Protege Testifies in Court About Beheading Tech CEO Mentor Over Embezzlement Threats

Tyrese Haspil, 25, testified in Manhattan court after allegedly killing mentor Fahim Saleh in his Lower East Side apartment building in July 2020.

Tyrese Haspil, 25, took the stand Monday to testify about the brutal murder of his boss, tech CEO Fahim Saleh. Haspil admitted to beheading Saleh in July 2020, revealing that his mentor had questioned his appearance moments before the attack but did not initially realize he was in danger.

Wearing a dark plastic face shield, baseball cap, and sunglasses, Haspil recounted the fateful elevator ride with Saleh in his Lower East Side apartment building. "He commented on my outfit," Haspil told his attorney, Diane Ackerman, recalling Saleh's remark about his COVID-19 protective gear. Once they exited the elevator, Haspil tased Saleh in the back and then attacked him with a knife.

Haspil was asked on the witness stand by his attorney if he remembered anything Saleh had said during the brutal murder — to which he revealed his victim's chilling last words: "What are you doing?"

"I took out a knife and I started aiming for his neck," Haspil said calmly. His attorney argued that he acted under "extreme emotional disturbance," driven by pressure to maintain an extravagant lifestyle for his French exchange student girlfriend, Marine Chaveuz.

Saleh's chilling last words, according to Haspil, were, "What are you doing?" Prosecutors allege that Haspil murdered Saleh, the CEO of Nigeria-based scooter startup Gokada, to cover up the embezzlement of $400,000. Haspil, who had fabricated his resume to secure the executive assistant job in 2018, continued to steal from Saleh to fund his lavish lifestyle.

The custom-made Louis Vuitton birthday cake.

Haspil testified that he met Chaveuz in 2018, and the financial strain of maintaining their relationship led him to further theft. He rationalized the murder as a way to avoid repaying Saleh and maintain his facade. "If I take his life, then I won’t have to pay him back," Haspil testified, explaining his fixation on making Chaveuz's birthday unforgettable.

During cross-examination, Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Linda Ford highlighted Haspil's extravagant spending on Chaveuz, including a $7,349 Louis Vuitton backpack and customized cake, just hours after Saleh's murder. When asked if the email receipt confirmed the purchase on the day of the murder, Haspil responded, "Yes."

Haspil has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges which carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years-to-life behind bars if he is convicted.

Haspil has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges, which carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years to life if convicted. His defense team is seeking a manslaughter charge, arguing his actions stemmed from extreme emotional disturbance. The trial continues Tuesday.