The former executive assistant of a Bangladesh-origin tech mogul was found guilty of murdering his boss in 2020. Fahim Saleh was a successful venture capitalist and CEO of Nigeria-based scooter startup Gokada.
On July 13, 2020, 25-year-old Tyrese Haspil murdered 33-year-old Saleh – then decapitated and dismembered him – inside the businessman’s Lower East Side condo. According to reports, Haspil was convicted of the crime on June 24, which prosecutors said he committed to prevent his boss from finding out that he had embezzled $400,000 from him and so that his French girlfriend does not find out about this act.
According to a press release from the Manhattan district attorney’s office, Haspil was found guilty of one count of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree grand larceny, one count of second-degree burglary and other charges. He is expected to be sentenced in September, the release stated.
“Tyrese Haspil tragically cut Mr Saleh’s life short – a man who came from a close-knit immigrant family and followed his passions to become a successful entrepreneur,” said Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg, as per the press release.
He added: “I hope the accountability delivered by today’s verdict can provide a measure of comfort to Mr Saleh’s loved ones as they continue to mourn his loss.”
Known to support up-and-coming techies, Saleh was born in Saudi Arabia to Bangladeshi parents and grew up in upstate New York. He had a degree in computer science from Bentley University in Massachusetts.
Why did Haspil murder Saleh?
The press release said Haspil became Saleh’s assistant in May 2018, which is how he gained access to the entrepreneur’s financial records. He began stealing from Saleh’s companies using two separate schemes by creating several financial accounts, including one on PayPal, to siphon off funds from his boss, it said.
Right at the time Haspil started stealing from Saleh, he also started dating his girlfriend Marine Chaveuz for whom he purchased lavish gifts using the stolen money.
Saleh, who was Haspil’s mentor at work, found out about the fraud after his assistant had resigned from the job in May 2019, but had continued to steal from him. He confronted him for stealing $35,000 from his company and proposed a settlement to pay back the debt and avoid criminal prosecution, the press release said.
The DA’s office said while Haspil agreed to pay Saleh back over a two-year period, he did so using the stolen money from the PayPal account, causing him to embezzle close to $400,000. Fearing his former boss would find out about the continued embezzlement, he plotted to kill him.
How did Haspil plan and carry out the crime?
The press release further stated that Haspil followed Saleh to his home on the fateful day, tasered him in the back and stabbed him a number of times. He returned to the apartment the next day “to dismember the body and clean up the crime scene”.
The murder was discovered by Saleh’s cousin when Haspil briefly left the crime scene. The cousin found the businessman’s body with his head and limbs severed and informed the police, the press release said. Haspil was arrested from Manhattan on July 17, 2020, it added. The embezzlement, in fact, continued till his arrest.
The DA’s office said in the weeks leading up to the crime, Haspil researched technology, weapons, tasers and cleaning supplies to cover up the homicide. He purchased clothes to hide his identity, and tracked Saleh’s whereabouts on social media to plan the timing of the murder and even considered killing him on at least three separate occasions.
In March 2020, he followed Saleh to Lagos in Nigeria with a knife and, back in New York, he followed his former boss to Hopewell Junction twice, planning to either burn his house down or stab him while he was out for a run, as per the statement.
It was in May 2020 that Haspil finally committed to killing Saleh in his home and started to research the anatomy of the neck and the building plans for the apartment his ex-boss lived in. On June 17, 2020, he purchased contractor bags, a Swifter wetjet and a saw from a Home Depot store.
The DA’s office further said Haspil was planning an extravagant birthday party for his girlfriend in the days leading up to the crime, and bought balloons, a cake, luxury handbags and shoes, a private yacht tour, and rented a luxury Airbnb in Soho with the stolen money.
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