Douglas Naeher, 60, allegedly attempted to murder his wife of three years by abandoning her at sea off the coast of Florida in July, police claimed.
The wife is said to have survived the encounter by gripping onto the boat until it traveled back to shore.
Naeher was said to have been in a bad mood when the pair set off on a fishing tip. He reportedly snapped when his fishing line broke.
The victim said that her husband's "demeanor seemed off," saying that he "was not as talkative as usual and appeared to be angry."
How did the wife survive?
The wife dove off the boat, holding onto a float with one hand and a rope attached to the boat with the other, fearing Naeher’s bad mood.
Naeher has been accused of untying the rope and speeding off, attempting to abandon his wife 33 miles from the Florida coast.
“The victim then stated the defendant was leaving her there to die,” according to the documents filed at the Manatee County Court in Florida.
Police and court documents alleged that Naeher pulled his wife back on board only when another boat passed, which is when he is alleged to have begun assaulting the victim.
Naeher was accused of punching his wife’s head, stomping on her, strangling her and then attempting to drown her.
“I’m going to kill you,” Naeher allegedly shouted during the assault.
Once his wife was back in the water, Naeher allegedly again tried to abandon her but was unaware that she had held onto the boat’s ladder with her feet.
The wife was said to have held onto the boat until the boat docked at her home in Holmes Beach, where she contacted law enforcement.
She has since received medical treatment a number of injuries sustained during the alleged attack and Naeher was charged on Monday with attempted first-degree murder.