Indian software engineer charged with wife's murder in WA

An Indian software engineer has been charged with murdering his wife in their Washington state apartment last fall, with prosecutors alleging he strangled her and staged the crime scene while maintaining a secret relationship with another woman in India. Avinash Narne, 30, pleaded not guilty to a first-degree murder charge in King County Superior Court this week in the death of his 27-year-old wife, Raajitha Sabbineni.

The case began on October 27, 2025, when Bellevue police responded to a 911 call from Narne at the couple's Woodland Commons apartment. Narne reported his wife was locked inside a bathroom and unresponsive. Officers found Sabbineni on the bathroom floor, and despite efforts by first responders, she was pronounced dead at the scene. Narne told investigators he had returned home from running errands and discovered her.

Initially treated as a suspicious death, the investigation turned to homicide after the King County Medical Examiner's Office ruled Sabbineni died from asphyxia due to strangulation. An extensive police investigation followed, with detectives examining digital evidence including electronic door lock records, mobile phone data, and WhatsApp messages....