Heartless Killer Who Beheaded Gokada CEO Sentenced to 40yrs in Prison

Tyrese Haspil, the personal assistant convicted of killing and dismembering his former tech entrepreneur boss, Fahim Saleh, after stealing about $400,000 from him was sentenced Tuesday to 40 years to life in prison.

Prosecutors said Haspil had been hired as an assistant for Saleh, whose ventures included a ride-hailing motorcycle startup, Gokada, in Nigeria, but quickly began to siphon money from Saleh’s businesses.

Haspil resigned a year later but continued to steal money. This was even after Saleh discovered the theft and let Haspil repay him over two years to avoid criminal prosecution. A decision which cost him his life.

Haspil decided to kill Saleh over concerns that his former boss would discover he was continuing to steal from his companies, prosecutors said.

On July 13, 2020, Haspil, wearing a black suit and a mask, followed Saleh into the elevator of his luxury apartment building in Manhattan. He then shocked him in the back with a Taser when the elevator doors opened into Saleh’s apartment.

Saleh fell to the floor and Haspil stabbed him to death, authorities said.

Haspil returned to the apartment the next day to dismember the body with an electric saw. But he left to purchase a charger after the saw’s battery died.

While Haspil was out, Saleh’s cousin arrived at the apartment and discovered the dismembered body of the Godaka boss.

Police arrested Haspil days later.

Haspil had listened to his lawyer argue in court Tuesday for nearly an hour that the 50-year-life sentence prosecutors wanted for him was way too harsh — then the defendant asked 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 was slapped with a 40-years-to-life sentence