Police say a man in Florida who was “irate” that his fishing line snapped acted out his anger on his wife while they were on his boat more than 30 miles from shore. He allegedly untied a rope that she was holding while she floated in the ocean and then beat her badly when she kept trying to get back on.
Authorities say Douglas Naeher yelled at his wife on July 20 as he tried to kill her, “I’m going to f—ing kill you!”
On Monday, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office filed an arrest affidavit saying that the 60-year-old man tried to kill the woman (who has not been named) while they were fishing on Sunday morning. He is charged with attempted first-degree murder for this.
Court records show that Naeher and his wife left around 7 a.m. on his 30-foot Sterling “center console boat” from the dock outside their Holmes Beach home. They’ve been together for six years and married for three.
“On the way to their destination, the victim noticed that the defendant’s demeanor seemed off, as he was not as talkative as usual and appeared to be angry,” the statement said. “Once they reached their destination, 33 miles off the coast of Bean Point, the defendant started fishing.”
While casting from a “bean bag chair,” Naeher is said to have snapped his line and gotten “irate while fishing.” Based on the affidavit, his wife chose to get in the water “to avoid an altercation” with him.
From a pool noodle while holding on to a rope that was tied to the boat, the woman allegedly watched Naeher free her and “put it in gear,” according to the sheriff’s office. Later, she told the police that she thought Naeher was “leaving her out there to die” and that she thought he only came back for her after seeing another boat in the distance that seemed to be heading in their direction.
“When the victim climbed into the boat, the defendant began repeatedly punching her on the right side of her head,” the document says. “Then he stomped her head many times with both feet.” The victim told police that she went in and out of consciousness while being punched and stomped on.
Police said the woman “pretended to be dead” and “tried to slow her breathing” to stay alive. The affidavit says that after Naeher stopped hitting her, he dragged her by her hair to the back of the boat and into the water. “The defendant then placed both hands around the victim’s throat attempting to strangle and drown her in the water,” the report says.
Naeher is said to have told his wife that he was “going to f—ing kill” her while she was struggling to stay afloat and gasping for air. Police say Naeher tried to leave while leaving the woman in the water, but she wouldn’t stop fighting for her life.
“The victim was able to interlock her feet around the ladder at the rear of the vessel and hold on,” it says. This person pulled the victim behind the boat for a short time. The person was struggling to stay above the water. She thinks the defendant tried to leave her but didn’t see that she was holding on.
Naeher is said to have stopped the boat while his wife used the back ladder to get her “battered” body back on. He thought he was safe. Police say he “pushed her overboard” again when he realized she was behind him.
“The victim saw a rope dangling from the rear of the boat and wrapped it around her right ankle just before the defendant started to drive away a second time,” the document says. Police say Naeher’s wife got back on the boat a third time as he was pulling back in toward their dock. She then jumped off before he could grab her again.
Naeher’s alleged attacks caused his wife to get a concussion and several cuts and scrapes. He was being held without bond on Thursday.
