Court MinutesNurse who trained Mamta Kafle testifies she saw a bruise below her eye in December 2023; judge overrules hearsay objection
3 min read
Video: Court TV · Published 3:43 PM ET
Today in five bullets · Commonwealth v. Bhatt · Day 9 · Oct 20
- Sunita testified that when Mamta returned to work in December 2023, she saw a dark bruise on the left side of Mamta's face below the eye. 0:29:06
- The judge overruled the defense hearsay objection, and Sunita then testified that Mamta said she fell down in December. 0:29:46
- Sunita testified she was Mamta Kafle's preceptor at Inova in Fairfax, training her about 36 to 40 hours a week for two or three months. 0:04:03
- Sunita testified that after she advised against baby cream, Naresh said to Mamta, "what kind of nurse you are," in front of Sunita and coworkers. 0:25:31
- Sunita testified that from phone calls she heard, Mamta called Naresh "Raza," which Sunita said means king; the judge overruled the objection. 0:36:26
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
The clip ends while Sunita Basnet Thapa is still testifying for the Commonwealth. 0:37:59
Sunita Basnet Thapa takes the stand
Sunita, a nurse called by the Commonwealth, identified Naresh Bhatt in the courtroom. 0:03:34 She testified she was Mamta Kafle's preceptor at Inova in Fairfax, training her about 36 to 40 hours a week for two or three months. 0:04:03
She testified that Mamta worked hard while pregnant, felt pressure to keep the job and kept extra scrub pants at work. 0:10:39 Judge Irving struck her answer that Mamta was insulted after a defense objection. 0:16:02
A remark at the hospital
With the jury out of the courtroom, the defense objected that the testimony was speculative, and Judge Irving overruled the objection. 0:21:19 Sunita testified that Naresh said to Mamta, "what kind of nurse you are," after Sunita advised against baby cream. 0:25:31 The judge sustained a defense objection, ruling that how Sunita felt about the remark was irrelevant. 0:26:22
A bruise in December 2023
Sunita testified that when Mamta returned to work in December 2023, she saw a dark bruise on the left side of Mamta's face below the eye. 0:29:06 Over a defense hearsay objection, she testified that Mamta said she fell down. 0:29:46
The name Mamta used for Naresh
Sunita testified that from phone calls she heard, Mamta called Naresh "Raza," which she said means king. 0:36:26 Judge Irving sustained an objection to her answer about what the name signified, and the answer was struck. 0:37:59
All 11 Moments
| Position in the clip | Moment |
|---|---|
| 0:03:34 | Sunita identified Naresh Bhatt in the courtroom, and Judge Irving said the record would reflect the identification. Direct (state) 0:03:34 into Day 9 · nurse co-worker's full testimony (re-upload of pool footage, edited clip) |
| 0:04:03 | Sunita testified she was Mamta Kafle's preceptor at Inova in Fairfax, training her about 36 to 40 hours a week for two or three months. Direct (state) 0:04:03 into Day 9 · nurse co-worker's full testimony (re-upload of pool footage, edited clip) |
| 0:10:39 | Sunita testified that Mamta Kafle worked hard while pregnant, felt pressure to keep the job, and kept extra scrub pants at work. Direct (state) 0:10:39 into Day 9 · nurse co-worker's full testimony (re-upload of pool footage, edited clip) |
| 0:16:02 | Judge Irving sustained a defense objection to Sunita's answer that Mamta Kafle was insulted, and struck the answer. Ruling 0:16:02 into Day 9 · nurse co-worker's full testimony (re-upload of pool footage, edited clip) |
| 0:21:19 | With the jury out, the defense objected that the testimony was speculative, and Judge Irving overruled the objection. Argument 0:21:19 into Day 9 · nurse co-worker's full testimony (re-upload of pool footage, edited clip) |
| 0:25:31 | Sunita testified that after she advised against baby cream, Naresh said to Mamta, "what kind of nurse you are," in front of Sunita and coworkers. Direct (state) 0:25:31 into Day 9 · nurse co-worker's full testimony (re-upload of pool footage, edited clip) |
| 0:26:22 | The judge sustained the defense objection to Sunita's account of how she felt about the remark, ruling it irrelevant. Ruling 0:26:22 into Day 9 · nurse co-worker's full testimony (re-upload of pool footage, edited clip) |
| 0:29:06 | Sunita testified that when Mamta returned to work in December 2023, she saw a dark bruise on the left side of Mamta's face below the eye. Direct (state) 0:29:06 into Day 9 · nurse co-worker's full testimony (re-upload of pool footage, edited clip) |
| 0:29:46 | The judge overruled the defense hearsay objection, and Sunita then testified that Mamta said she fell down in December. Direct (state) 0:29:46 into Day 9 · nurse co-worker's full testimony (re-upload of pool footage, edited clip) |
| 0:36:26 | Sunita testified that from phone calls she heard, Mamta called Naresh "Raza," which Sunita said means king; the judge overruled the objection. Direct (state) 0:36:26 into Day 9 · nurse co-worker's full testimony (re-upload of pool footage, edited clip) |
| 0:37:59 | Judge Irving sustained an objection to Sunita's answer about what the name signified, and the answer was struck. Ruling 0:37:59 into Day 9 · nurse co-worker's full testimony (re-upload of pool footage, 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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