LinkedIn (Momeni)/Instagram (Dr. Elyassnia) Nimo Momeni (l) and Khazar Elyassnia with Dr. Dino Elyassnia.
Khazar Elyassnia is the sister of Nima Momeni, the tech consultant who is accused of stabbing San Francisco, California, tech executive Bob Lee to death.
She is married to Dino Elyassnia, a prominent plastic surgeon in the Bay Area.
Nima Momeni was accused in the murder by the San Francisco Police Department, which announced his arrest in an April 13, 2023, press conference.
Lee, the founder of Cash App and a cryptocurrency executive at MobileCoin, was stabbed to death on April 4, 2023, according to San Francisco police.
“This is more about human nature and human behavior than it is about our city,” said San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott in the news conference. He added, “This is not about San Francisco. Mr. Momeni is our focus and the single suspect in this case.”
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Communication Between Khazar Elyassnia & Bob Lee Is the Motive in the Case, Court Records Say
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Prosecutors argue that the motive stems from a rapport between Khazar Elyassnia and Bob Lee, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, which reported that Momeni “confronted Lee about Lee’s relationship with the suspect’s sister.”
The Chronicle obtained court records that say Lee was drinking with friends before the murder, including Khazar Elyassnia, at an apartment. Furthermore, The Chronicle reported, a friend told authorities her marriage might be “in jeopardy.”
Eventually, Lee invited Elyassnia to leave with him and another friend, but she declined, The Chronicle reported, at which point Momeni spoke with Lee by phone and “interrogated him about his sister and Lee tried to reassure Momeni that his sister was not doing drugs and that ‘nothing inappropriate had happened,'” the Chronicle reported.
The court records obtained by the Chronicle say that Lee went to visit Momeni’s sister at her condo at 12:30 a.m. on April 4, but Momeni showed up too, and Lee and Momeni then left together. The stabbing occurred a short time later, according to The Chronicle.
According to KRON 4, a witness in court records was “unsure if Victim and Female had an intimate relationship.”
2. Nima Momeni’s Sister Thanked Bob Lee for Being Such a ‘Classy Man,’ Reports Say
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According to the Chronicle, authorities obtained a text message between Lee and Momeni’s sister’s phone.
Momeni’s sister’s phone texted Lee, “Just wanted to make sure your doing ok cause I know Nima came wayyyyyy down hard on you and thank you for being such a classy man handling it with class love you selfish pricks,” The Chronicle reported. KRON 4 reported that the message was sent shortly after Lee was stabbed to death.
According to KRON 4, when she appeared with her husband at a court hearing for her brother, Khazar Elyassnia wore “Yves Saint Laurent sunglasses on indoors.” The station also reported that she “lives at the Millennium Tower, the 35-story luxury high-rise.”
According to the San Francisco Standard, Dino Elyassnia held his wife’s hand at the court hearing.
Dino Elyassnia’s personal Instagram page is set to private.
However, on his work Instagram page, he has posted about his wife, writing, in 2017, “to more time spent w my Khazar, Cookie, friends, and noses in 2018!”
Neither Khazar nor Dino Elyassnia has been accused in connection with Lee’s death.
3. Khazar Elyassnia’s Husband Dino Elyassnia Came to the United States With His Family During the Iranian Revolution
Khazar Elyassnia and her husband were featured in a November 2020 issue of Haute Living magazine. In the article, he praised her as “one of a kind—passionate, brave, and intelligent.” (8/16)
According to the San Francisco Standard, Momeni’s sister’s husband is a prominent plastic surgeon.
According to the Standard, Dino Elyassnia was “born to a family of Assyrian and Armenian ancestry in Iran,” and, Haute Living wrote in a profile, they came to the United States during the Iranian Revolution.
His website calls Dino Elyassnia “arguably the most skilled board-certified plastic surgeon San Francisco has to offer.”
“Dr. Elyassnia provides stunning yet natural results that are highly customized to each client’s anatomy, goals and lifestyle,” the website says. “His skillful command of the subtleties and nuances of the underlying facial structure have earned him a reputation for detailed, sophisticated changes that still preserve the unique idiosyncrasies that define the individual.”
According to the website, “Dr. Elyassnia is passionate about bringing the most groundbreaking and cutting edge technologies to his patients, and strives to create a practice environment that is both ahead of the curve and a sanctuary for professional integrity.” It says that he practices in the “Bay Area.”
The website says Dino Elyassnia “comes from a family of surgeons and knew at an early age that this would be his calling. He completed his undergraduate training at the University of California, San Diego where he graduated Summa Cum Laude and received the Biology Outstanding Achievement Award given to the top student in the entire department.”
According to the website, Dr. Elyassnia “went on to obtain his medical degree at the USC School of Medicine. He graduated in the top 1% of his class and scored in the top 1% nationally on the medical licensing exam. While in medical school his interest in plastic surgery blossomed.” The website lists a number of awards he has received.
4. Dino Elyassnia Described His Wife as a ‘Dynamic Superwoman’
A 2020 issue of Haute Living profiled Dino Elyassnia and his wife.
“When I met Khazar, I was simply awestruck,” it quotes him as saying. “She was one of a kind – passionate, brave, and intelligent in a way like I had never seen. Now eight years later, this dynamic superwoman has been leading me down life’s path ever since, showing me the real meaning of life and love.”
The article calls her the “love of his life,” who “knows a lot about compassion and giving.”
It quotes him as saying, “She packs bags for the homeless, and she’s taken me shopping for gifts for underprivileged families. She has been my guiding light. And I am so thankful for her.” The couple has an adorable Yorkie named Cookie.
On LinkedIn, Momeni described himself as a “dedicated technology partner since 2005,” and wrote that he has owned Expand IT, Inc., for more than 13 years.
He previously worked as an IT consultant for other companies and as a network engineer, his LinkedIn page says.
5. Dino Elyassnia Wrote That COVID-19 Gave Him a ‘Whole New Perspective’ on ‘What an Amazing Human Being’ His Wife Is
Dino Elyassnia posted on Instagram about being isolated with his wife during COVID-19.
“Spending three months isolated together, around the clock, gave me a whole new perspective on what an amazing human being she is,” he wrote.
“Not only is she better than me in every way, but she is truly gifted when it comes to understanding the human condition which translates into an unbelievable level of kindness and generosity to others. Ultimately I’m most thankful for having her as an inspiration in my life and a constant reminder of what matters most on this earth is the impact we have on other.”
San Francisco police wrote in a statement on Facebook that, on April 4, 2023, at approximately 2:35 a.m., San Francisco police “responded to the 300 block of Main Street for a report of a stabbing. Officers arrived on scene and located the victim, later identified as 43-year-old Robert Lee, suffering from apparent stab wounds.”
Police “rendered aid and summoned medics to the scene. The victim was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. Despite efforts by first responders and medical personnel, the victim succumbed to injuries,” San Francisco police wrote in the statement.
Video showed the moment Lee collapsed inside a building after being stabbed.
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