Pathao Cofounder Fahim’s assistant pleads not guilty to grisly murder

Personal Assistant of Pathao Cofounder Fahim Saleh, Tyrese Devon Haspil, accused of killing and decapitating his boss inside the victim's luxury Manhattan condo pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, his attorneys said on Sunday.

The 21-year-old assistant, a native New Yorker, has had no prior contact with the criminal justice system before his alleged involvement in the grisly murder, said Sam Roberts and Neville Mitchell, Legal Aid Society attorneys with the Homicide Defense Task Force, reports CNN. 

"We are in the very earliest stages of ferreting out the truth. The life of this case promises to be long and complex. As the attorneys for Haspil, we urge the public to keep an open mind," they said in a statement.

Haspil is charged with the murder of Fahim Saleh, a tech entrepreneur and the CEO of Gokada, a motorbike ride-hail company in Nigeria, which launched in 2018. Saleh, 33, was found dead in his Lower East Side apartment on July 14, police said.

Haspil allegedly assaulted Saleh with a Taser before killing him and dismembering his body, police said.

Haspil handled Saleh's finances and personal matters, according to police, and a law enforcement official said he owed Saleh tens of thousands of dollars and was on a repayment plan.