Dateline NBC - Tech mogul's alleged killer takes the stand. Dentist's murder trial set to begin. Plus safety tips for holiday travel.

Episode Date: November 21, 2024

Listen to this week's episode of the Dateline: True Crime Weekly podcast with Andrea Canning. Tech exec Bob Lee's accused killer takes the stand for three dramatic days in San Francisco. In suburban Denver, dentist James Craig who stands accused of spiking his wife's protein shakes with potassium cyanide is headed to trial. And Susan Smith, convicted of drowning her children 30 years ago, asks for parole. Plus, Vicky Nguyen is back with helpful tips — this time for safe holiday travel. To get new episodes every Thursday, follow here: https://link.chtbl.com/dtcw_fdlwFind out more about the cases covered each week here: www.datelinetruecrimeweekly.com

Hi, everyone. It's Andrea Canning back with the latest episode of Dateline True Crime Weekly. Episodes drop first thing every Thursday morning, and you can also find them by searching for the Dateline True Crime Weekly feed. So give us a listen and follow the show wherever you get your podcasts and tell your friends. Hey, good morning, everybody. You're listening in to Dateline's morning meeting in 30 Rockefeller Center. Okay, so this story is in Chicago. It's breaking. Our editorial team is catching up on breaking crime news around the country. I'd like to be there for what I think will be the arrest.

I think we should get a little more info on those other cases. She goes downstairs and she sees a man in her kitchen and he's holding a knife. Welcome to Dateline True Crime Weekly. I'm Andrea Canning. It's November 21st and here's what's on our docket. A dentist is heading to trial in a Colorado suburb. He's accused of spiking his wife's protein shakes with poison. In Dateline Roundup, Susan Smith, the South Carolina mom convicted 30 years ago of drowning her kids in a lake, is up for parole. Will she get it? And the Florida businessman at the heart of an

international kidnapping case faces a new charge, murder. Her body has never been found, but apparently prosecutors don't believe that she's alive. Plus, if you're traveling for Thanksgiving, NBC's senior consumer investigative correspondent, Vicki Wynn, has some safety tips for you. AI has made it so easy for scammers. Make sure anytime you're booking with a site, you're looking in that little website address line for HTTPS, S as in security. But before all that, we're heading to a San Francisco courtroom and three days of dramatic testimony in the trial of the man accused of stabbing tech exec Bob Lee to death. of the man accused of stabbing tech exec Bob Lee to death.

In April 2023, Bob Lee, a founder of Cash App and a father of two, was visiting his kids in the Bay area. But at 2.30 on a Tuesday morning, he called 911. He said he'd been stabbed. When paramedics found him, Bob was unconscious on the sidewalk in front of an apartment building a block and a half from the Bay Bridge. He died in the hospital a few hours later. Our affiliate KNTV was on the sidewalk in front of an apartment building, a block and a half from the Bay Bridge. He died in the hospital a few hours later. Our affiliate, KNTV, was on the scene. People who knew him and people who live in this neighborhood are still stunned that a leader in San Francisco's tech community was murdered here. The hunt for his attacker began immediately.

A man named Nima Momeni was arrested within days, and his trial began last month. As we've talked about on the podcast before, began immediately. A man named Nima Momeni was arrested within days and his trial began last month. As we've talked about on the podcast before, Nima, who's pleaded not guilty, doesn't deny getting into a fight with Bob that night. But he is adamant Bob attacked him. And last week, the jury got to see Nima

reenact the altercation in the courtroom as he testified in his own defense. Dateline producer, Brittany Tom, was there and is here to fill us in on what she saw and how the prosecution reacted to Nima's explosive testimony. Hey, Brittany. Hi, Andrea.

Before we get to Nima's version of events, remind us what the prosecution is alleging. Prosecutors have been arguing that Nima stabbed Bob Lee because he was angry that his sister, Kazar, may have been sexually assaulted by one of Bob's friends. Bob met up with Kazar and Nima later that evening at her apartment. The prosecutor alleged that Nima took a paring knife from the kitchen. He then drove Bob to a secluded area underneath the Bay Bridge and stabbed him. And if that sounds confusing, it is.

I mean, everyone was also drinking and doing drugs throughout the day. We don't always see defendants take the stand, but in this case, clearly Nima's defense team thought it was important that he tell his own story in his own words. Yeah, it's interesting, Andrea, since his attorneys are arguing self-defense and there are no other eyewitnesses to this incident,

the only person who can explain what happened on April 4th is the defendant himself. And you've covered cases so of I over my time at Dateline, it's pretty rare for this to happen. In his telling, Nima decided to call people who had been with Gazard earlier. So Nima ended up calling Bob Lee. And he told the jury the call actually calmed him down

and he felt reassured. He was disappointed in his sister, and he believed she was probably being dramatic to get attention. So Nima claims he wasn't angry at anybody. That's right. So, on the stand, Nima talked through the videos of him and Bob leaving together, and he's explaining they were chummy

that night. It isn't until Nima pulls over to that area under the Bay Bridge that they end up in a bit of a blind spot, and the cameras that catch them are not super high quality. I'm sure Nima must have addressed why he pulled over while he was on the stand. What's his explanation for that? Yes. He says that Bob spilled a beer in the car and he wanted to clean it up. So he pulled over to that spot.

And while he's doing that, Bob actually finds a bunch of nitrous that Kazar had left in the car. And according to Nima, Bob takes some hits of nitrous. Another word for it is whippets yeah, the defense is trying to show Bob had several drugs in the system over the course of the evening. And so is Nima getting angry at all with Bob as all this is happening?

No, Nima says he was over it and wanted to call it a night. Not angry at Bob, he says. But Bob wanted to go back to his hotel to get more Coke. And this is an important point in Nima's testimony. Nima says he made a bad joke. Nima tells Bob, if it was my last night in town, I'd hang out with my family instead of, you know, effing around in strip clubs. Ooh. Okay. So Nima says that to Bob. Yes. And this is what sets up Bob.

I see. So now Nima is explaining, this is sort of the catalyst, I guess, for this self-defense defense. Exactly. So Nima tells the jury that Bob went from zero to 100. He was offended and he was cussing Nima out, circling around him. Nima claims Bob retorted back, you think I'm a bad effing dad, I'm going to eff you up. You don't think I can eff you up, right? And they actually start physically fighting at this point. So Nima says that Bob chest bumps him. And then he saw Bob pulls out a knife from his coat pocket. That's when Nima grabs his wrist and deflects the knife.

And this is kind of a big moment in court so far. Nima and his attorney start reenacting on the witness stand exactly what happened between him and Bob. They tussle with the knife and Neema ends up pushing Bob forward. But then Bob backs away. Okay, so how does Bob end up stabbed? Neema can't really explain how Bob was stabbed because he actually said he didn't know Bob was stabbed.

He says after the whole altercation, Bob walked away, was on his phone, was silent, and he didn't think he was deaf. He says after the whole altercation, Bob walked away, was on his phone, was silent, and he didn't think he was injured at all. When does Nima say that he found out that Bob died? So Bob dies early Tuesday morning, and Nima says he learned about Bob's death through a text from his sister later that evening. He said he didn't really believe her at first and didn't understand what she was talking about. But on Wednesday morning, he saw the news and he testified he was heartbroken. He said, he attacked me, but he didn't deserve that.

So he's thinking, which is kind of what America thought when this story first came out, that it was possibly a homeless person? Yes, it's kind of almost a full circle of this story. In the first hours after Bob died, media outlets and even prominent people in the tech industry assumed Bob was killed by a stranger, probably somebody who was unhoused. On the stand last week, Nima did tell jurors, there were homeless people on the street. There's a homeless shelter right there. Kind of insinuating that even though he got in this altercation with Bob on the street,

that possibly after he left, Bob was stabbed by somebody else. Okay. So this is a very different series of events than what the prosecution has presented. So what angle did the prosecutor take with Neema? Yeah, the prosecutor really came out swinging. The prosecutor tried to show Neema's story didn't make sense, and how could Bob, the successful tech businessman, lose his temper so quickly over a quote-unquote dumb joke

and pull out a knife on Nima. So the prosecutor and Nima got pretty contentious, combative? Cross-examination was pretty tense. Nima interrupted the prosecutor several times. In one exchange, the prosecutor said, I asked the questions, you answer the questions. The prosecutor also brought up the various texts between Nima and his sister Kazar that make him look pretty suspicious that he was angry at Bob.

But Nima accused the prosecutor of pulling texts out of order and out of context. And you could tell that Nima was frustrated. Don't envy the jury in this case. They have a lot to consider here. It's a very complicated case and they have a lot of testimony they have to sift through. Okay, I know that you and your team will be watching very closely for us. Brittany, thank you so much for coming on the podcast.

Yeah, thanks Andrea. Coming up, a dentist in Aurora, Colorado is accused of murdering his wife by poisoning her protein shakes. We dig into the evidence prosecutors say proves his marriage had taken a dark turn. For our next story, we're heading to Colorado, and we're starting with the tooth fairy. And here's the tooth fairy.

Woo! We're going to see... Hi. I'm eating a tooth extract, and I'm here to the tooth fairy. Woo! We're going to see the tooth fairy. Hi. I'm eating a tooth extract and I'm here to do the work. That is the voice of dentist James Craig, dressed up in a tutu as the tooth fairy in a video for his dental practice in suburban Denver. But when he wasn't visiting patients in costume, investigators say he was ordering potassium

cyanide to the office and using it to poison his wife, Angela's protein shakes. In March 2023, Angela Craig was rushed to the hospital in grave condition. She suffered a seizure, was put on life support and died three days later. The following day, police arrested James and charged him with first degree murder. He's pleaded not guilty. This week, jury selection is set to get underway as the case gears up to go to trial at the beginning of December. Here to help us get up to speed

is Dateline producer Stephanie Barber. Stephanie, welcome to the podcast. Thank you. Okay, so let's start with a little bit of background. What can you tell us about the relationship between James and Angela Craig? Well, they seem to have a very normal and loving relationship. They had a Facebook page that was jointly shared, and they had lots of pictures of them

having fun with themselves and their six children. They'd been married for 23 years, and James had a dental practice called the Summerbrook Dental Group. This dental practice was really a family affair. Yes, it was. Angela helped out as an office manager and they also had a close friend who was his business partner, Ryan Redfern. March, 2023, Angela is feeling sick. She's been sick for several weeks.

This is really a mystery condition, right? They can't figure out what's wrong with her. That's right. They can't figure it out. Her symptoms were very mysterious. She complained to her husband of feeling drugged, feeling nauseous, no appetite. What's interesting is that Ryan, the business partner friend, he tells a nurse that he's suspicious Angela could be the victim of poisoning. Yes. So this is where things really start to take a turn in this case. According to the arrest affidavit, Ryan Redfern had heard from one of the staffers at the dental practice that James Craig had received a suspicious delivery at the

dental office. And she saw that it said cyanide. And she reported that to Ryan Redfern. This is potassium cyanide to be specific, correct? Is there any medical reason why they would need this coming to a dental practice? Ryan Redfern said that there's no need for any dental practice to be using potassium cyanide and that there was no medical reason for him to be ordering it directly to the dental practice. Did the autopsy show exactly what she died from? The County Coroner's autopsy report did show that Angela Craig died after ingesting lethal amounts of both potassium cyanide and interesting, lethal amounts of both potassium cyanide and the common ingredient in vizin eye drops. So at this point, police are suspecting Angela's been poisoned. How do the investigators

believe James got this poison into Angela? Investigators say that James Craig was using the smoothies that he would make for his wife on a daily basis. According to the arrest affidavit, James Craig had an explanation for why he ordered the poison. He says that Angela had been suicidal in the past, that the cyanide that he ordered was actually at her request. And investigators obviously did not believe this story. They don't believe it.

And the family, of course, is very strongly saying that this woman was not suicidal. She had six children. She was very involved in her community and she loved her family and her friends. And they are saying there's no way she would ever try to kill herself. So a big bombshell, but we see this a lot in these types of stories. Police find out that James, the husband, was having an affair. They find out that he had begun communicating with a woman that he met at a dental conference not long before Angela first becomes very ill. And she says that she didn't know, obviously, what he's allegedly doing at this time.

She also said that he told her that he was in the process of getting a divorce from Angela. Angela's sister told police that the marriage had always had problems, and this isn't the first time that James, according to her, had an affair. Yes, and there was also, in more recent filings in this case, another woman named in a relationship that potentially

lasted longer than the first woman. Okay. So we seem to know a lot about the prosecution's case from evidence that they've talked about. What do we know about what James Craig's defense is going to look like? So at this stage, we still don't really know a whole lot about the defense's strategy. This is his second defense team and they still very much have an uphill climb, having to get up to speed on what has transpired. And the second defense team is also just not making any comments at this time. So ultimately, we'll just have to wait for the trial to begin and it is set to begin December 2nd. And Stephanie, I know you'll

be watching this one. Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you. Up next, it's Dateline Roundup with news from inside the courtroom as convicted child murderer Susan Smith asks for parole. Plus, we've got some tips for you on how to stay safe traveling this holiday season. Welcome back. Joining me for this week's Dateline Roundup is Dateline producer Rachel White. Hey, Rachel. Hi, Andrea. So for our first story, we are off to South Carolina for an update in the case of Susan Smith, the woman who made headlines 30 years ago when she let her car roll into a lake, drowning her two young sons who were strapped inside. Yes, this was big news.

Remember, Smith initially told investigators that she was carjacked by a black man who then drove away with her son still in the car. She even appeared on national television pleading for the boys to be returned. Whoever has them, I pray every day that you're taking care of them and know that we will do anything to get them home back to us. But in reality, she had already killed them. It turned out that Smith was separated from her husband at the time and was having an affair with a man who didn't want kids.

Mm. Smith was found guilty of the drownings in 1995. She was sentenced to life in prison. She, all these years later, is now eligible to ask for parole, which is what brought her to court this week. Yeah, so she was there in a video hearing where she presented her request for parole from prison. And this was all live streamed on Court TV.

First of all, I want to say how very sorry I am. I know that what I did was horrible. I am a Christian and God is a big part of my life and I know He has forgiven me. And I just ask that you show that same kind of mercy as well. Do we know what her ex-husband David, the boy's father, wants to see happen? He actually testified at Wednesday's hearing. I understand back in 95, life in prison meant 30 years to life, but ultimately to me, that's only 15 years per child. Her own children. It's just not enough.

So I'm asking that you please do not her parole today. And the court decided not to give her parole. The Sason-Smith is do not parole. The vote is unanimous. Which was unsurprising considering how low of percentage inmates get parole in South Carolina. All right, next up we're off to Florida where there's a new charge in the case of Ana Konezavich,

the Colombian-American woman who went missing in February from her apartment in Madrid. Yeah, at the time, Ana was in the case of Ana Konezovic, the Colombian-American woman who went missing in February from her apartment in Madrid. Yeah, at the time, Ana was in the midst of a nasty divorce from her husband, David Konezovic, and had moved from Florida to Spain for a fresh start. But in early February of this year, Ana stopped responding to her family and her friends, and so they actually got in contact with authorities

in Madrid to report her missing. That was just the beginning of what's become really an international investigation with Spanish and US authorities working together to find her. They zeroed in pretty quickly, Rachel, on her estranged husband David. According to the prosecution, he was actually in Madrid at the time of Ana's disappearance.

And prosecutors say that video from security cameras in the hallway of Ana's apartment shows a man who looks a lot like David entering the building the night before she disappeared, spray painting a security camera, and then leaving the building about an hour later with a rolling suitcase. Federal prosecutors charged him with Ana's kidnapping back in May. Do we have any idea if Ana is still alive? Well, her body has never been found. But the big news last week was that David was charged with her murder as well. David's defense team has told NBC6 in Miami that he is not guilty

and that they're quote dumbfounded by the new charge because they say that there's no new evidence in the case. Okay, we'll keep watching that one. For our final story, we're off to Texas where there was a consequential ruling in the case of Robert Robertson, a man who's facing execution for the 2002 death of his daughter, Nikki Curtis. What's going on with that, Rachel? Robertson was convicted in 2003 of beating and shaking his two-year-old daughter so violently that he induced a serious brain injury that led to her death.

But Robertson's defense team says that they have proof that Robertson's daughter actually died from natural causes, complications from pneumonia. Exactly, Robertson has garnered wide support. So in October, Roberson was hours away from execution when Texas lawmakers issued a last minute subpoena summoning him to testify at the Texas Capitol on the day after he was scheduled to be executed. Yeah.

And that stopped the execution in its tracks. So this was all until last Friday. Right. And then there's more news. Right. The Texas Supreme Court ruled that a legislative subpoena can't stop an execution. So, Robertson's execution is back on. OK. Thank you, Rachel, so much for all of these updates. Thank you, Andrea. When it comes to holiday travel, the most wonderful time of the year can feel like the

most stressful and your safety might not be top of mind. So whether or not you're traveling this holiday season, we've got some travel safety tips you can use year round from today's show, Senior Consumer Investigative Correspondent Vicki Nguyen. Hey Vicki, good to have you back. Hey, good morning. Let's talk about travel trends. So most Americans say they're planning on driving

instead of flying this holiday season. Yeah, Motel6 and Studio6 just did a recent survey, Andrea, and they found 51% of those who were surveyed said that they do plan to drive, would rather drive, compared to the 13% who are flying. I agree, like having six kids, you know, it's so much easier to just pile all the presents and the kids in the car versus trying to get to an airport.

It's just easier to drive. But according to the US Department of Homeland Security, traveling by car during the holidays has the highest fatality rate of any major form of transportation based on fatalities per passenger mile. So what can we all do to stay safe? I know, it's a really sobering statistic.

So number one, budget in extra time. Even just leaving 15 minutes earlier than normal can take some of the stress out of driving in general. In that same vein, getting a nice night of sleep ahead of time and making sure that you've packed the car. And finally, it is time to check what is in your trunk, what is in your emergency kit in the event you get stuck in something and it's weather-related or you just can't get off the freeway to get food,

that you've got your medicines, your snacks, and if you're traveling with pets, that you have something for them as well, as well as the important items like a portable power charger for your phone, jumper cables. Have you checked your car for a spare tire? But these are things that you should know in advance and you should know how to use them.

Yeah. And also that you always have enough gas. I've gotten caught in bumper to bumper traffic on the highway and you're just sitting there. It's not the time that you want to run out of gas. Good point. Okay. So if you're flying, any tips on how to book holiday travel with regards to making sure everything goes smoothly, you're not scammed in some way?

It's funny because some people have this fear of flying, but statistically speaking, we know it is a very safe form of transportation. The most dangerous part of booking an air travel vacation or holiday is that scam that you mentioned, Andrea. There's a cybersecurity site called Guardio and they say that over the last 18 months, travel scams have gone up online 900 percent. Wow. That is due in large part to AI.

AI has made it so easy for scammers to design really sophisticated looking websites that also show up in Google searches, right? So you wanna make sure anytime you're booking with a site that you've never used before, that you've actually gone to the URL. You're looking in that little website address line for HTTPS, S as in security,

to make sure it's a secure site. Don't just click on links that are sent to you via email, via social media. Go to the actual hotel or the airline that you are looking for, and make sure that you always pay with a credit card, not Zelle, not Venmo, not crypto, not gift cards. Those are all red flags for scammer sites.

And if the price is just too good to be true, that should also get your spidey senses going. My final tip here, Andrea, is consider working with a travel agent. That is a great way to protect yourself from scams. Yeah, so we've all seen footage, or we've been in airports during the holidays. It can be crazy.

Have there been any security changes that people should be aware of? I know the driver's licenses, the real ID is going to be mandatory soon, things like that. Yeah, if you haven't been to the airport recently, you might be surprised by all the facial recognition technology that is now being used by TSA as well as airlines like Delta, where they ask if you want your face scanned so that they can recognize and verify who you are. It definitely speeds up the process of getting through those security lines. And here's my answer to folks who are worried about this idea that,

oh my gosh, my picture is being taken. What happens with all that data? Well, the companies say that they delete it, that it's just taken, it's verifying your identity, and that they get rid of it. I trust in the system, I understand people have hesitancy, but if efficiency is what you're after,

this is a very fast way to get through those lines. And then to your question about the real ID, that new deadline is May 7th, 2025. Basically, the government keeps saying, we're going to require you to have this special driver's license that says real ID on it in order to travel domestically. So if you wanna go ahead and make an appointment

for the DMV, get your license updated. I did it a while ago because I kept thinking ID on it in order to travel domestically. So if you want to go ahead and make an appointment for the DMV, get your license updated. I did it a while ago because I kept thinking it was going to be due anyway. Yes, me too. The new deadline, May 7th, 2025. Me too. Okay, thank you, Vicki.

Everyone's getting excited for the holidays and these are amazing tips. Always great to be with you. That's it for this episode of Dateline True Crime Weekly. Next week we'll be off for Thanksgiving. We hope you have a lovely time, whatever you're doing, and we'll be back on December 5th with the latest crime news. And coming up this Friday on Dateline, an Atlanta millionaire threw a birthday bash.

Four months later, one of the guests would become his killer. So chilling when you think that Lance was face to face with his killer at that birthday party. Extremely chilling. Everybody happy. He was in the limelight and four months later, he's no longer with us. Watch my new two-hour mystery, The Killer Among Them, airing this Friday at 9, 8 Central on NBC or stream it starting Saturday on Peacock. To get ad-free listening for all our podcasts,

subscribe to Dateline Premium. Thanks for listening. Dateline True Crime Weekly is produced by Frannie Kelly and Katie Ferguson. Our associate producers are Carson Cummins and Caroline Casey. Our senior producer is Liz Brown-Kurloff. Production and fact-checking help by Sara Kadir.

Veronica Mazekka is our digital producer. Rick Kwan is our sound designer. Original music by Jesse McGinty. Bryson Barnes is head of audio production. Paul Ryan is executive producer, and Liz Kuhl is senior executive producer of Dateline. Bye-bye. Bye, everyone.