Tyrese Haspil, a 25-year-old American male, has been sentenced to 40 years to life in jail for murdering his former boss, Fahim Saleh, 33, in New York City.
Fahim Saleh was the founder and CEO of the Nigerian transportation company Gokada.
According to accounts, Haspil, Saleh's executive assistant, had been diverting monies from his boss and killed him to avoid suspicion.
Haspil’s sentencing followed his conviction by a New York State Supreme Court jury two months ago.
He was found guilty of first-degree murder, second-degree grand larceny and other charges.
The Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg Jr., in a press release on Tuesday, said, “Today, Tyrese Haspil is facing accountability for brutally murdering and decapitating Fahim Saleh, a kind, generous, and empathetic person who positively impacted the world.
“Even after the defendant stole from him to fund a lavish lifestyle, Mr. Saleh still gave him a second chance. While today’s sentence won’t bring Mr. Saleh back, I hope it provides his family a sense of closure as they continue to mourn his painful loss.”
Prosecutors narrated that the surveillance footage captured Haspil entering Saleh’s apartment building in Lower Manhattan on July 13, 2020, and following him into the elevator.
After exiting the elevator, which led directly into Saleh's flat, Haspil used a taser on Saleh's back before repeatedly stabbing him in the neck and torso with a knife, killing him.
The following day, Haspil returned to the flat, where he "dismembered and decapitated Mr. Saleh's body using the saw and placed the body parts in pre-ordered construction bags," according to the announcement.
Saleh’s cousin who visited his apartment to check on his welfare, having not received any communication from him in 24 hours, saw him and immediately alerted the police.
Haspil listened to his lawyer argue in court Tuesday for nearly an hour that the 50-year-life sentence prosecutors requested for him was simply too harsh—then the defendant begged to speak.
“Unlike my counsel, I don’t think anything less than life without parole would be appropriate,” he told Judge April Newbauer, stunning the courtroom. Tyrese Haspil then given a 40-years-to-life sentence
Prosecutors stated that Haspil left the apartment to obtain a battery charger for the saw but did not return after observing police in the building.
He was arrested four days later at an Airbnb location he had rented to celebrate his girlfriend’s birthday.
The Gokada founder had discovered Haspil’s embezzlement of thousands of dollars from his accounts, to which Haspil had access as his executive assistant since 2018.
The district attorney’s office said that Haspil set up a Paypal account and a corporate bank account to funnel Saleh’s money.
Haspil generated fake financial statements and used a name that closely resembled those of legitimate transactions, making it difficult for Saleh to detect the embezzlement.
“Haspil resigned in May 2019, knowing Mr. Saleh would learn about the embezzlement, yet continued to steal money [and] increasing the amounts,” prosecutors said.
The district attorney’s office reported that Haspil repaid Saleh using funds obtained through the PayPal scheme, but the embezzlement continued, ultimately reaching an estimated total of $400,000.
According to prosecutors, Haspil had plotted to murder Saleh at least three times before ultimately carrying out the crime in July 2020, reportedly in an attempt to hide the embezzlement and prevent Saleh from potentially serving as a witness against him.
