MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. (Court TV) — A Florida man is accused of trying to murder his wife in a brutal attack on open water.
Douglas Scott Naeher, 60, is charged with first-degree attempted murder for allegedly attacking his wife of three years on July 20 in Manatee County.
Douglas Naeher (Manatee County Sheriff’s Office)
The unnamed woman told police they were on their boat for a fishing trip when she noticed his “demeanor seemed off.” Once they were 33 miles off the coast of Bean Point, Naeher began fishing but became angrier when his line snapped, according to the affidavit.
To avoid confrontation, the woman claimed she got off the boat to float, but Naeher then untied a rope she was holding from the boat and drove off without her, returning when another boat came into view.
Once she got back in the boat, Naeher allegedly attacked her, punching her multiple times in the head and stomping her. The victim told police she played dead, so Naeher dragged her to the rear of the boat and into the water, where he began strangling her underwater. Naeher allegedly stopped attacking the victim when another boat came into view and tried to drive off without her, but she was able to cling to the boat’s ladder.
The victim said that when Naeher spotted her, he beat her again and threw her overboard, but she managed to grab a rope and wrap it around her ankle while he drove away a second time. The victim told investigators that Naeher continued to attack her while driving the boat back to their dock.
When the boat slowed near their dock, the victim said she jumped from the boat and ran to the Holmes Beach Police Department nearby. She was taken to the hospital where she was treated for a concussion and multiple contusions, per the affidavit.
Naeher was arrested the next day, on July 21. Days later, Naeher was denied bond after entering a plea of not guilty, reported WWSB.
His arraignment is scheduled for Sept. 5, per court records.
