An Amazon software engineer, Avinash Narne, 30, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder over the death of his wife, Raajitha Sabbineni, 27, whom prosecutors say he strangled to escape an arranged marriage. The case matters because prosecutors allege the killing was motivated by Narne's ongoing relationship with another woman in India, and he is said to have sent a photograph of his wife's body to his lover the morning after the death.

Narne and Sabbineni had moved from India to pursue tech careers, settling in an apartment in the wealthy city of Bellevue, near Seattle, about three months before her death on 27 October. Narne claims he returned from buying his wife medication and ice cream to find her locked in the bathroom and unresponsive. However, prosecutors allege he had proposed to fellow software engineer Maithra KM in late 2024, and that the pair — despite her parents blocking the engagement — remained in daily contact, professed their love and were intimate, even after his marriage. He entered his not-guilty plea on Tuesday, eight months after the death.