will not be ready for at least six months, pushing an expected sentencing back to the end of the year. The judge in the case has set a check-in hearing for August 22.
Momeni was present in an orange jumpsuit as Judge Alexandra Robert Gordon insisted that his new team read in on the case in a timely manner, telling the attorneys she does not want the next hearing to be moved "unnecessarily."
Bob Lee's former wife Krista Lee also attended the hearing along with her partner. She told CBS News Bay Area the hearing went "as expected."
The Lee family has launched their own lawsuit against the Momeni family claiming emotional damages from the trial, which exposed graphic details from the fatal stabbing and Lee's drug use the night of the murder. The Lee's also argue the Momeni family consipred to cover up parts of Nima's role in the stabbing.
Momeni faces 16 years to life in prison for the second-degree murder conviction.
