OCEAN CITY — A California man was arrested on first-degree assault and other serious charges early Thursday morning after allegedly beating his wife and attempting to smother her with a pillow in an Ocean City motel room.
Ocean City Police responded to the Econo Lodge on 29th Street for a reported 911 call involving a domestic assault. While en route, OCPD officers were advised a female victim had reported her boyfriend had raped and beaten her. Officers arrived at the motel room and made contact with a suspect, later identified as Michael Naghdivand, 24, of Sacramento, Calif., who slightly opened the chained door. The officer observed a female inside the room, who allegedly told police everything was okay and that it was an accident, according to police reports. The victim told police she did not want to come out and Naghdivand said he did not want to let them in, allegedly saying “I already told you everything is fine, there are no dead bodies in here if that’s what you’re worried about,” according to police reports.
The OCPD officers could see a towel with blood on it through the slightly ajar door and told Naghdivand they were not leaving. Naghdivand then complied and let the officers into the room. The victim told police Naghdivand had smashed her laptop computer into small pieces after he learned it was given to her by one of her male friends. The officers observed a blood stain on one of the broken laptop pieces. Also observed was a small towel with blood stains on it along with blood drops on a pillow and sheet. When the officers asked the female victim about the blood on the towel, pillow and sheet, she explained they were likely caused when Naghdivand smashed the laptop.
Upon further questioning, the OCPD officers determined Naghdivand and the victim had been in argument about 24 hours earlier during which the suspect had become violent. The victim told police, “He punched me in the back of the head and I even have the lumps from it. He smothered me with the pillow and I could not breathe.”
The victim told police she feared for her life at that point.
“I thought I’m going to die,” she said, according to police reports. “I tried to push back and defend myself, but that caused him to punch me even more. He raped me.”
When attacking her, the victim told police he said, “I’m going to bury you in this room.”
Naghdivand was then arrested and charged with first- and second-degree assault and malicious destruction of property.