( CNN ) -- Police in southern California have arrested the husband of a slain Iraqi woman -- whose death authorities first thought could have been a hate crime -- on suspicion of her murder . Shaima Alawadi , 32 , died from her injuries in March after she was brutally beaten at her home . A note beside the body told the family to go back to Iraq and called them `` terrorists , '' her daughter said . At the time , authorities did not rule out the possibility her death could have been a hate crime , though they said then they were examining other possibilities as well . `` After months of hard work by El Cajon Police Department detectives , we determined that this homicide was the result of domestic violence and not the result of a hate crime , '' said city Police Chief Jim Redman . Alawadi 's husband , Kassim Al-Himidi , was arrested Thursday and booked at the San Diego Central Jail on suspicion of murder , he said . According to authorities , Al-Himidi , 48 , is being held without bail and is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday for an arraignment . It was not immediately clear whether he had retained an attorney . His wife 's death drew international attention . Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki provided a plane that flew Alawadi 's body back to Iraq , where the mother of five was buried . Dozens of people attended the funeral , including her husband . Alawadi and Al-Himidi moved to the San Diego County area in 1995 and then briefly lived in Dearborn , Michigan , before moving back to California . El Cajon , where the family lived , and Dearborn have sizable Iraqi communities -- among the nation 's largest . U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland called the attack on Alawadi an `` absolutely brutal beating . '' She said in March that `` authorities are continuing to search for motives behind this attack , but the United States has no tolerance for wanton acts of violence like this . ''
Kassim Al-Himidi is in custody on suspicion of murdering his Iraqi wife . Shaima Alawadi , 32 , died in March after she was attacked at her home . The Associated Press contributed to this report. Police say now Alawadi 's death was the result of domestic violence , not a hate crime .