A protégé accused of beheading his tech CEO boss testified Monday that his mentor commented on his appearance before the fatal attack, not initially realizing the danger he was in.
Tyrese Haspil, 25, wore a dark, plastic face shield with a baseball cap and sunglasses during a fateful elevator ride with Fahim Saleh in his Lower East Side apartment building in July 2020.
On the witness stand in Manhattan Supreme Court, Haspil recounted the events to his attorney, Diane Ackerman of the Legal Aid Society, before confessing to the murder.
“He commented on my outfit, saying something like, ‘You’re really taking this COVID personal protection equipment seriously,’” Haspil recalled.
“He got off the elevator, and I tased him in the back. I remember tasing him in the back,” he added in a calm tone. “I took out a knife and started aiming for his neck.”
Haspil’s attorneys have argued that he committed the murder due to “extreme emotional disturbance” while trying to impress his French exchange student girlfriend with expensive gifts, creating the illusion of being a big spender.
On the witness stand, Haspil was asked if he remembered anything Saleh said during the brutal murder. He revealed Saleh’s chilling last words: “What are you doing?”
Manhattan prosecutors have charged Haspil with murdering Saleh, a venture capitalist and CEO of the Nigeria-based scooter startup Gokada, because Haspil embezzled $400,000 from his boss and faced criminal charges.
Haspil testified that he secured a $30-an-hour executive assistant job with the “charismatic” and “visionary” Saleh in 2018 after fabricating a resume with false experience, including a job at the fictitious company called “Pinina.”
Before working for Saleh, Haspil was fired from Moe’s Southwest Grille on Long Island for embezzling $20,000.
In September 2018, he met his French girlfriend, Marine Chaveuz.
The demands of their lavish lifestyle were too much for his weekly paychecks to cover, leading him to continue stealing from Saleh.
“I didn’t want to ‘abandon’ my girlfriend,” Haspil testified. “If I take his life, then I won’t have to pay him back. If I don’t have to pay him back, I won’t have to worry about missing a payment. If that happens, I can continue supporting my partner.”
Haspil has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges, which carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years-to-life if convicted.
His attorneys are attempting to reduce the charge to manslaughter based on the “extreme emotional disturbance” defense.
He explained that his rationale for killing Saleh was to ensure his girlfriend’s birthday on July 19, 2020, would be her best yet.
Under cross-examination by Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Linda Ford, Haspil revealed plans for a spa day, kickboxing, a sunset cruise, and other activities after the alleged murder. He admitted to spending $7,349 on a Louis Vuitton backpack and trunk clutch for his designer-obsessed girlfriend, who even received a customized Louis Vuitton birthday cake.
When asked by the attorney if he received an emailed receipt just six hours after the alleged July 13, 2020 murder, Haspil confirmed, “Yes.”
The trial will continue on Tuesday.
