Bhatt takes stand Monday to discuss finding Mamta's body, internet searches

MANASSAS, Va. - The murder trial of Naresh Bhatt resumed Monday as the defense called the defendant back to the stand to testify about his internet search history and the discovery of his wife's body.

Bhatt is charged with first-degree murder, concealing a dead body, and defiling a dead body in connection with the disappearance of Mamta Kafle Bhatt. Her remains have not been recovered, and Bhatt has remained in custody since his August 2024 arrest.

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

The testimony follows Bhatt's admission in court last week that he dismembered his wife after claiming she took her own life, arguing he did so 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.

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.

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