An Amazon software engineer has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder eight months after his wife was found dead in their home in Bellevue, Washington.
Avinash Narne, 30, is accused of strangling his wife, Raajitha Sabbineni, 27, to end their arranged marriage and pursue an affair with another software engineer. Narne claimed he found Sabbineni unresponsive in their bathroom on October 27 after returning from a trip to buy her medication and ice cream.
The couple, who relocated to the United States from India for their technology careers, had moved into their Bellevue apartment only three months prior to Sabbineni's death.
Prosecutors allege Narne was romantically involved with Maithra KM, a software engineer in India, and that he murdered Sabbineni to be with her. According to charging documents, Narne proposed to Maithra in late 2024, but her parents opposed the marriage. Despite this, Narne and Maithra continued to communicate daily and were sexually intimate, police stated, citing time-stamped images. Narne had also invited Maithra to his wedding with Sabbineni in June of the previous year.
Narne's initial account to police did not mention these communications. He initially told authorities that Sabbineni had been experiencing health issues, including polycystic ovarian disease, panic attacks, and gastric problems, and that he had left to get her medication. He stated he was unable to access the bathroom, where his wife was found, and sought help from a friend, her cousin, and later called 911.
However, phone records reportedly showed Narne was on a 24-minute call with Maithra during the time he claimed to be trying to reach his wife. He also had a 51-minute video chat with her earlier that afternoon. Police noted that Narne did not disclose these calls during his initial interview.
Detectives found that activity logs for the apartment's electronic door lock indicated no one else could have entered and killed Sabbineni. They also determined that the bathroom door could be locked from the outside, suggesting the perpetrator could have attacked Sabbineni inside or moved her into the bathroom and locked the door afterward.
Sabbineni's death was not initially investigated as a homicide until the King County Medical Examiner ruled in December that she died by strangulation. According to chat logs between Narne and Sabbineni, she had complained that drinks he made for her tasted bitter in the weeks leading up to her death.
Authorities also allege Narne sent Maithra a photo of Sabbineni's body the morning after her death, a message he later deleted. When questioned about the deleted message, Narne reportedly stated he did not remember taking such a picture. Maithra's response to the alleged photo was described by police as a "bulging eyes" emoji.
Charging documents also revealed that Narne had saved a screenshot of a news article about a murder involving strangulation and the body being set on fire, published on the morning of his wife's death. Additionally, his Instagram activity showed an associate had sent him articles about murder investigations in India involving strangulation or poisoning.
Narne was arrested on July 1 and is being held on $5 million bail. His trial is scheduled for August 24.