An American man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison by a US court for the brutal beheading of Fahim Saleh, the Nigerian founder of Gokada, in a case that shocked both the US and Nigeria.
In New York City, Tyrese Haspil – a 25-year-old man from America – has been given a life sentence of up to 40 years behind bars due to the murder he committed on his ex-boss Fahim Saleh who was aged just 33.
Gokada, a Nigerian transportation company, was founded and led by Saleh who served as its CEO.
According to People.com, Haspil, who was employed as Saleh’s executive assistant, committed murder in order to avoid detection for his embezzlement of funds from his employer.
Two months ago, Haspil was convicted by a New York State Supreme Court jury and subsequently sentenced.
He was convicted of first-degree murder, second-degree grand larceny, and various other offenses.
In a press statement released on Tuesday, Alvin Bragg Jr., the Manhattan District Attorney announced that Tyrese Haspil was being held responsible for savagely killing and beheading Fahim Saleh. The latter was known to be a compassionate individual who had made noteworthy contributions towards making this world a better place.
Despite the fact that the defendant robbed him to support extravagant living, Mr. Saleh granted a pardon. Although today’s verdict cannot resurrect their late loved one, it is my aspiration that his family can find solace in this closure as they grieve over his tragic departure.
Prosecutors allege that surveillance footage shows Haspil entering Saleh’s apartment building located in Lower Manhattan on July 13, 2020. They further claim he followed him into the elevator.
Haspil used a taser against Saleh’s back immediately after leaving the elevator that opened into his apartment. He then proceeded to fatally stab him multiple times in his neck and torso using a knife.
As per the statement, Haspil revisited the apartment the following day where he utilized a saw to dismember and behead Mr. Saleh’s remains before arranging them into construction bags that were previously purchased.
After not hearing from Saleh for 24 hours, his cousin went to check on him at his apartment and made a discovery. She promptly informed the police of what she found.
Having noticed police presence in the building, Haspil failed to come back after leaving the apartment with a view to getting a battery charger for the saw, as asserted by prosecutors.
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Four days later, he was apprehended at the Airbnb rental reserved for commemorating his partner’s birthday.
Haspil, who had been serving as the executive assistant of the Gokada founder since 2018, was found guilty of embezzling thousands of dollars from his accounts.
According to the district attorney’s office, Haspil created a Paypal account and established a corporate bank account with the purpose of channeling Saleh’s funds.
To conceal the embezzlement, Haspil fabricated financial statements using a name that bore strong similarities to genuine transactions, thereby complicating Saleh’s ability to uncover the fraud.
According to prosecutors, Haspil left his position in May 2019 despite being aware that Mr. Saleh would uncover the embezzlement; however, he persisted with increasing theft of funds.
According to the district attorney’s office, Haspil paid back Saleh by utilizing money acquired from the PayPal scam. However, despite this repayment, he continued embezzling funds and ultimately amassed a sum of approximately $400,000.
Prosecutors allege that Haspil had planned to kill Saleh on at least three separate occasions prior to actually committing the crime in July of 2020. Supposedly, his motive was a desire to conceal embezzlement and avoid any risk posed by having Saleh as a potential witness against him.
After his death, Saleh’s company released a statement that expressed his incomparable devotion towards the youth and Nigeria.
He held the viewpoint that young Nigerians possess an exceptional intellect and skill set, which will prosper with a suitable chance.
According to the statement, Fahim held onto the conviction that technology had immense potential to revolutionize people’s lives and enhance safety as well as efficiency. This is precisely why he established Gokada – in order to put his faith into practice.
Established in 2017, Gokada initially offered ride-hailing services in Nigeria. However, the company expanded its operations to include logistics and food delivery options by the year 2020.
