Prosecutors lean on circumstantial evidence in trial of man accused of dismembering wife

Forensic experts and other witnesses are expected to testify, but the attorney for Naresh Bhatt says the jury should anticipate observations from people who have already picked sides.MANASSAS, Va. (CN) — Though the body of 28-year-old Mamta Kafle Bhatt was never found, a Northern Virginia prosecutor Wednesday told a jury Wednesday that “powerful and persuasive circumstantial evidence” would convince them that she was murdered by her husband.Naresh Bhatt, 39, is charged with concealing the body of his wife, murder and defiling a body; prosecutors say he tossed her dismembered body in area trash compactors after the murder. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. His wife was last seen July 29, 2024.“A murder was cleaned up,” said Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Matthew Sweet said, referencing evidence of blood traces found in the couple’s shower and bathtub.Sweet said bedroom furniture was moved to cover signs of a struggle, and that a power saw given by Bhatt to a landscaper had the wife’s blood and DNA on it.But Naresh Bhatt’s attorney pointed to gaps in evidence.“They want you to ignore the doubt you have,” Tracey Lenox, chief public defender for Prince William County said. “They want you to ignore the lack of evidence.”She said the jury should anticipate observations from people testifying that have already picked sides.Speaking before a packed courtroom, she spoke for roughly 15 minutes in her opening statements. Sweet took nearly three times longer while outlining the prosecution’s case.Bhatt, he said, was an example of an immigrant who had realized the American dream: a job at a military contractor, a house and a new Tesla. But it ended in a nightmare when he killed his wife, Sweet claimed.The prosecution’s witness list will include experts in crime scene investigation and reconstruction. Several will testify about evidence collection, including use of a reagent to detect traces of blood at crime scenes.A city public works official is expected to testify about the average water consumption patterns and thresholds that would be considered atypical for a home.“Gallons and gallons and gallons and gallons of water are run the day Mamta comes up missing,” Sweet told the jury. “You will learn that that volume of water is inconsistent with residential use.”But Sweet said prosecutors will be presenting different categories of circumstantial evidence — for example, Bhatt’s behavior around and after his wife’s murder.At one point, he offered shifting explanations for her disappearance.“He lies to everyone,” Sweet said.Online, Bhatt searched for information about what happens if a spouse disappears during a divorce.Weeks after her disappearance, Mamta Bhatt’s daughter had her first birthday without her mother around, Sweet said.“You know what no parent will miss? Their baby’s first birthday,” he said.“Mamta never made it to the baby’s first birthday.”The trial, presided over by Virginia 31st Judicial Circuit Judge Kimberly Irving, is expected to take seven weeks.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