Suspect arrested in grisly murder of tech CEO

A suspect was arrested Friday in the grisly murder of tech CEO Falim Saleh, whose body was found dismembered and decapitated in his luxury New York City condo earlier this week.

Twenty-one year-old Tyrese Haspil has been charged with second degree murder, New York City Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison said at a news conference.

“Mr. Haspil was Mr. Saleh’s executive assistant and handled his finances and personal matters. It is also believed he owed the victim a significant amount of money.”

Harrison added that Saleh was assaulted by Haspil with what appears to be a Taser while exiting an elevator into his apartment.

He died of multiple stab wounds to the neck and torso, the New York City medical examiner said.

Saleh’s body had been decapitated and dismembered, the parts placed into separate plastic garbage bags. A power saw was found plugged in nearby.

Thirty-three year-old Saleh, who was born in Saudi Arabia to Bangladeshi parents and grew up in New York, founded the Gokada motorbike hailing app in 2018.

Saleh had spoken to Reuters last year about Gokada and how he was hoping to capitalize on the popularity of motorbikes in Nigeria - or “okadas” as they’re known locally.

"There are so many okadas that they are here to stay at least for a while, so why not make the best of it, right? Why not make sure they are riding safely, why not track them, why not give them proper permits and make the best of the situation instead of just ignoring what the reality is."

Gokada was widely used in the Nigerian megacity of Lagos until state officials in February banned motorcycle taxis, dealing a serious blow to the company.