Naresh Bhatt convicted of first-degree murder in Virginia.
A jury found Naresh Bhatt, 39, guilty of first-degree murder on Tuesday. Mamta was last seen on July 27, 2024, at UVA Health Prince William Medical Center in Manassas, where she worked as a registered nurse, according to police and the hospital. He was also convicted of concealing and defiling his wife’s body following a six-week trial, CNN reported During his testimony, Bhatt admitted that he had dismembered his wife’s body and disposed of her remains but denied killing her. A friend spoke to her by phone the following day, and she also posted a TikTok video featuring herself and her infant daughter, CNN affiliate WJLA reported.
He told the court that he found Mamta unconscious in their bedroom, surrounded by blood and vomit, and panicked when his attempts to revive her failed. “I don’t know why I did not,” Bhatt told the court when asked why he had not called 911. He had previously told police that he last saw her at the dinner table several days before reporting her missing.
“I tried to call. I was really scared. I don’t know why, something take over me. I was really, really panicked.
His testimony differed from his earlier public statements, in which he had denied knowing what happened to his wife.
Following the verdict, Amy Ashworth, the commonwealth’s attorney for Prince William County and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park, said the decision marked an important step towards justice for the family. “This verdict represents an important measure of justice for Mamta Kafle Bhatt, whose life was tragically taken and whose family has endured more than two years of unimaginable pain and uncertainty,” Ashworth said in a statement as cited by the outlet. Her disappearance prompted an extensive search, with relatives raising concerns about her whereabouts. The family’s worries were heightened by the fact that her daughter’s first birthday was approaching.