Court MinutesProsecutor tells jury Naresh Bhatt killed his wife, Mamta Kafle, and concealed her body; defense says evidence has a "black hole"
4 min read
Video: Court TV · Published 6:45 PM ET
Today in five bullets · Commonwealth v. Bhatt · Day 3 · Oct 7
- The prosecutor told the jury the trial would prove Naresh Bhatt killed his wife, Mamta Kafle, defiled her body and concealed her dead body. 0:00:55
- The prosecutor told the jury the Commonwealth would prove the case in about seven weeks and asked the jury to find Bhatt guilty of all three charges. 0:38:57
- Lenox told the jury its job was to decide if the Commonwealth ruled out every reasonable doubt, including premeditation and intent for first-degree murder. 0:41:36
- Lenox told the jury to ask where the gaps were, what had been left to guesswork and what doubt had not been ruled out. 0:45:40
- The prosecutor told the jury the evidence would show Bhatt dismembered Mamta Kafle's body and put the parts in trash bags and bins in Manassas Park and Fairfax. 0:06:54
The Case
Charged: First-degree murder; concealing a dead body; defiling a dead body.
What happened: Mamta Kafle Bhatt has been missing, and her body has never been found. Her husband, Naresh Bhatt, is charged in her death. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The state says: Bhatt killed his wife, dismembered her body and threw the remains away in trash bins in Manassas Park and Fairfax, and his Google searches beforehand show premeditation.
The defense says: there is a "black hole" in the evidence the prosecution cannot fill, and most of the forensic work speaks to hiding a body, not to a premeditated killing.
Where it stands: prosecution's case · scheduled through Nov 19.
Judge Kimberly A. Irving · Defense: Tracey Lenox
Updated Day 10
What's next
Judge Irving told the prosecution to call its first witness at the end of the clip. The prosecutor also told the jury the Commonwealth would present its case over about seven weeks. 0:45:55 0:38:57
Commonwealth's opening statement: the charges and the alleged conduct
The prosecutor told the jury the trial would prove Naresh Bhatt killed his wife, Mamta Kafle, defiled her body and concealed her dead body. 0:00:55 The prosecutor also told the jury the evidence would show Bhatt dismembered the body and put the parts in trash bags and bins in Manassas Park and Fairfax. 0:06:54
Commonwealth's opening statement: the evidence the jury would hear
The prosecutor told the jury the Commonwealth would present seven weeks of circumstantial evidence, including inconsistent statements. 0:08:16 The prosecutor said Bhatt told police Mamta went to New York or Texas after a fight, then told a journalist there was no fight and he had no idea where she was. 0:12:17
The prosecutor told the jury the crime scene evidence would show blood in the bedroom carpet, drag marks to the bathroom, and blood in the shower. 0:13:41 The prosecutor also said a reciprocating saw Bhatt gave his landscaper tested positive for blood and Mamta's DNA, and that video showed him discarding bags. 0:18:47
The prosecutor told the jury Bhatt's phone held Google searches before the killing about a spouse disappearing, and called that premeditation. 0:34:18 The prosecutor asked the jury to find Bhatt guilty of all three charges. 0:38:57
Defense opening statement
Lenox told the jury there was a black hole in the evidence about Mamta Kafle's disappearance that the government would not be able to fill. 0:39:54 She told the jury the police investigated extensively and that most of the forensic work spoke to the accusation that Bhatt defiled and hid the body. 0:40:37
Lenox told the jury its job was to decide whether the Commonwealth had ruled out every reasonable doubt, including premeditation and intent for first-degree murder. 0:41:36 She told the jury it would hear that Bhatt and Mamta Kafle had spoken of divorce, had been unkind to one another and had sometimes been cruel. 0:42:56
Lenox told the jury to weigh the biases, motivations and memories of witnesses who had already picked sides. 0:43:34 She told the jury to ask where the gaps were, what had been left to guesswork and what doubt had not been ruled out. 0:45:40
End of the clip
Judge Irving told the prosecution to call its first witness. 0:45:55
All 15 Moments
| Position in the clip | Moment |
|---|---|
| 0:00:55 | The prosecutor told the jury the trial would prove Naresh Bhatt killed his wife, Mamta Kafle, defiled her body and concealed her dead body. Opening (state) 0:00:55 into Court TV · Full Openings (edited clip) |
| 0:06:54 | The prosecutor told the jury the evidence would show Bhatt dismembered Mamta Kafle's body and put the parts in trash bags and bins in Manassas Park and Fairfax. Opening (state) 0:06:54 into Court TV · Full Openings (edited clip) |
| 0:08:16 | The prosecutor told the jury the Commonwealth would present seven weeks of circumstantial evidence, including inconsistent statements. Opening (state) 0:08:16 into Court TV · Full Openings (edited clip) |
| 0:12:17 | The prosecutor said Bhatt told police Mamta went to New York or Texas after a fight, then told a journalist there was no fight and he had no idea where she was. Opening (state) 0:12:17 into Court TV · Full Openings (edited clip) |
| 0:13:41 | The prosecutor told the jury the crime scene evidence would show blood in the bedroom carpet, drag marks to the bathroom, and blood in the shower. Opening (state) 0:13:41 into Court TV · Full Openings (edited clip) |
| 0:18:47 | The prosecutor told the jury a reciprocating saw Bhatt gave his landscaper tested positive for blood and Mamta's DNA, and that video showed him discarding bags. Opening (state) 0:18:47 into Court TV · Full Openings (edited clip) |
| 0:34:18 | The prosecutor told the jury Bhatt's phone held Google searches before the killing about a spouse disappearing, and called that premeditation. Opening (state) 0:34:18 into Court TV · Full Openings (edited clip) |
| 0:38:57 | The prosecutor told the jury the Commonwealth would prove the case in about seven weeks and asked the jury to find Bhatt guilty of all three charges. Opening (state) 0:38:57 into Court TV · Full Openings (edited clip) |
| 0:39:54 | Lenox told the jury there was a black hole in the evidence about Mamta Kafle's disappearance that the government would not be able to fill. Opening (defense) 0:39:54 into Court TV · Full Openings (edited clip) |
| 0:40:37 | Lenox told the jury the police investigated extensively and that most of the forensic work spoke to the accusation that Bhatt defiled and hid the body. Opening (defense) 0:40:37 into Court TV · Full Openings (edited clip) |
| 0:41:36 | Lenox told the jury its job was to decide if the Commonwealth ruled out every reasonable doubt, including premeditation and intent for first-degree murder. Opening (defense) 0:41:36 into Court TV · Full Openings (edited clip) |
| 0:42:56 | Lenox told the jury it would hear that Bhatt and Mamta Kafle had spoken of divorce, had been unkind to one another and had sometimes been cruel. Opening (defense) 0:42:56 into Court TV · Full Openings (edited clip) |
| 0:43:34 | Lenox told the jury to weigh the biases, motivations and memories of witnesses who had already picked sides. Opening (defense) 0:43:34 into Court TV · Full Openings (edited clip) |
| 0:45:40 | Lenox told the jury to ask where the gaps were, what had been left to guesswork and what doubt had not been ruled out. Opening (defense) 0:45:40 into Court TV · Full Openings (edited clip) |
| 0:45:55 | Judge Irving told the prosecution to call its first witness. Other 0:45:55 into Court TV · Full Openings (edited clip) |
Times are positions in the Court TV clip; no time in court was published. Each opens the clip at that moment.
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