The murder trial in the death of a Manassas Park woman who disappeared in 2024 is set to begin next week.
On September 25, a judge approved a request from media outlets to allow cameras in the courtroom. The cameras will be allowed to record the trial, and the media can use that recorded video to report on the trial. However, reporters will need permission to record inside of the courtroom.
Case Background
Mamta Khafle Bhatt was last seen July 29, 2024, during a video call. The 28-year-old pediatric nurse had a 1-year-old daughter.
After weeks of searches for her, her husband, Naresh Bhatt, was arrested in August 2024 on a charge of concealing a dead body. In December of that year, he was also charged with murder and defiling a body. No body has been found in the case; police say DNA evidence shows that blood found in the bedroom and bathroom of their home is hers.
Manassas Park police have said they believe Naresh Bhatt killed Mamta Khafle Bhatt in their home and dismembered her body.
Naresh Bhatt’s had been seen on video cameras throwing full trash bags into dumpsters not in the immediate vicinity of his house, NBC4 reported. He’s been held without bond since August 2024 and has maintained his innocence.
Trail Timing
Circuit Court Judge Kimberly Irving has denied a request by Naresh Bhatt’s public defenders for a delay in the trial. Kimberly is concerned that further delays in the trial will result in the loss of witnesses and evidence, Inside Nova reported.
Khafle Bhatt’s family is also concerned about the future custody status of the Bhatts’ daughter, Neema, now 3. Khafle Bhatt’s mother and brother traveled from Nepal in 2024 to care for her.
Naresh Bhatt’s public defenders argued that the sheer weight of the evidence necessitated further delays. And that they couldn’t be expected to rely on the commonwealth’s translations of evidence from Nepalese and Hindi. They also pointed to the departure of the senior assistant public defender last December as complicating the defense.
Jury selection is set to begin October 5. The trial is expected to take about seven weeks.
Mamta Kafle Bhatt missing person photos courtesy Manassas Park Police
