Personal assistant convicted of dismembering boss gets 40 years to life in prison

NEW YORK (AP) — A personal assistant convicted of killing and dismembering his former tech entrepreneur boss after stealing about $400,000 from him was sentenced Tuesday to 40 years to life in prison, the Manhattan district attorney said.

Tyrese Haspil, 25, was convicted in June of murder, robbery and other charges in the 2020 death of his former boss, Fahim Saleh.

Prosecutors said Haspil was hired as an assistant to Saleh, whose businesses included a ride-hailing motorcycle startup in Nigeria, but soon began siphoning money from Saleh’s businesses. Haspil resigned a year later but continued stealing money, even after Saleh discovered the theft and let Haspil repay him over two years to avoid criminal prosecution.

Haspil decided to kill Saleh out of fear that his former boss would discover that he was continuing to steal from his businesses, prosecutors said.

On July 13, 2020, Haspil, wearing a black suit and mask, followed Saleh into the elevator of his luxury Manhattan apartment building and shocked him in the back with a Taser when the elevator doors opened onto Saleh’s apartment. Saleh fell to the ground 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 she eventually left to buy a charger after the saw’s battery died. While Haspil was away, Saleh’s cousin arrived at the apartment and discovered the dismembered body.

Police arrested Haspil a few days later.

“Today, Tyrese Haspil faces accountability for the brutal murder and beheading of Fahim Saleh, a kind, generous, and compassionate person who made a positive impact on the world. Even after the defendant robbed him to fund a lavish lifestyle, Mr. Saleh still gave him a second chance,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement. “While today’s sentence will not bring Mr. Saleh back to life, I hope it gives his family a sense of closure as they continue to grieve their painful loss.”