01x02 - Lofty Expectations

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: Tech wizard
fahim saleh is ruthlessly k*lled

in his New York apartment.

(Thuds) The question is why?

Tom: People globally
were trying to understand

and make sense of how a
man, who, to quote his parents,

"was loved by everyone he met

"and respected by all he
came into contact with,"

was taken from this
earth in a violently tragic

and unforgivable way.

Was this a hit?

Was the brutality
to send a message?

(Theme music)

Woman: 265 east Houston
street. Man: Coming at...

265 east Houston street was
the scene of a gruesome crime

a macabre Manhattan
m*rder mystery

that would soon fill the
streets with NYPD crime units.

Local news teams and neighbours
who heard about it online.

And on national television.

It was a grim discovery
in a luxury apartment,

the dismembered body
of a 33-year-old man,

who was a successful
tech entrepreneur.

Who was a successful
tech entrepreneur.

It was in this same apartment
on the lower east side,

that detectives found
a torso and a bag

containing a head and limbs
as well as an electric saw.

Reporter: Investigators
spent the day looking for clues

inside this apartment
building on Houston street,

and looking for a motive,

while the motive for
the m*rder is still unclear

we're told cops are probing
his business practises

to hopefully get to the
bottom of who did this and why.

It's just troubling to think
that people can still get away

with something while all
these cameras are out here.

Police sources tell us
there is surveillance video

of a man in dark clothing
following saleh into the elevator

that opens up into
his seventh floor unit.

As night fell over
the scene of the crime

neighbours from the
surrounding area within hours

were talking about
revelations by the NYPD.

In just another day
in New York City.

Some of us have been around
for the past couple of hours

just looking up onto
the seventh floor,

seeing all the flashes,

all the detectives putting on
Hazmat suits, going up or whatnot.

We live right around the
corner, there is already a crowd

and news cameras,
the news travels fast

and someone said that something
really grisly had happened.

He was sawed up and decapitated.

He was sawed up and decapitated.

Who did it and then the
footage from the elevator is...

Man: Oh, so there's footage
from the elevator, they say?

Yes.

The victim entered an elevator
that led directly into his apartment

and was followed by a
well-dressed man in a mask.

(Tense music)

Local man: They have video of
the victim getting on the elevator

with some man in
a suit and a suitcase

and I don't know if he was
attacked off the elevator

and then carried into his
apartment or something.

(Tense music)

Obviously, a lot of
our locals like myself

are hanging around here
tonight checking out the scene

and all of us are just completely
inexperienced with this.

We don't, we're not used to
things like this in this part of town so.

The victim was a 33-year-old
tech ceo named fahim saleh.

From an early age, fahim's
love of technology was evident.

From an early age, fahim's
love of technology was evident.

If fahim would receive a toy,

he would take it apart
to see how it was built.

As fahim grew
into his teen years,

fahim's talents
were extraordinary.

Fahim had a focused
entrepreneurial vision at the age 15,

he was building websites
like teen hangout,

a before-its-time social network

eventually becoming a
community blogging forum.

He was a kind, talented
and fun-loving kid

known as generous to a fault.

Fahim began generating revenue

that far exceeded a boy
of his age's capabilities,

by bringing in
$150,000 in profit,

while still in high school.

So I'm going to tell you guys
how to prank call somebody online

without even
picking up the phone.

Fahim's prank dial app
turned out to be popular.

It was simple.

Choose a prank and
send it to a friend.

Now everybody gets
three pranks a day

and from this window, you
can choose the victim's number

and also change the caller
ID to whatever you want.

There was even a
feature, evil operator,

where you could have
people call other people

to make them believe
they called each other

the prankdial app put fahim
on the gaming app map.

But his success didn't come
without its share of problems.

But his success didn't come
without its share of problems.

Former Hudson county
deputy director kirk eady

used one of the site's
features evil operator

to initiate and record a
conversation between two people

allowing the other person
on the same phone call

to think the other
initiated the call.

Prankdial's evil
operator function

allowed eady to engage calls
between the union officials,

where eady would use retaliation

such as calling their spouses
with allegations of infidelity,

giving the men
bad work schedules,

and even registering
one of the men in the kkk.

Eady was sentenced to 21
months in prison for his actions,

for which he served 15 months.

When he came out in
2017 he would sue saleh,

stating that the app made him
think recording the calls was legal.

Prankdial has since removed
the evil operator feature.

The lawsuit was still pending
at the time of July 2020.

it's quick, it's
easy, and it's free.

So enjoy and prank away.

In 2015, fahim co-founded
the rideshare company pathao

the bengali word for 'send',

which was an
on-demand digital platform

working with
ride-sharing, food delivery,

courier, and
e-commerce services.

Pathao would soon gain a
valuation of over $100 million.

It is currently the number
one rideshare platform

in Nepal and Bangladesh.

Fahim was emerging as the
Elon Musk of the developing world.

By starting the pathao and
later, gokada, ridesharing services,

fahim was addressing the
needs of underserved communities

across the globe.

Technology made him wealthy,

but now it's also made
him into a real hero.

Seeing a niche market in 2017,

fahim co-founded the Nigerian
motorcycle rideshare company,

gokada,

creating jobs and bridging
the gap for essential services

in Lagos, Nigeria.

By 2019, fahim purchased his
condo at 265 east Houston street

by 2019, fahim purchased his
condo at 265 east Houston street

for just over $2.2 million.

Fahim's made it to the big time,

his space was his
sanctuary, his garden of Eden.

Tech ceo fahim saleh
worked his way to elite status

among New York
City entrepreneurs.

His apps brought his worth
to over $6 million by age 33.

Fahim settled into a
multimillion-dollar sanctuary

on the lower east
side of Manhattan.

On 13 July, he went
for a three-mile jog,

missed a work conference call,
and no one has heard from him since.

At approximately 3:30pm
on Tuesday, 14 July, 2020,

fahim's cousin worried

after hearing that family members
had not gotten responses to texts,

along with the fact that

fahim missed an important
work-related conference call,

stopped by his
apartment unannounced.

Fahim, fahim.

Fahim.

(Screams)

And the indescribable grisly
scene that lay before her,

her handsome and brilliant
cousin was dismembered.

Dismembering someone
is an unspeakable act.

Fahim's cousin was horrified

and the scene was soon processed
by the NYPD investigative teams.

They comforted fahim's
cousin as best they could.

But this was horrific.

Fahim's cousin found him
laying decapitated and limbless

in the corner of the room,

there was fresh blood
puddled around him

in what one would assume
was a butchering interrupted,

with the electric saw that
was used in this horrendous act

still plugged into the wall.

Due to the fact that the
cousin was on the scene,

and next of kin was
considered notified.

Over the next few days,

as New York City was in the throes
of the COVID-19 national pandemic,

and the epicentre of the
black lives matter movement,

the tech ceo's dismembered headline
was trending all over social media,

as well as the local
New York City media.

We're told investigators
have surveillance video

of a person of interest

of a person of interest

entering the apartment
with his face covered

but they're continuing to
search the area for more video

which could hopefully get
to the bottom of who did this.

Internet sleuths and news sources
immediately focused on the lawsuit

with former Hudson county
deputy director kirk eady,

who went to prison for 21 months
in an ill*gal wiretapping conviction

of which eady blamed fahim's
prankdial app for his judgement.

Hey, guys, if you
don't already know me,

I'm fahim saleh
the ceo of gokada.

Gokada recently laid
off 70% of its drivers.

And through a series
of personal experiences

with gokada's operations,

fahim vlogged about them
and it led to some changes.

This is my only work,
I'm a good driver,

I'm a professional.
I'm working by gokada.

On 14 August, 2019,

fahim shut down all gokada
services to refresh his company.

You know, as an entrepreneur,
I'm never gonna give up

because that's the true
attribute of an entrepreneur,

never giving up.

Never giving up.

But this has
definitely been a blow.

Fahim was determined
to fix gokada

and he already had one
successful rideshare company.

He could do it again.

The silicon valley expectations

for this Nigerian motorbike
company were lofty,

people lost money,

and is nice and
brilliant as fahim was,

it can be enough
to be m*rder*d for it.

Because of his work with
underserved countries,

people globally, we're
trying to understand

and make sense of how a
man who to quote his parents,

"was loved by everyone he met

"and respected by all he
came into contact with,"

was taken from this
earth in a violently tragic

and unforgivable way.

Was this a hit?

Was the brutality
to send a message?

So much of the focus was
on the brutality of the crime.

Although, it is true
that knives and cutters

are very personal weapons
often used in crimes of passion,

but they can also be used
to allow bodies to be removed

in multiple bags or suitcases.

So this can be a more professional
approach and not always passion.

What's difficult here is fahim
didn't have any personal enemies.

He was generous,
perhaps even to fault.

(Ominous music)

Travelling overseas
was rough for fahim,

he was looking forward to
returning to his new apartment

on the trendy lower
east side of Manhattan.

But meanwhile, bike ban
protests continued in Nigeria.

Please help us, help us,

our children are
in the house crying.

Fahim was even
detained by police.

Hopefully, if I bring them
what they need tomorrow,

I can get my passport back.

Fahim went from juvenile
joke apps to moving mountains

in people's day-to-day
lives in developing countries.

Pathao and gokada are
light-years away from prankdial.

Fahim was aware of this as
reflected on his social media.

I know I've been a little
bit quiet as of recent events

with the motorcycle
transport ban in Lagos

but I've just
tried to process it

and figure out how I exactly
want to speak on the topic.

And figure out how I exactly
want to speak on the topic.

The burdens on the young
entrepreneur were mounting.

Fahim's success was partly due
to having good people around him

back in New York.

Few were closer to him than his
personal assistant Tyrese haspil

that fahim first met
as a 16-year-old online.

As local police built
their witness list,

they soon realised
that Tyrese had answers

to many of their
unfulfilled questions.

Tyrese was very involved
in fahim's business,

as well as a budding
entrepreneur,

a workout enthusiast
and content creator.

Tyrese handled fahim's banking,

where he had access to
the passwords, cheques

as well as a fob and
key to his apartment

to care for fahim's
beloved dog Laila.

(Laughs)

Fahim may have told
Tyrese information

that could lead
to finding his k*ller.

And what is more
intriguing to authorities

was his own access
to the crime scene.

Having access to the crime scene

having access to the crime scene

would force the police to have
to eliminate them as a suspect.

However, having a key doesn't
necessarily make you a k*ller.

The police zeroed in on
Tyrese to find answers,

did fahim confide in his
young assistant the clues

that would lead to
his grisly m*rder?

When fahim returned home
from Nigeria life was different

for the fun-loving
prankster at heart.

He had real concerns.

(Suspenseful music)

Fahim worried that a man in
prison was suing him for $10 million.

He felt that the man, kirk eady,

wanted to get back at
him for the embarrassment

that was brought upon him by
prankdial's evil operator feature.

This man is in prison, and
he's suing me for $10 million.

(Exhales) Wow.

It's probably just paranoia.

You got a lot of enemies.

Fahim was looking over his shoulder
while trying to run his business.

Tyrese was aware of
the gravity of the lawsuit

and that people
were upset with fahim.

(Sirens)

And then, the
unexpected blow to fahim

he found proof that Tyrese
was embezzling his funds

and using them to
purchase lavish gifts,

and even transferring
funds to his account,

a stunning betrayal from
someone whom he trusted

and had such big
plans for in the future.

Tyrese took advantage
of fahim's wealth,

possibly assuming that
fahim would never notice

that almost $100,000
was missing.

It was fahim's money and
there was trust lost here.

With access to every
aspect of fahim's personal life,

Tyrese, seemingly jealous

of the life that fahim had
been able to build for himself,

absconded with nearly $100,000
from saleh's bank accounts.

If fahim had reported
Tyrese's crime,

Tyrese would have most likely
done some serious prison time.

Fahim was angry with the trust
that had been broken between them.

(Foreboding music)

You stole from me?

Look, I don't care
how you pay me back.

But you're going to pay me back.

Sorry.

Just go.

Fahim made a mistake, by
trusting everything in haspil

but decided against going to the
police about the embezzlement.

He decided to put
Tyrese on a payment plan

to get himself paid back.

(Tense musical sting)

With all the mounting evidence
that the police have gathered

everything leads
back to Tyrese haspil,

the ex-assistant of fahim saleh,
the now-m*rder*d tech wizard

found ruthlessly cut to
pieces in his own home.

Law enforcement is quickly putting
together the pieces of the crime.

Law enforcement is quickly putting
together the pieces of the crime.

When examining the recently
deceased entrepreneur's phone,

it revealed text messages
between Tyrese and fahim

that accused him of stealing
in upwards of $100,000.

Which has now, in
law enforcements minds

become a motive for the m*rder.

The question was did
Tyrese make any payments?

Or was this k*lling motivated by not
ever intending to make the payments?

Tyrese was still innocent
until proven guilty.

The other suspects,

former Hudson county
deputy director kirk eady,

were dismissed by the
NYPD early in the case

because they began surveillance
on Tyrese haspil almost immediately.

The mainstream media
and Internet conspiracists

over the next few days stirred
stories of eady and Nigeria

but it was all speculation.

Tyrese had access, motive, and
apparently was capable of m*rder.

According to police reports,

the cctv footage from
the lobby and elevator

reveals how fahim may have been
stalked and m*rder*d by Tyrese.

Reveals how fahim may have been
stalked and m*rder*d by Tyrese.

Tyrese stands
silently in the elevator.

We see Tyrese take
a step towards fahim.

Fahim turns around.

Tyrese pulls the taser
out and fires at fahim,

who is instantly immobilised.

Investigators believe, what
occurred once fahim was immobilised

was a cold-blooded
calculated m*rder.

Tyrese had previously
purchased a saw,

cleaning products and trash
bags to dispose of fahim's body.

Tyrese, was 16 when he met saleh
through an online job application,

scoring a dream job
that ended in a nightmare.

This led investigators to understand
that Tyrese's brutal dismemberment

of fahim's body
was premeditated.

Fahim's legs were separated with
the electric saw below the knees,

his arms and head had been
placed sloppily in various plastic bags.

Investigators realised
that haspil had decided

to make the scene look
like a professional hit

to keep investigators
off of his trail.

To keep investigators
off of his trail.

The next day, after not
hearing from fahim for 24 hours,

his family sent his
cousin to check on him.

Tyrese had also
returned the next day

to finish cleaning up
the scene of the crime.

When he was interrupted
by fahim's cousin,

Tyrese quickly escaped
on the backstairs.

Fahim, fahim.

(Screams)

(Sirens)

After dismissing all
other possibilities,

police were hot on the
trail of their primary suspect.

Tyrese haspil was
now a wanted m*rder*r.

I think a lot of times people
think that just if you have money

and power, everything
in your life would change

and all your problems
would go away.

But that's just not the truth.

Reporter: She says it's time
to speak out and speak up

for her boyfriend Tyrese haspil.

Girlfriend: He's
so nice to people.

He would never hurt a fly.

His girlfriend says she
defends haspil completely.

His girlfriend says she
defends haspil completely.

To have everybody attacking
him and no defence whatsoever

and I know that I'm the
person that knows him the best,

so it felt important to be able
tell people to keep an open mind

because we don't
know what is going.

Haspil's legal aid lawyers agree

and claim the NYPD and
Manhattan prosecutors

leaked information
to the media and press

about their 21-year-old client

who they say has never
been in trouble before.

When they put out
these facts, allegations,

it solely's our client,

it paints a picture to the public
that this guy is a bad dude,

before the public
knows anything about it.

And I think we
want a fair trial.

He is in tonnes of
due process of law.

Reporter: And
for his girlfriend,

she says she's going
back home to Europe now.

I feel like he's my
only family here

so without him I need
to go back to my family.

Reporter 2: The sources tell
us police have surveillance video

that shows the suspect
seeking out of the building

that shows the suspect
seeking out of the building

as the victim's cousin
was coming up the elevator.

Friday morning, haspil was
arrested about a mile away in noho.

He was very calm,

they just walked him around
the corner, put him in the car.

Investigators spent the
afternoon going in and out

of the suspect's prospect
park apartment building.

You never know what your
neighbours are capable of.

And I think my girlfriend
and I are just really happy

that he's been arrested

'cause, pretty sketch knowing
someone just a couple doors down

that could do
something like that.

Reporter 3: This
is breaking news.

At approximately
8:45 this morning,

21-year-old Tyrese haspil
was taken into custody.

Tyrese haspil has been charged
with first and second-degree m*rder.

Second-degree grand
larceny, second-degree burglary,

concealment of a human corpse,
and tampering with physical evidence.

According to the Manhattan
district attorney's office,

the events dramatising this programme
have been based on police reports

and dozens of news media reports
available in the public domain.

It is important to remember
that these are the alleged events

based on an ongoing investigation,
as well as an upcoming trial.

Based on an ongoing investigation,
as well as an upcoming trial.

Any suspects mentioned were
also obtained through mass media

or public domain.

No one has been found guilty

or sentenced for the
m*rder of fahim saleh,

including Tyrese haspil, who
is innocent until proven guilty.

On 13 July, 2020,

my 33-year-old brother
fahim saleh was stabbed

and dismembered
in his apartment.

My family and I are in such
shock and debilitating pain.

(Tearfully) If you're
someone's sister,

the next time you
see your brother,

please hug him.

I'll never be able
to hug fahim again.

Fahim saleh, the
brilliant tech ceo

may have met his
alleged m*rder*r online.