Overview
- Raajitha Sabbineni was found unresponsive inside a locked bathroom at the Woodland Commons apartment on October 27, 2025, and the King County medical examiner later ruled her death a homicide by asphyxia from strangulation.
- Bellevue police arrested 30‑year‑old Avinash Narne on June 27, 2026, and prosecutors filed a first‑degree murder charge against him on July 1, 2026; he has pleaded not guilty and remains held on $5 million bail.
- Charging documents cite digital and forensic evidence used in the investigation, including smart‑lock and front‑door logs, call and phone records, deleted files, WhatsApp exchanges and the victim’s messages about bitter‑tasting drinks.
- Prosecutors allege Narne maintained a secret romantic relationship with a woman in India, that he called her multiple times around the time of Sabbineni’s death, and that he sent her a photograph of the victim’s body after the death.
- If convicted of first‑degree murder under Washington law, Narne faces the possibility of life in prison; the case will proceed through King County courts where he remains presumed innocent until proven guilty.