Court MinutesA Manassas Park neighbor testified Naresh Bhatt told him he was unhappy in his marriage and was thinking about divorce
4 min read
Video: Court TV · Published 8:37 PM ET
Today in five bullets · Commonwealth v. Bhatt · Day 12 · Oct 27
- Dhakal testified Bhatt told him the relationship was not working and Bhatt was not happy, and that Bhatt was thinking about divorce. 0:03:04
- The agent testified the green phone had no network contact from about 1:06 to 2:38 a.m. while the Tesla went toward the trash compactor, then reconnected. 0:06:16
- The agent testified that on July 31, during a second Tesla trip toward the trash compactor area, the green phone had no network contact. 0:09:31
- The agent testified that on Aug. 1 the black phone left the residence area for the first time in many days and was later in the Chantilly, Virginia area. 0:16:33
- The agent testified the records show no black-phone connection after 3:36 p.m. Aug. 1 (through about Aug. 8); the Tesla reached the residence about 4:15. 0:20:24
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 trial is scheduled to resume Wednesday, Oct 28.
A neighbor's testimony
Rajeev Dhakal, who lives in Manassas Park, testified he knew Naresh Bhatt as a neighbor who introduced himself. 0:01:31
Dhakal identified the defendant in the courtroom. 0:01:56
Dhakal testified Bhatt told him the relationship was not working, he was not happy and he was thinking about divorce. 0:03:04
The judge sustained a defense relevance objection to a question on why Dhakal was not comfortable discussing the marriage. 0:04:21
Dhakal testified Bhatt did not tell him his wife, Mamta, had gone missing. 0:05:00
Cross and redirect of the neighbor
On cross, Dhakal agreed he and Bhatt were not close friends, not really acquaintances, and did not talk much. 0:06:33 On redirect, Dhakal said Bhatt did share about the relationship but was not a close friend and was just a neighbor. 0:07:00
FBI testimony on phone and Tesla location records
Special Agent Pent testified the FBI mapped addresses from local detectives and the prosecutor and knew little about the case itself. 0:00:19
Pent testified that on July 28, 2024 the green phone and the Tesla were in the Baltimore area while the black phone was in Manassas Park. 0:04:05
Pent testified the green phone had no network contact while the Tesla went toward the trash compactor, then reconnected. 0:06:16
Pent testified that on July 31, during a second Tesla trip toward the trash compactor area, the green phone had no network contact. 0:09:31
Pent testified that from 2:17 to 10:58 p.m. on July 31 the black phone had no outgoing activity, only apparent passive connections. 0:11:14
Pent testified that on Aug. 1 the black phone left the residence area for the first time in many days and was later in the Chantilly area. 0:16:33
Pent testified the records show no black-phone connection after 3:36 p.m. Aug. 1; the Tesla reached the residence about 4:15. 0:20:24
Pent testified that after the black phone dropped off the network about 3:36 p.m. Aug. 1, the Tesla turned back and headed southeast. 0:20:43
Pent testified the green phone had no connections while the Tesla and black phone went to Chantilly, so its location was unknown. 0:22:55
All 17 Moments
| Position in the clip | Moment |
|---|---|
| 0:01:31 | Rajeev Dhakal, who lives in Manassas Park, testified he knew Naresh Bhatt as a neighbor who introduced himself after moving into the neighborhood. Direct (state) 0:01:31 into Court TV · part 1 (edited clip) |
| 0:01:56 | Dhakal identified the defendant in the courtroom as the man in a gray coat sitting in the middle of two people at the table. Direct (state) 0:01:56 into Court TV · part 1 (edited clip) |
| 0:03:04 | Dhakal testified Bhatt told him the relationship was not working and Bhatt was not happy, and that Bhatt was thinking about divorce. Direct (state) 0:03:04 into Court TV · part 1 (edited clip) |
| 0:04:21 | The judge sustained a defense relevance objection to the prosecutor's question asking why Dhakal was not comfortable talking to Bhatt about his marriage. Ruling 0:04:21 into Court TV · part 1 (edited clip) |
| 0:05:00 | Dhakal testified that Bhatt did not tell him his wife, Mamta, had gone missing. Direct (state) 0:05:00 into Court TV · part 1 (edited clip) |
| 0:06:33 | On cross, Dhakal agreed he and Bhatt were not close friends, not really acquaintances, and did not talk much. Cross (defense) 0:06:33 into Court TV · part 1 (edited clip) |
| 0:07:00 | On redirect, Dhakal said Bhatt did share about the relationship but was not a close friend and was just a neighbor. Redirect (state) 0:07:00 into Court TV · part 1 (edited clip) |
| 0:00:19 | Special Agent Pent testified the FBI was given addresses by local detectives and the prosecutor, mapped them, and knew little about the case itself. Other 0:00:19 into WUSA9 · part 2 (edited clip) |
| 0:02:41 | Special Agent Pent described the color coding: black for a T-Mobile phone ending 8236, green for one ending 8643, and blue for Tesla cell sites. Other 0:02:41 into WUSA9 · part 2 (edited clip) |
| 0:04:05 | Special Agent Pent testified that on July 28, 2024 the green phone and the Tesla were in the Baltimore area while the black phone was in Manassas Park. Direct (state) 0:04:05 into WUSA9 · part 2 (edited clip) |
| 0:06:16 | The agent testified the green phone had no network contact from about 1:06 to 2:38 a.m. while the Tesla went toward the trash compactor, then reconnected. Direct (state) 0:06:16 into WUSA9 · part 2 (edited clip) |
| 0:09:31 | The agent testified that on July 31, during a second Tesla trip toward the trash compactor area, the green phone had no network contact. Direct (state) 0:09:31 into WUSA9 · part 2 (edited clip) |
| 0:11:14 | The agent testified that from 2:17 to 10:58 p.m. on July 31 the black phone had no outgoing activity, only what appeared to be passive network connections. Direct (state) 0:11:14 into WUSA9 · part 2 (edited clip) |
| 0:16:33 | The agent testified that on Aug. 1 the black phone left the residence area for the first time in many days and was later in the Chantilly, Virginia area. Direct (state) 0:16:33 into WUSA9 · part 2 (edited clip) |
| 0:20:24 | The agent testified the records show no black-phone connection after 3:36 p.m. Aug. 1 (through about Aug. 8); the Tesla reached the residence about 4:15. Direct (state) 0:20:24 into WUSA9 · part 2 (edited clip) |
| 0:20:43 | The agent testified that after the black phone dropped off the network around 3:36 p.m. Aug. 1, the Tesla turned back and headed southeast. Other 0:20:43 into WUSA9 · part 2 (edited clip) |
| 0:22:55 | The agent testified the green phone had no network connections while the Tesla and black phone went to Chantilly, so its location was unknown. Other 0:22:55 into WUSA9 · part 2 (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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