Prosecutors began calling witnesses in the high-profile murder trial of Nima Momeni on Thursday.
Witnesses included friends of Bob Lee, who talked candidly about his demeanor and drug use.
"What the prosecution is demonstrating through character witnesses is that Mr. Lee is not a violent person, and what Mr. Momeni described as Mr. Lee attacking him with a knife over a bad joke is entirely inconsistent with his personality," said Legal Analyst Steven Clark.
Momeni is charged with fatally stabbing CashApp Founder Lee in the early morning hours of April 4, 2023, in a secluded San Francisco neighborhood.
The defense has argued Lee attacked in a drug-fueled rage, and Momeni was only defending himself.
One witness described Lee as a consistently safe person; another said he was a teddy bear.
"What we heard today is what I know about Bob: Even if he was under the influence, he was still Bob. He was never aggressive, always a teddy bear, always a great guy," said Oliver Lee, Bob's brother.
Local
The defense tried to undermine the testimony by suggesting that the witness' impressions were just a point in time and that they weren't with Lee the night in question.
"They're going to say that this testimony is highly speculative as to what occurred between Lee and Momeni that night, and the question for the jury is just how much weight to give to the character witnesses' testimony," Clark said.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
