Murder suspect takes stand, defense rests case in trial of man accused of murdering, dismembering wife

Naresh Bhatt is accused of murder, concealing a body and defiling a body in connection with the 2024 disappearance of Mamta Kafle Bhatt.MANASSAS, Va. (CN) — The man at the center of a gruesome murder case sat on the witness stand Monday for a third time in an attempt to convince a jury that even though he admits to dismembering his wife, he is not responsible for killing her.Naresh Bhatt, 39, is accused of murder, concealing a body and defiling a body in connection with the 2024 disappearance of Mamta Kafle Bhatt, 28, a nurse and the mother of the couple’s now 3-year-old daughter. While initially maintaining he had no idea where she’d gone, he subsequently said she died by suicide and, fearing repercussions, he disposed of the body.“I feel like one way or the other, I was one of the factors leading to suicide,” he said during testimony Monday. “Out of many other factors, I’m one of the factors, despite mental health or postpartum, whatever.”He also spoke of his state of mind on July 30, 2024, the date he says he discovered his wife’s lifeless body in a pool of vomit, pills and poison. Instead of calling 911, he made unsuccessful attempts to revive her, then panicked and decided to cut her body up and throw it out with the trash.Called to the witness stand to testify more about his state of mind, he described going numb when he found his wife on the floor of their bedroom. “My whole body was kind of shaking uncontrolled — like extreme pain or trauma.”Defense attorneys rested their case later in the day, leaving jurors with a narrative in which Bhatt’s actions are viewed through the prism of an impoverished childhood in Nepal and a traumatic incident in which he says he was kidnapped and assaulted by Maoist rebels.Bhatt has PTSD, according to Barry Rosenfeld, a clinical psychologist at Fordham University and an expert witness. He also determined Bhatt is not lying about his mental health issues. Asked if Bhatt’s actions are consistent with PTSD, Rosenfeld responded, “Panicking and not knowing what to do, that is not thinking clearly. It is not at all surprising from someone with post-traumatic stress disorder.”Prosecutors began calling rebuttal witnesses late in the day. Notably, Gita Kafle, Mamta Bhatt’s mother, testified through an interpreter that her daughter would not have died by suicide. “As much as she could, she would work,” Gita Kafle testified, “and survive.”If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988, or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (TALK). Visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads