Bhatt trial shifts to defense phase after prosecution rests case
Defense attorneys will decide whether Naresh Bhatt takes the stand following two weeks of evidence including a blood-stained saw and surveillance footage.
By Ana Salazar ·
Prosecutors in the Naresh Bhatt murder trial are scheduled to rest their case on Monday, marking the end of the state's presentation and the start of the defense phase. The trial, currently in its fifth week, will move into defense testimony and evidence shortly after the prosecution concludes its argument.
A central decision facing the legal team is whether to call Bhatt to the witness stand. Defendants retain the constitutional right to remain silent, and jurors are instructed not to draw adverse inferences from that choice. The defense has already introduced challenges to the state's case, including arguments that translations of Nepali-language communications were inaccurate. Attorneys also questioned the integrity of a hairbrush from the victim used in DNA testing.
The state spent the previous two weeks presenting physical and digital evidence. Forensic investigators detailed mobile internet searches conducted by Bhatt. Prosecutors also introduced text messages showing Bhatt arguing with his wife and telling a third party he wanted a Colombian woman. The state argued these exchanges established a motive, claiming Bhatt killed his wife, Mamta Kafle Bhatt, because he intended to start a new relationship.
Key physical evidence included a power saw that prosecutors identified as the murder weapon. The tool allegedly contained blood and hair fragments. Surveillance video showed Bhatt wearing gloves and discarding bags in trash dumpsters at two different apartment complexes. These visuals were presented to jurors as the trial progressed.
The case originated on Aug. 1, 2024, when Mamta Kafle Bhatt missed a shift at UVA Health Prince William Medical Center. Colleagues requested a welfare check at the couple's Heather Court residence the next day. Bhatt initially told police he did not think his wife was missing, claiming he last saw her on July 29. Relatives disputed this timeline, noting she would not have abandoned their infant daughter.
Bhatt filed a missing person report on Aug. 5, 2024. He told officers his wife had threatened divorce. Police classified the disappearance as involuntary that same day. On Aug. 22, 2024, authorities arrested Bhatt after discovering extensive bloodstains in the primary bedroom and bathroom of the home. Her body has not yet been located.
Source: FOX 5 DC
