NEW YORK, USA — Shocking details have emerged regarding the murder of Fahim Saleh, the venture capitalist and CEO of Nigeria-based motorbike startup Gokada.
Tyrese Haspil, Saleh’s personal assistant, confessed to killing his boss to conceal the theft of $400,000 from his girlfriend, Marine Chaveuz.
Haspil, who was arraigned before the Manhattan Supreme Court on murder charges, revealed that his desperate attempt to cover his crime led him to commit the brutal act on July 13, 2020.
According to the Daily Mail, Haspil stole the money years before he killed Saleh by beheading him.
Saleh’s dismembered body was found in his luxury $2.4 million apartment on the Lower East Side in July 2020.
Haspil reportedly forced his way into Saleh’s apartment, where he first tasered and then stabbed him to death.
Prosecutors detailed the gruesome crime scene, describing how Haspil used a Makita saw and placed the body parts in demolition bags.
“Over this period of time, he was planning not only to commit the homicide but to get away with it …To cover it up and how to erase his debt and prevent Fahim Saleh from testifying in criminal proceedings,” Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Linda Ford told the court.
Saleh initially discovered that Haspil had stolen $90,000 but chose not to press charges, viewing Haspil as a protégé.
Instead, he arranged a repayment plan. However, Haspil continued to embezzle funds from Saleh’s company using a PayPal account and was eventually caught again.
Fearing that his French girlfriend would discover his theft and leave him, Haspil decided his only options were “suicide or homicide.”
His lawyer, Sam Roberts, argued that Haspil suffered from “extreme emotional disturbance,” which led to the killing.
Haspil has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges, which carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years to life in prison if convicted. I
f the jury accepts the emotionally disturbed defense, Haspil could face a lighter sentence of five to 25 years for manslaughter.
Detectives began investigating Haspil after finding text messages in which Saleh accused him of stealing the money.
Surveillance footage from Saleh’s apartment building showed a man, believed to be Haspil, following Saleh into the elevator wearing a black suit and mask.
The prosecution described how Haspil meticulously planned the murder to evade detection, even continuing to transfer money to himself four days after Saleh’s death.
The discovery of the Makita saw, demolition bags containing body parts, and a Home Depot receipt in Saleh’s home further incriminated Haspil.
