MANASSAS, Va. — Naresh Bhatt took the witness stand in his own defense Wednesday, telling jurors on the 16th day of his murder trial that he had always wanted to testify.
Bhatt did not hide his nerves. “It’s a very big day for me, because it’s the first time I am speaking in the public,” he told the jury. His lawyer asked why he was scared. “I’m a little nervous,” he said. “I am here to tell the truth. I don’t want to lie.”
The charges are first-degree murder, concealing a dead body and defiling a dead body. Bhatt, 39, pleaded not guilty to all three. His wife, Mamta Kafle Bhatt, 28, was a nurse in Manassas Park. Her body has never been found. The commonwealth rested Monday, five weeks into the trial. Judge Kimberly A. Irving then refused the defense’s request to throw out the charges. There was no court Tuesday; it was Election Day. Bhatt was called at about 9:08 a.m. Wednesday.
A childhood in Nepal
Bhatt told jurors he was born in New Delhi, India, and grew up in Nepal. He lived for a time with his grandfather, whose house was close to his school, in a mud and stone home without heat or air conditioning. He said he liked cricket, did well in school and was, in his words, a normal child. He also talked about his father’s drinking and about moving, including to Kathmandu, for his education.
Two childhood episodes took longer. Bhatt said he was in first or second grade when he watched his aunt set herself on fire. He said he and a cousin heard screaming and ran in, trying to get water to her. She died before neighbors got there. He also described being kidnapped in Nepal at about 13 or 14. Two men held him for weeks, he said, forced him to work and abused him. A commander’s help let him escape, and he fled to India. The memories still leave him with nightmares and trouble sleeping, he testified.
How he met Mamta
Around 11:30 a.m., his lawyer turned to Mamta. It started with a Facebook friend request from Mamta Kafle, he said. A mutual friend told him Mamta knew who he was and their families were weighing a match. He messaged her himself. Within a week or two, they had decided to move forward.
He came back to the United States first. She had no visa yet. She arrived in 2021. At home, the chores split themselves, he said. He took the groceries and the paperwork; Mamta cooked. He helped her through work, school and learning to drive. The two leaned on each other, he said.
Her pregnancy frightened him, he said. The couple had miscarried twice before their daughter was born. Driving made Mamta nervous, he added, and she stayed off the road when she could.
‘I never abused her’
The defense asked Bhatt directly whether he had ever physically abused his wife. He denied ever being physically abusive.
The afternoon questions turned to her mental health, and to fights the couple had in 2024. Bhatt described verbal threats on both sides: during arguments, he would threaten divorce, and Mamta would threaten suicide, he testified.
The interpreter question
An interpreter translated the questions for him; Bhatt answered in English. From the start, he said he was concerned his English would keep jurors from understanding him. By midafternoon, the court was discussing whether he could continue without an interpreter. Irving encouraged him to use one, and Bhatt agreed. “Yes, I am going to need that,” he said.
Defense questioning continued through the afternoon. Prosecutors had not yet cross-examined Bhatt in Wednesday’s reports, and the trial is scheduled to continue Thursday.
Also Read: Naresh Bhatt Murder Trial Continues After Testimony on Power Saw
Have something to promote?
Bring your business, services or event to our readers.