Court MinutesWitness describes Bhatt in white gloves throwing trash bags into a compactor; judge says Commonwealth's case can't take three more weeks
6 min read
Video: Court TV · Published 6:45 PM ET
Today in five bullets · Commonwealth v. Bhatt · Day 10 · Oct 21
- The witness testified that the defendant pulled up near the compactor, opened his trunk wearing white gloves and threw trash bags into the compactor. 0:18:14
- Judge Irving said three more weeks was not workable because it would leave the defense no time from the seven weeks set aside. 0:00:36
- The witness identified the car entering the screen from the left, about 25 minutes 45 seconds into the video, as one driven by Naresh Bhatt. 0:12:50
- Asked whether he, Juan or Miguel used the green Ryobi saw to cut up parts of a human body, Ayala said no. 1:29:42
- Ms. McNabb testified that the blue Tesla in Exhibit 331 B pulled into the same spot beside the dumpster on July 30, 2024. 0:04:07
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 Commonwealth to use the next four days to look at what could be cut or streamlined. 0:01:02 She said court would sit four days next week, then three-day weeks around Election Day and Veterans Day 0:05:23, and that she wanted a Friday when court is not sitting for jury instructions. 0:01:24
Surveillance video at two apartment complexes
Ms. McNabb testified that the camera image at Clark Place comes in inverted, so a driver appears to get out of the passenger side. 0:00:00 She testified that the blue Tesla in Exhibit 331 B pulled into the same spot beside the dumpster on July 30, 2024. 0:04:07
A second witness testified about video of a trash compactor. She said a man appeared to be getting trash out of his trunk 0:02:42 and that bags were thrown into the compactor. 0:03:11 The judge told the defense it could raise its point on cross-examination. 0:02:56
The witness identified exhibit 330b as another view of the compactor, dated July 31, 2024 0:04:56, and exhibit 330c as a night view of a well-lit area 0:08:14, with a time stamp she said may be an hour or two off. 0:08:42 She identified a car entering the screen as one driven by Naresh Bhatt 0:12:50, and testified the defendant opened his trunk wearing white gloves and threw trash bags into the compactor 0:18:14, then got more bags and threw those in too. 0:19:23
The landscaper and the saw
Jose Barajas Ayala, a landscaper, said no when asked whether he or his workers used the green Ryobi saw to cut up parts of a human body. 1:29:42 The judge then asked how long cross-examination would take and called a break. 1:30:12
A realtor's call with Bhatt
Ganesh Pandey, a realtor, described a phone call after the disappearance in which Bhatt said he was sad, was praying for Mamta to come back and was worried about the baby. 0:04:20 Pandey testified that Bhatt did not discuss getting divorced with him. 0:09:33
The judge on the schedule
Judge Irving told the Commonwealth she was not confident it could finish in the time it gave unless it moved faster 0:00:00, and said three more weeks would leave the defense no time from the seven weeks set aside. 0:00:36 She said jurors were told they would be done by Thanksgiving week, which did not mean they would get the case then. 0:03:27
The prosecutor said some issues had run longer than expected and some days ended at four 0:02:16, that the Commonwealth was cutting witnesses it did not need 0:03:06, and that the timeline was set before the defense had a witness list. 0:04:18
Defense lawyer Tracey Lenox said the defense had lost hours, not days, to early stops 0:06:00 and had not cross-examined 70% of the witnesses. 0:06:14 The judge said the parties should plan the next four days to be as efficient as possible. 0:06:23
All 27 Moments
| Position in the clip | Moment |
|---|---|
| 0:00:00 | Ms. McNabb testified that the camera image comes in inverted, so a driver appears to be getting out of the passenger side. Direct (state) 0:00:00 into Court TV · Day 10 · property manager's testimony (Clark Place) (edited clip) |
| 0:04:07 | Ms. McNabb testified that the blue Tesla in Exhibit 331 B pulled into the same spot beside the dumpster on July 30, 2024. Direct (state) 0:04:07 into Court TV · Day 10 · property manager's testimony (Clark Place) (edited clip) |
| 0:02:42 | The witness said the man appeared to be getting trash out of his trunk, after the prosecutor asked what the man appeared to be doing. Direct (state) 0:02:42 into Court TV · Day 10 · property manager's testimony (Falls Church) (edited clip) |
| 0:02:56 | The judge told the defense the point could be raised on cross-examination, in response to the objection. Ruling 0:02:56 into Court TV · Day 10 · property manager's testimony (Falls Church) (edited clip) |
| 0:03:11 | The witness said bags were thrown into the trash compactor, after the prosecutor asked what had just been seen at seven minutes in. Direct (state) 0:03:11 into Court TV · Day 10 · property manager's testimony (Falls Church) (edited clip) |
| 0:04:56 | The witness identified exhibit 330b as another view of the trash compactor, dated 07/31/2024, with a time stamp the witness said was slightly off. Other 0:04:56 into Court TV · Day 10 · property manager's testimony (Falls Church) (edited clip) |
| 0:08:14 | The witness told the jury exhibit 330c showed a night view of the trash compactor and said the area was well lit. Other 0:08:14 into Court TV · Day 10 · property manager's testimony (Falls Church) (edited clip) |
| 0:08:42 | The witness read the date on exhibit 330c as July 31, 2024, and the time stamp as 12AM, and said it may be an hour or two ahead or behind. Other 0:08:42 into Court TV · Day 10 · property manager's testimony (Falls Church) (edited clip) |
| 0:12:50 | The witness identified the car entering the screen from the left, about 25 minutes 45 seconds into the video, as one driven by Naresh Bhatt. Direct (state) 0:12:50 into Court TV · Day 10 · property manager's testimony (Falls Church) (edited clip) |
| 0:18:14 | The witness testified that the defendant pulled up near the compactor, opened his trunk wearing white gloves and threw trash bags into the compactor. Direct (state) 0:18:14 into Court TV · Day 10 · property manager's testimony (Falls Church) (edited clip) |
| 0:19:23 | The witness said the defendant threw the trash bags into the compactor, then got more bags and threw more into the compactor while still wearing the gloves. Direct (state) 0:19:23 into Court TV · Day 10 · property manager's testimony (Falls Church) (edited clip) |
| 1:29:42 | Asked whether he, Juan or Miguel used the green Ryobi saw to cut up parts of a human body, Ayala said no. Direct (state) 1:29:42 into Court TV · Day 10 · lawn-care worker's testimony about the saw (edited clip) |
| 1:30:12 | The judge asked how long cross-examination was expected to take and then called a break of ten to fifteen minutes. Scheduling 1:30:12 into Court TV · Day 10 · lawn-care worker's testimony about the saw (edited clip) |
| 0:04:20 | Pandey described a call with Bhatt after the disappearance in which Bhatt said he was sad, was praying for Mamta to return and was worried about the baby. Direct (state) 0:04:20 into Day 10 · realtor's testimony (re-upload of pool footage, edited clip) |
| 0:09:33 | Pandey testified that Bhatt did not discuss getting divorced with him, after the prosecutor asked whether they had talked about it. Direct (state) 0:09:33 into Day 10 · realtor's testimony (re-upload of pool footage, edited clip) |
| 0:00:00 | Judge Irving told the Commonwealth she was not feeling confident it could finish in the timing it gave unless it found a way to move faster. Scheduling 0:00:00 into Day 10 · judge's remarks on the schedule after the jury left (re-upload of pool footage, edited clip) |
| 0:00:36 | Judge Irving said three more weeks was not workable because it would leave the defense no time from the seven weeks set aside. Scheduling 0:00:36 into Day 10 · judge's remarks on the schedule after the jury left (re-upload of pool footage, edited clip) |
| 0:01:02 | Judge Irving told the Commonwealth to use the next four days to look at what might be cumulative or streamlined, so closings and deliberation could fit. Scheduling 0:01:02 into Day 10 · judge's remarks on the schedule after the jury left (re-upload of pool footage, edited clip) |
| 0:01:24 | Judge Irving said she wanted to pick a Friday when court was not sitting for jury instructions, one of the next two Fridays after this one. Scheduling 0:01:24 into Day 10 · judge's remarks on the schedule after the jury left (re-upload of pool footage, edited clip) |
| 0:02:16 | The prosecutor told the judge that some issues had run longer than expected, that it was a three-day work week, and that some days had ended at four. Scheduling 0:02:16 into Day 10 · judge's remarks on the schedule after the jury left (re-upload of pool footage, edited clip) |
| 0:03:06 | The prosecutor told the judge the Commonwealth was reassessing after each session and cutting witnesses it did not need. Scheduling 0:03:06 into Day 10 · judge's remarks on the schedule after the jury left (re-upload of pool footage, edited clip) |
| 0:03:27 | Judge Irving said jurors were told they would be done by Thanksgiving week, which did not mean they would get the case then, and timing had to fit the evidence. Scheduling 0:03:27 into Day 10 · judge's remarks on the schedule after the jury left (re-upload of pool footage, edited clip) |
| 0:04:18 | The prosecutor told the judge the trial timeline was set before the defense had a witness list or experts, so it was based on the Commonwealth's evidence. Scheduling 0:04:18 into Day 10 · judge's remarks on the schedule after the jury left (re-upload of pool footage, edited clip) |
| 0:05:23 | Judge Irving told the court the trial was through ten days, with four days next week and three-day weeks for election day and Veterans Day. Scheduling 0:05:23 into Day 10 · judge's remarks on the schedule after the jury left (re-upload of pool footage, edited clip) |
| 0:06:00 | Lenox told the judge the court had shut the defense down as early as 4:00 and that the defense had lost hours, not days. Argument 0:06:00 into Day 10 · judge's remarks on the schedule after the jury left (re-upload of pool footage, edited clip) |
| 0:06:14 | Lenox told the judge the defense had not crossed 70% of the witnesses. Argument 0:06:14 into Day 10 · judge's remarks on the schedule after the jury left (re-upload of pool footage, edited clip) |
| 0:06:23 | Judge Irving said the parties should plan the next four days to be as efficient as possible and that she wanted to respect the citizens' time. Scheduling 0:06:23 into Day 10 · judge's remarks on the schedule after the jury left (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.
Witnesses today
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