Now Reading
Indian American Woman Allegedly Murdered by Husband Described as a ‘Beautiful Girl With a Smart Mind’

Indian American Woman Allegedly Murdered by Husband Described as a ‘Beautiful Girl With a Smart Mind’

  • Nabaruna Karmakar, 33, an accomplished engineer, researcher, and data scientist. was found dead in North Carolina with two gunshot wounds.

Family, friends, colleagues and activists are remembering an Indian American woman who was allegedly brutally murdered by her husband at their home in Raleigh, North Carolina. Nabaruna Karmakar, 33, was found dead on April 14. Her husband, Michael Matthews, 40, has been charged with murder. 

Karmarkar was an accomplished engineer, researcher, and data scientist. She worked in research at the SAS Institute and earned master’s and doctorate degrees in industrial engineering from North Carolina State University, according to her LinkedIn page. 

Reports in local media outlets like CBS 17 and WRAL News reported that Mathews, called 911 to report a purported double suicide after allegedly fatally shooting his wife. When officers responded to the scene, they found Karmakar with two gunshot wounds, from which she later died, according to WRAL. Despite the report of a double suicide, she was the only person struck by gunfire at the scene, and police believe she was murdered. A motive for the violence remains unknown.

Matthews meanwhile appeared in court on April 17 and is being held in jail on no bond, WRAL reported. It is unclear if he has entered a plea or retained an attorney to speak on his behalf.

Neighbors told WRAL that they were shocked and couldn’t believe the news. They said the couple was usually friendly, often saying hello and enjoyed traveling. 

Karmarkar was well-loved by her friends, family, and community in Morrisville, according to a GoFundMe page. Organizer Xi Jiang describes her as “ a “beautiful girl with a smart mind.” The money raised will be used to help prevent gun violence. “We are all deeply saddened by the death of Nabaruna Karmakar, a beautiful girl with a smart mind whose life was claimed by gun violence,” the fundraiser reads. “Hoping there will be no more victims, Naba’s family is raising money to benefit Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund.”

According to The Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund data, every month, an average of 70 women are shot and killed by an intimate partner. The fund was formed both to educate the public about the detrimental effects of illegal guns to reduce gun violence in the United States and to lessen the burden on the government by assisting local governments and law enforcement agencies in their efforts to develop effective policies to combat illegal guns. The Fund supports the programmatic activities of approximately 1,000 mayors in the coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, as well as other government officials and law enforcement leaders. 

See Also

Several Indian American organizations working with victims of domestic violence took to social media to remember Karmarkar and mourn her death. Kiran, a domestic violence and crisis counseling agency based in Raleigh, wrote in a Facebook post that is “saddened by the loss” the of Morrisville resident who was “known and loved by many in the RTP community. Her friends are still trying to grapple with this senseless killing.”

Similarly, Raksha, an Atlanta-based non-profit mourned her loss. “Today, we uplift the light of Nabaruna Karmakar as we mourn her loss.”

What's Your Reaction?
Excited
0
Happy
0
In Love
0
Not Sure
2
Silly
0
View Comments (0)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

© 2020 American Kahani LLC. All rights reserved.

The viewpoints expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions, viewpoints and editorial policies of American Kahani.
Scroll To Top