Engineer Charged With Wife’s Murder; Held On $5 Million Bail

India-West News Desk

BELLEVUE, WA – A software engineer has been charged with first-degree murder nearly nine months after his wife was found dead inside the couple’s apartment here.

The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged 30-year-old Avinash Narne on July 1 in the death of his wife, 27-year-old Raajitha Sabbineni. He remains in custody on $5 million bail.

Police were called to the couple’s apartment on the night of October 27, 2025, after Narne reported that his wife was locked inside the bathroom and was not responding. Officers forced open the door and found Sabbineni on the floor. The King County Medical Examiner’s Office later ruled her death a homicide, determining that she died from asphyxia caused by strangulation.

According to court documents, prosecutors allege the killing was planned and that Narne attempted to stage the scene.

Investigators also allege Narne had been communicating with a woman in India in a relationship that began before his marriage and continued afterward. Court documents state that the woman attended the couple’s wedding and that Narne spoke with her at least four times on the day of Sabbineni’s death, including around the time he told police he was trying to get into the bathroom.Narne told investigators he had sent her a photograph of Sabbineni’s body.

Court records also cite text messages in which Sabbineni allegedly complained on several occasions that drinks prepared by her husband tasted bitter. On the day of her death, investigators say she told him that a smoothie he made tasted like “medicine” and “cough syrup.”

According to the court documents, Narne told investigators he worked for Amazon. The murder charge was filed after an investigation that lasted several months, during which Narne remained free.