Jury Begins Deliberations in Naresh Bhatt Murder Trial

A Northern Virginia man went on trial for the murder of his wife, and a Prince William County jury took over the case on Tuesday after five weeks of courtroom arguments.

Naresh Bhatt, 39, of Manassas Park, listened as prosecutors urged jurors to convict him of murder, defiling a body, and concealing a body in connection with the 2024 disappearance of Mamta Kafle Bhatt, 28, a nurse and the mother of the couple’s now 3-year-old daughter, Courthouse News Service reported.

The trial centered on a circumstantial case because Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s body was never found. Taking the witness stand last week, Bhatt denied killing his wife and instead offered a startling alternative explanation for her disappearance.

Jury begins deliberations in Naresh Bhatt murder trial — FOX 5 Washington DC

“The defendant murdered Mamta Kafle,” Sarah Sami, senior assistant commonwealth’s attorney in Prince William County, Virginia, told Courthouse News Service during closing arguments. “The defendant dismembered Mamta Kafle. And the defendant got rid of her like garbage.”

Bhatt claimed he found his wife’s body after she died by suicide. He told the courtroom that he panicked out of fear that he would be blamed, leading him to chop up her body and throw it out with the trash.

Jury Begins Deliberations in Naresh Bhatt Murder Trial

“And now, the defendant wants you to believe his story, his made-up crazy story,” Sami told Courthouse News Service. “All the defendant has done that you’ve seen from the moment that Mamta went missing, all he did was lie.”

Prosecutors pointed to a text message Bhatt sent to his wife in February 2024 as evidence of premeditation and intent. According to statements in court, the message read: “The days are coming that you’ll regret a lot.”

Naresh Bhatt murder trial goes to jury after nearly six weeks — WUSA9

Defense attorneys pushed back against the state’s narrative during Tuesday’s closing arguments. Tracey Lenox, chief public defender for Prince William County, urged the jury to avoid taking the easy route.

“Allow your instincts of compassion and empathy to dictate your discussion and decision-making when you go back to the jury room,” Lenox told Courthouse News Service, describing what jurors should avoid.

“The easy thing would be to give in to a gut level need. I think it is very human to place blame somewhere for the pain and the trauma that Mamta Kafle’s family has endured for the last two-plus years.”

Trial attorney discusses pivot by defense in Naresh Bhatt murder trial — FOX 5 Washington DC

Lenox reminded jurors that their legal duty is to determine whether the prosecution proved each element of the charged offenses beyond a doubt, making them “really inquisitors of doubt” rather than simply searchers for a broader truth.

The defense also addressed Bhatt’s shifting accounts to investigators. While Bhatt initially told police after her disappearance that he did not know where his wife had gone, Lenox pointed out that he claims he revealed the suicide story two weeks after his arrest.

Defense rests in Naresh Bhatt murder trial: The News4 Rundown — NBC4 Washington

The courtroom remained packed throughout the proceedings. Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s mother, brother, and close friends sat in the front row, many dressed in red, which was her favorite color. Neighbors, fellow ex-patriots of Nepal, police investigators, and area nurses also filled the gallery.

Jurors began their deliberations on Tuesday afternoon.