Tyrese Haspil, 25, an American citizen, has been sentenced to 40 years to life in jail for the murder of his former boss, Fahim Saleh, 33, in New York City.
Fahim Saleh was the founder and CEO of the Nigerian ride-hailing company Gokada.
According to People.com, Haspil, Fahim Saleh’s executive assistant, had been embezzling monies from his boss and killed him to avoid detection.
Haspil was sentenced after being convicted by a New York State Supreme Court jury two months earlier.
He was convicted guilty of first-degree murder, second-degree grand larceny, and various other offences.
Alvin Bragg Jr., the Manhattan District Attorney, said in a press release on Tuesday, “Today, Tyrese Haspil is facing accountability for brutally murdering and decapitating Fahim Saleh, a kind, generous, and empathetic person who positively impacted the world.
“Even after the defendant stole from him to fund a lavish lifestyle, Mr. Saleh still gave him a second chance. While today’s sentence won’t bring Mr. Saleh back, I hope it provides his family a sense of closure as they continue to mourn his painful loss.”
According to authorities, surveillance footage caught Haspil entering Fahim Saleh’s Lower Manhattan apartment building on July 13, 2020, and following him to the lift.
After exiting the lift, which went directly into Saleh’s flat, Haspil used a taser on Saleh’s back before repeatedly stabbing him in the neck and torso with a knife, killing him.
The following day, Haspil went to the flat, where he “dismembered and decapitated Mr. Saleh’s body using the saw and placed the body parts in pre-ordered construction bags,” according to the announcement.
Saleh’s cousin discovered the information while visiting his flat to check on his well-being after not hearing from him in 24 hours. She immediately contacted the police.
He was caught four days later at an Airbnb he had booked to celebrate his girlfriend’s birthday.
The creator of Gokada uncovered Haspil’s misappropriation of thousands of dollars from his accounts, to which Haspil had access as his executive assistant since 2018.
According to the district attorney’s office, Haspil opened a Paypal account and a corporate bank account to transfer Saleh’s funds.
Haspil created bogus financial statements and utilised names that were similar to those of actual transactions, making it impossible for Saleh to discover the embezzlement.
“Haspil resigned in May 2019, knowing Mr. Saleh would learn about the embezzlement, yet continued to steal money [and] increase the amounts,” prosecutors said.
The district attorney’s office reported that Haspil returned Saleh with monies received through the PayPal fraud, but the misappropriation persisted, eventually totalling $400,000.
According to authorities, Haspil intended to murder Saleh at least three times before committing the crime in July 2020, allegedly in an attempt to conceal the theft and prevent Saleh from potentially testifying against him.
Saleh’s company published a statement following his death, calling his service to Nigeria and its youth “immeasurable.”
“He believed young Nigerians are extremely bright and talented individuals who would flourish if just given the right opportunity.
“Fahim also believed that technology can transform lives and improve safety and efficiency. He built Gokada to act upon these beliefs,” the statement read.
