Tech CEO's assistant 'beheaded his boss in bid to stop girlfriend from finding out he'd stolen $400k from employer over fears she'd leave him'

The assistant who allegedly decapitated his tech entrepreneur boss in his multi-million dollar Manhattan apartment did so in what prosecutors say was a crime of passion.

Tyrese Haspil, 25, appeared in Manhattan Supreme Court on murder charges for the July 13, 2020 killing of Fahim Saleh.

Saleh, 33, was allegedly dismembered by his executive assistant Haspil, who stole $400,000 from the businessman in the years prior to his death.  

Haspil was allegedly so desperate to keep the theft a secret from his then French girlfriend, Marine Chaveuz, fearing she would break up with him if she found out, prosecutors allege he felt he had no choice but to kill his boss. 

Saleh's limbless body was found in his luxury $2.4 million apartment on the Lower East Side in July of 2020.

Tyrese Haspil smiles broadly in Manhattan Supreme Court as the trial for the murder of tech entrepreneur Fahim Saleh begins

Tech entrepreneur Fahim Saleh (pictured), who was murdered and decapitated in his New York apartment in July 2020 and was worth about $6million when he died

Saleh's limbless body was found in his luxury $2.4million apartment on the Lower East Side where he had a $1.8million mortgage

The tech CEO founded the Nigerian motorcycle ride-sharing company Gokada.

Haspil is alleged to have forced his way inside Saleh's apartment where he first Tasered him then stabbed him to death.

His defense attorney Sam Roberts, told the jury that Haspil suffered from 'extreme emotional disturbance,' which led him to kill.

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.

If the jury convicts him of manslaughter due to his 'emotionally disturbed' defense, he might receive a lighter sentence of between five and 25 years.

Fearing his girlfriend would leave him, Haspil worked out his only suitable options were 'suicide or homicide'. 

Haspil was initially caught by Saleh having learned of him stealing $90,000 initially but he decided not to press charges after seeing the man as his protégé. 

Instead, he allowed him to pay him back through a payment plan yet Haspil continued to steal from Saleh's company using a PayPal account. Once again, he was found out. 

Haspil then allegedly decided to play Saleh's murder and to get away with it. 

'Over this period of time, he was planning not only to commit the homicide but to get away with it …To cover it up and how to erase his debt and prevent Fahim Saleh from testifying in criminal proceedings,' Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Linda Ford told the court.

Tyrese Haspil smiles  as he enters Manhattan Supreme Court as he goes on trial for murder 

Police leaving the building on July 14, 2020. They found Saleh's limbs in trash bags 

Police found Saleh's limbless body inside his apartment in the luxury Lower East Side building. An apartment in the building is shown above

Prosecutors say Saleh was first Tasered and then stabbed multiple times before being dismembered 

Prosecutors say Haspil, pictured, had been stealing money from his boss for years and continued to do so in the days following him death

Prosecutors described finding a Makita saw, demolition bags containing body parts, limbs and a Home Depot receipt inside Saleh's home. 

They say that over the course of three years, Haspil stole from Saleh in PayPal and Intuit transfers, and that he kept transferring money to himself even four days after Saleh had died. 

Detectives started investigating Haspil after finding text messages in which Saleh accused Haspil of stealing the money, according to police sources. 

Saleh was tasered and then stabbed multiple times before being dismembered, police said.

Surveillance footage from inside the 265 East Houston apartment building showed Saleh was followed into the elevator by a man - believed to be Haspil - who was wearing a black suit and mask.

 Police claimed Haspil, pictured during his arrest in July 2020, was stealing money from Saleh and took more than $400,000 between 2017 and July 2020

Investigators say Saleh, who was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, appeared suspicious when the masked-man fumbled with the elevator, which requires the use of a key fob to operate.

The footage shows the victim collapsing to the ground as the elevator doors opened directly into Saleh's full-floor apartment. The elevator doors then closed and obscured the camera's view of what happened next. 

Haspil's credit card was allegedly used after the murder to purchase a power saw and cleaning products at Home Depot.

The card was allegedly also used to pay for travel to and from Saleh's apartment.

Following the killing Haspil vacuumed up, but his cleanup wasn't good enough and he missed a single 'anti-felon disk' identification tag, which was recovered at the scene.

The disk held a unique number matched to the Taser that Haspil ordered to his Brooklyn address one month before the murder, prosecutors explained.

When police arrived at the scene, Saleh's torso was found in the corner of his living room and his head, arms, and legs had been separated into plastic bags.

An electric saw that was still plugged in, a vacuum cleaner and cleaning products were found nearby.

When the alleged killer returned the following day to clean up, police believe he may have been interrupted by Saleh's cousin who stopped by to check in on him having not heard from him in several days.

Saleh was born to Bangladeshi parents in Saudi Arabia before moving to the US 

His cousin likely pressed the buzzer of Saleh's apartment before entering the building, alerting the killer and forcing him to abandon his efforts to dispose of the remains.

The killer is believed to have fled the building through a fire escape while his victim's cousin rode the elevator up, police said. 

Police sources said initially they believed the murder was financially motivated and likely the fatal result of a soured business deal.

Prior to the personal assistant's arrest, investigators had been looking into Saleh's business affairs for any possible motives or suspects.

Haspil, who is from Elmont, New York, had worked for Saleh at his investment firm Adventure Capital.