What we know so far about horror murder of Cash App founder and father of two 'Crazy Bob' Lee who was stabbed to death in San Francisco
- Lee helped found multibillion-dollar tech company Cash App
- News of his death was met with tributes from the likes of Elon Musk and Jack Dorsey
Bob Lee, 43, was attacked in San Francisco's downtown residential Rincon Hill neighborhood at 2.35am on April 4.
Lee helped found multibillion-dollar tech company Cash App, a mobile payment service, and then became chief technology officer at the payment company Block. When he died, he was the chief product officer at MobileCoin, a crypto payment firm.
His death rippled shockwaves through the tech community.
Lee's former boss and Twitter founder Jack Dorsey was one of many well known San Francisco tech entrepreneurs to express their shock and grief at his death.
Was Cash App founder Bob Lee married?
Lee was married to wife Krista and the couple shared two children. He had recently relocated to Miami, and was in San Francisco for a work trip when he was killed, friends said.
Some reports said Krista was still living in San Francisco. Lee's father referred to him as 'a bachelor', but it was unclear whether Lee and his wife were still together.
![Lee was married to wife Krista and the couple shared two children](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/06/15/69553325-11946409-image-a-1_1680791375250.jpg)
Lee was married to wife Krista and the couple shared two children
![He had recently relocated to Miami, and was in San Francisco for a work trip when he was killed](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/06/15/69553331-11946409-image-a-2_1680791378979.jpg)
He had recently relocated to Miami, and was in San Francisco for a work trip when he was killed
![Lee's death rippled shockwaves through the tech community](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/06/15/69553551-11946409-image-a-3_1680791500935.jpg)
Lee's death rippled shockwaves through the tech community
![Lee helped found multibillion-dollar tech company Cash App, a mobile payment service](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/06/15/69553515-11946409-image-a-4_1680791512680.jpg)
Lee helped found multibillion-dollar tech company Cash App, a mobile payment service
What was Bob Lee's job and what was he known for?
After working as an open source code developer in St Louis, Missouri, Lee moved to San Francisco in his early 20s in 2004 to work as an engineer at Google, according to the San Francisco Standard. There, he led the core library development for Android.
Lee was headhunted by Square, becoming its 13th employee, where he helped launch Android and Cash App and became the payment firm's first chief technology officer in 2011, a LinkedIn profile shows.
After leaving Square in 2014, he invested in several tech startups including Clubhouse, Beeper and Faire, and the female-focused social media and networking company Present. He identified as a 'stay at home dad' in an online blog post during this period.
In 2021, Lee joined Mobile Coin, a crypto payment firm, as its chief product officer.
Lee, who was dubbed 'Crazy Bob' by friends, was an active investor in numerous companies, such as SpaceX, Clubhouse and Figma.
Lee's social media posts covered a timeline of his life, from personal posts with his family to professional .
He was a coffee connoisseur who traveled all over the world, and attended all the big tech events and festivals including SXSW, Coachella, TechCrunch and Burning Man.
What happened on the night he was murdered?
He had extended his week-long business trip in the Bay Area by just one day when he was killed.
Police were called to the 300 block of Main Street near the entrance of a high-rise close to the waterfront and found him suffering from multiple stab wounds.
The news of Lee's death was publicly confirmed by the founder of MobileCoin, where Lee served as chief product officer.
He screamed in agony as he desperately told a 911 operator 'Help, someone stabbed me', after he was knifed on the streets of San Francisco near the Google offices.
After being stabbed twice in the chest, Lee clutched his wounds with one hand with his cellphone in the other as he pleaded for help from emergency responders, according to images obtained by The San Francisco Standard.
He stumbled up San Francisco's Main Street away from Bay Bridge in the early hours of the morning, leaving a trail of blood behind him.
After crossing the street, he approached a parked white Toyota Camry with its hazard lights on, which some have speculated may have been a ride share he called for help.
But after lifting up his shirt and revealing his stab wounds, the car reportedly drove away.
Lee then staggered up the hill and collapsed in front of 403 Main Street, an apartment complex called The Portside.
Police said Lee was already unconscious when they arrived, leading officers to begin CPR on him. Authorities said in a statement that he died after being rushed to hospital.
Have police got any leads in Bob Lee's murder?
Although a kitchen knife with a four-inch blade was found in a parking lot across the street, according to ABC7, as of April 6, no arrests or suspects have been announced.
In a press conference on April 5, SFPD Chief Bill Scott declined to offer a motive for the attack and declined to speculate if it was targeted or random.
'I have nothing to share yet,' he said. 'We don't want to be premature and definitely we don't want to speculate so we are going to be thoughtful about following the evidence and we'll put out what we'll put out as soon as we can.'
What have friends and family said about Bob Lee's horrific murder?
Lee's father Rick Lee posted a statement on Facebook Wednesday afternoon.
'I just lost my best friend, my son Bob Lee when he lost his life on the street in San Francisco early Tuesday Morning,' he wrote.
'I moved to Mill Valley, CA with Bob after his mother died in 2019 and we recently relocated to Miami in Oct 2022.
'Life has been an adventure with two bachelors living together, and I'm so happy that we were able to become so close these last years. Bob would give you the shirt off his back.
'He would never look down on anyone and adhered to a strict no-judgment philosophy.
'Bobby worked harder than anyone and was the smartest person I have ever known. He will be missed by all those that knew him. Thank you to those who have reached out in support.'
Heartbroken friends and colleagues paid tribute to the tech executive, with Joshua Goldbard saying: 'My heart is broken tonight'.
He added: 'Bob was a force of nature. Helped to birth Android and CashApp into our world.
'Moby was his dream: a privacy-protecting wallet for the 21st Century. I will miss him every day.'
Bill Barhydt added: 'Bob was a dad, the former CTO of Square where he created Cash App & CTO of Mobile Coin.
'He was a generous decent human being who didn't deserve to be killed.'
Co-Founder of Twitter Jack Dorsey said: 'It's real. Getting calls. Heartbreaking. Bob was instrumental to Square and Cash App. STL guy.'
A friend who was planning to meet Lee in Miami had told The Standard that Lee had been in San Francisco on business, had stayed an extra day and was killed on that day.
'I'm still in shock,' the friend said. 'No way he did anything to provoke this and I feel like he would just hand his money and watch to a mugger.'
'He did comment on San Francisco deteriorating, which is why he actually had just relocated to Miami,' said Jake Shields, a champion UFC fighter who knew Lee well.
![Shields told NewsNation that Lee had 'no enemies'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/06/15/69553799-11946409-image-a-5_1680791906895.jpg)
Shields told NewsNation that Lee had 'no enemies'
Shields told NewsNation that Lee had 'no enemies,' adding: '(He was) a good human being — he added to society, he was a good person, everyone loved him.'
'He was really respected in the tech community, never talked about his accomplishments, other people would tell me, 'Oh yeah, Bob's a super big deal in the tech industry.''
Elon Musk was also among those commenting on Lee's murder, and asked the San Francisco district attorney, Brooke Jenkins, what she is doing to 'incarcerate repeated violent offenders'.
Musk said, in response to Shields' Tweet: 'Very sorry to hear that. Many people I know have been severely assaulted. Violent crime in SF is horrific and even if attackers are caught, they are often released immediately.
'Is the city taking stronger action to incarcerate repeat violent offenders Brooke Jenkins?'
Most watched News videos
- Moment vigilante pickpocket hunter 'exposes criminals' in London
- Lib Dem leader wary of a proposed smoking ban 'going over the top'
- Paedophile arrested after he's caught sending explicit images to kids
- Barcelona Police skits reveal tricks employed by pickpockets
- 'We are dying, can you help us please?' Migrant's desperate 999 call
- Police and fire crews on site after road accident kills three in Wales
- CCTV shows moment stalker approaches Holly Newton before stabbing her
- The bloody battle for the hill Putin's desperate to capture
- David Axelrod weighs in on Kamala Harris' CNN interview
- Trump reveals how he will vote on Florida 6-week abortion ban
- Sir Keir Starmer's awkward football joke falls flat on Germany visit
- Trump weighs in on Kamala's long-awaited first interview