Defense rests in Naresh Bhatt murder trial after defendant testifies about finding his wife’s body

MANASSAS, Va. - The defense rested its case on Monday in the Naresh Bhatt murder trial after calling the defendant back to the stand to testify about his internet search history and the discovery of his wife’s body.

What we know:

Naresh is charged with first-degree murder and concealing and defiling a dead body in connection with the disappearance of his wife, Mamta Kafle Bhatt, 28. Naresh has been in custody since his arrest in August 2024, and Mamta Kafle’s body has not been found.

Last week, Naresh testified that he cut up Mamta Kafle’s body after finding her dead in their bedroom. On Monday, the defense tried to explain why Naresh said he did that.

Taking the stand Monday, Bhatt testified that his body was shaking uncontrollably when he found his wife and said "she was already gone" as he attempted CPR. He denied ever physically harming her, an answer the judge sustained, while stating he never stopped loving her. 

Naresh said he believed he was a factor in her suicide and that he regretted not treating her well emotionally.

What they're saying:

"I wasn't treating her emotionally well. I wasn't helping her well the way I used to do," Naresh said.

Bhatt claimed that Mamta Kafle took her own life. He argued that he disposed of her body to spare her and their family from judgment. Bhatt also testified that he spoke with the couple's young daughter about the incident, telling the child her mother did not do a good thing.

He claims he found her after she took her own life, saying he found vomit with traces of pill capsules and evidence of a fumigant used to kill insects.

READ MORE | Naresh Bhatt testifies he dismembered wife's body after finding her dead in bedroom

According to his testimony, Naresh did not call for help, worried that he would be blamed for her death. He instead used a saw to cut up Mamta Kafle’s body and dispose of her remains in various dumpsters.

"Because I wasn't kind with her, it led her to suicide," Naresh said. "That's why I feel like, one way or the other, I was one of the factors that led her to suicide."

Psychologist called by defense 

As the trial stretched into its sixth week, the jury also heard from a forensic psychologist called by the defense. The expert testified that Naresh likely suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), but drew a distinction between panicking and what Naresh admitted to doing.

"His conclusion he jumped to was, I gotta get rid of this body, and he started taking steps to get rid of that body. He thought that was his only viable way out of this situation," said clinical psychologist Barry Rosenfeld.

READ MORE | Mamta Kafle Bhatt's friends react after her husband describes dismembering her body: 'He has no heart'

"It's certainly a plausible way of behaving. Not the cutting of a body. I mean, panicking and not knowing what to do, that is not thinking clearly," Rosenfeld added. "It is not at all surprising for somebody who has got Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and has been triggered by something upsetting."

The backstory:

Authorities launched an investigation after Mamta Kafle Bhatt, a nurse at UVA Health Prince William Medical Center, failed to report to work. Bhatt initially told officers he did not believe his wife was missing and said he last saw her on July 29, 2024, though friends and family insisted she would not abandon her infant daughter.

Bhatt filed a missing persons report on Aug. 5, 2024, telling investigators his wife had threatened to leave and raised the subject of divorce. Police arrested him on Aug. 22, 2024, after discovering bloodstains in the couple's primary bedroom and bathroom, along with a power saw containing hair fragments.

It is possible that this case will go to the jury this week.

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