Police on Friday arrested the former personal assistant of tech entrepreneur Fahim Saleh, who was found decapitated and dismembered Tuesday inside his Manhattan apartment, law enforcement sources said.
“Tyrese Devon Haspil, 21, is expected to face second-degree murder and other charges after Saleh’s sister discovered the gruesome scene that included large plastic bags and an electric saw still plugged into the wall,” according to ABC 7 New York.
The motive appeared to be a business dispute and the alleged theft of tens of thousands of dollars, the police sources noted.
“Saleh was found at around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday inside his luxury seventh floor apartment on the Lower East Side,” according to the Associated Press (AP).
The report continued:
Investigators recovered security video showing Saleh exiting an elevator that leads directly into the full-floor, two-bedroom apartment earlier Tuesday afternoon, closely followed by a masked person dressed entirely in black according to another law enforcement official who was briefed on the case.
The video also shows a struggle between the two that ensued at the entrance to the apartment, said the official, who wasn’t authorized to discuss the investigation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Authorities believe that Saleh’s relative may have interrupted the intruder before the person fled through a back exit.
“The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide after an autopsy found the cause of death was multiple stab wounds to the body,” the AP article noted.
Later, detectives also recovered text messages between Saleh and Haspil in which Saleh reportedly accused the suspect of stealing money, according to ABC 7.
“Sources say the suspect was tracked by his credit card, believed paid for by Saleh, which paid for the electric saw used after the murder,” the report noted.
In 2018, Saleh founded Gokada, a Nigerian-based motorcycle ride-sharing company, and took over as CEO last year, according to Breitbart News.
On Twitter Wednesday, the company remembered Saleh as “a great leader, inspiration and positive light for all of us”:
Our hearts go out to his friends, family and all those feeling the pain and heartbreak we are currently experiencing, here at Gokada.
— Gokada – We do delivery now (@GokadaNG) July 15, 2020
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