Man Held in Beating of Estranged Wife

HUNTINGTON BEACH — A 32-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after confessing to beating his estranged wife, who suffered severe facial injuries, police said Wednesday.

Neighbors called police Tuesday after witnessing a man repeatedly hitting and kicking a woman in the 17000 block of A Street. When officers arrived about 3:20 p.m., they found Albert Nava standing over his estranged wife, Martha, whose face was covered with cuts and bruises, Police Lt. Bruce Kelly said.

Martha Nava, 30, of Huntington Beach suffered a possible facial fracture and her nasal passages were so swollen from the beating that “she could hardly breath,” Kelly said. She was in good condition Wednesday and recovering at UCI Medical Center in Orange, a hospital spokeswoman said.

When investigators questioned Albert Nava after the attack, he “indicated that he had beaten his wife,” Kelly said. The suspect is being held at the City Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail.