Prince William Circuit Court Judge Kimberly A. Irving plans to summon about 300 prospective jurors for Naresh Bhatt’s trial because of extensive publicity and the proceeding’s expected length.
The court has reserved trial dates between Oct. 5 and Nov. 19, with jury selection scheduled to begin Oct. 6, according to WTOP. The trial could last seven weeks, WUSA9 reported.
Irving said murder trials normally begin with 60 to 80 prospective jurors. The larger pool is intended to help the court find impartial jurors who can serve throughout the trial despite widespread coverage of Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s disappearance and the case against her husband.
The court expects to seat 12 jurors and at least four alternates. Irving said two alternates are more common but that additional alternates could reduce the possibility of a retrial.
Prosecutors Sarah Sami and Matthew Sweet asked the judge to mail questionnaires to prospective jurors before they report to court.
Sami said some people would be unable to serve for seven weeks. Others could be disqualified because they have closely followed coverage of the case, she said. Prosecutors argued that identifying those people in advance would make jury selection more efficient.
Chief Public Defender Tracey Lenox and defense attorney Laurel Rodewald opposed the request. Rodewald said advance notice could prompt prospective jurors to search for the case online and potentially disqualify themselves.
Irving denied the prosecution’s request, agreeing that the questionnaires could encourage people to research the case. Prospective jurors are instead expected to report to the courthouse and be questioned by both sides in groups of about 80.
The judge also denied a request from a podcaster to record trial audio, WTOP reported.
Thursday’s hearing addressed evidence and potential trial witnesses. WUSA9 reported that subpoenas have been or will be issued to dozens of witnesses.
Three out-of-state witnesses were previously approved, including two WUSA9 journalists who interviewed Bhatt at his home before his arrest.
Roughly 10,000 pages of digital material could also figure in the case, according to WUSA9. The records reportedly include information from TikTok, Meta, T-Mobile and Google.
Bhatt, 39, appeared at Thursday’s hearing in an orange jail uniform. A Nepali interpreter translated the proceeding for him.
He has been held without bond at the Prince William-Manassas Regional Adult Detention Center since his arrest Aug. 22, 2024. He has pleaded not guilty.
Bhatt was indicted in December 2024 on charges of first-degree murder and physically defiling a dead body. He also faces a charge of concealing a dead body.
Prosecutors allege that Bhatt killed and dismembered his wife after she disappeared in July 2024.
Mamta Kafle Bhatt was a 28-year-old mother and nurse at UVA Health Prince William Medical Center in Manassas. She immigrated to the United States from Nepal in 2021.
Her body has not been found. Police and prosecutors allege that she was killed.
Investigators have examined surveillance footage, electronic records and forensic evidence. A state forensic report said blood recovered from parts of a reciprocating saw produced a DNA mixture profile matching a reference profile developed from Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s hairbrush. Naresh Bhatt and the couple’s daughter were excluded as contributors.
Prosecutors also allege that Bhatt bought cleaning supplies, garbage bags, gloves and knives after his wife disappeared. They say surveillance evidence shows him disposing of large trash bags at several locations across Northern Virginia.
Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s brother, Mahesh Kafle, and her friend and former coworker, Holly Wirth, attended Thursday’s hearing.
Wirth told WUSA9 that supporters were in “a heightened state of anxiety” as jury selection approaches. She said they are preparing for testimony that may be difficult to hear and remain hopeful for accountability.
The next pretrial hearing is scheduled for Aug. 27.
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