San Francisco Superior Court Judge Alexandra Gordon handed down the sentence after spending more than an hour explaining her denial of Momeni's motion for a new trial, which alleged ineffective assistance of counsel as well as prosecutorial and juror misconduct. Momeni, who was convicted of second-degree murder, is expected to appeal.

The killing occurred on April 4, 2023, in the Rincon Hill neighborhood. Prosecutors argued at trial that Momeni was motivated by an alleged sexual assault of his sister, while the defense contended that Momeni acted in self-defense against Lee.

At the sentencing, Lee's brother, Oliver Lee, delivered a tearful statement describing the lasting void left by the tech executive's death.

"No sentence brings back Bob … there will always be a piece missing," he said. "And Nima Momeni will always be the man who tried to take Bob's light out of this world. His light is still here."

The case drew national attention, pulling in celebrity lawyers, a well-known socialite and even Elon Musk, and it became a vector for false social media speculation that amplified San Francisco's pandemic-era reputation for lawlessness. The sentencing closes a legal chapter that had been closely watched far beyond the city.

Momeni's conviction and sentence mark one of the most consequential murder cases in recent San Francisco history, one that intertwined the region's tech wealth with long-standing concerns about street safety and the spread of unverified claims online.