He stole from his tech boss and killed him to cover up the crime

Just days after the dismembered body of Fahim Saleh, a successful tech entrepreneur, was found in his luxury Manhattan apartment in July 2020, his former personal assistant Tyrese Haspil conducted a series of disturbing internet searches.

“Fahim Saleh.” “Tech CEO murdered in New York.” “Dismembered body.”

The searches were just some of the chilling details that emerged this month during Mr. Haspil’s murder trial in Manhattan Criminal Court. And on Monday, jurors found him guilty of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from Mr. Saleh – and then killing him and dismembering his body to cover up what he had done.

Sentencing for Haspil, 25, of Brooklyn, is expected on September 10.

“Tyrese Haspil tragically cut short the life of Mr. Saleh – a man who came from a close-knit immigrant family and followed his passion to become a successful entrepreneur,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg said in a statement announcing the sentencing on Monday. “I hope that the accountability created by today’s verdict can provide some measure of comfort to Mr. Saleh’s loved ones as they continue to mourn his loss.”

Mr. Saleh, 33, was born in Saudi Arabia to Bangladeshi parents and grew up in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. He founded two motorcycle ride-sharing companies based in Bangladesh and Nigeria, the latter of which raised millions in venture capital. He was remembered after his death as an innovative businessman and generous friend.

Sam Roberts, Haspil’s attorney, said Monday he was disappointed with the verdict. He acknowledged that Haspil committed the crime and said the killer felt remorse. “We firmly believe that Tyrese Haspil is not the only worst thing he has done in his life,” he said. “We hope the court understands that there are mitigating circumstances here.”

Haspil’s sinister plan began in the fall of 2018, when he worked as Saleh’s assistant in a business relationship and began stealing money from his company to buy lavish gifts for his new girlfriend.

By December, Mr Haspil had set up a shell company and a bank account into which he funneled even more money.

Fearing discovery, Haspil resigned from his position as Saleh’s assistant in May 2019. However, even after leaving, he continued to steal ever-larger amounts of money, prosecutors said.

Indeed, Haspil’s scheme was uncovered in January 2020. Saleh confronted Haspil with a $35,000 debt and offered to settle the debt with a two-year repayment plan rather than press charges against him, prosecutors said.

Mr. Haspil agreed. But Mr. Saleh didn’t know that Mr. Haspil had stolen much more from him in another scheme involving a fraudulent PayPal account. Mr. Haspil began paying him back with the stolen funds as he continued the scheme, eventually amassing about $400,000 in stolen funds, prosecutors said.

Fearing that his far more lucrative theft might also be discovered, Haspil began planning Saleh’s murder to prevent him from testifying in a criminal case against him, prosecutors said.

What followed was a carefully researched and executed murder. Some investigators at the time believed that Mr. Hapsil had planned the murder to look like a professional murder.

Mr. Haspil spent weeks researching the technology, weapons and cleaning supplies needed to commit and cover up a murder, prosecutors said. He bought clothes to conceal his identity and tracked Mr. Saleh’s whereabouts on social media in preparation.

In May, Haspil decided to murder Saleh in his home and twice researched the Internet – the anatomy of the human neck and Saleh’s blueprints. In June, he bought construction-grade garbage bags, a Swiffer Floor cleaning tools and a saw.

Then, early in the morning of July 13, Mr. Haspil, wearing a black suit and an opaque face mask, entered Mr. Saleh’s Manhattan apartment building. He followed Mr. Saleh into an elevator that led directly to his apartment, subdued him with a Taser and fatally stabbed him.

He left the apartment and returned the next day to dismember Mr Saleh’s body with an electric saw, but went again to buy a battery charger. While he was away, Mr Saleh’s cousin went to check on him and discovered the crime scene.

Mr Haspil was arrested four days after the murder in an Airbnb he had booked for his girlfriend’s birthday party.