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As the trial of Naresh Bhatt inches closer – on three combined charges of first-degree murder, concealment of a dead body and physical defilement of a dead body – a new hearing in the case has been scheduled for April 25 at 9 a.m.
The hearing will involve testimony from a non-resident, out-of-state witness, according to a praecipe filing on the part of the commonwealth in Prince William County Circuit Court.
It was not immediately clear Friday who the witness is, though court records show a Nepalese interpreter has been requested for both Bhatt and the witness during the hearing.
Naresh Bhatt was arrested Aug. 22 in connection with the disappearance of his wife, Mamta Kafle Bhatt – the Manassas Park nurse and mother missing since late-July – and charged with concealing a dead body. He was later arraigned Dec. 4 on the murder and defilement charges, accompanying the prior concealment charge.
Mamta Bhatt’s body or remains have not been located, despite Manassas Park police conducting some 50 searches in the area since last fall.
Prosecutors have revealed grisly details of what allegedly took place between July 29, the last time Mamta Bhatt spoke to her mother via video call, and Aug. 1, when Naresh Bhatt is said to have disposed of large trash bags at various locations – including his babysitter’s apartment complex in Manassas and a trash compactor in Falls Church, where he was captured on video.
Police were able to track Naresh Bhatt’s Tesla to those locations through GPS data.
A status hearing initially scheduled for March 20 was ultimately withdrawn due to a lack of pending motions, according to court documents, prior to the newly-announced April 25 hearing.
Naresh Bhatt’s trial will take place Sept. 8-11, 15-18, 22-25, 29-30 and Oct. 1-2, with each day’s session starting at 10 a.m. A pre-trial conference is set for Aug. 27 at 1 p.m.
Mamta Bhatt’s mother, Gita Kafle, and brother, Mahesh Kafle, arrived stateside in October and plan to stay for the foreseeable future.
Volunteer and Mamta Bhatt supporter Melissa Barton told InsideNoVa both family members will continue caring for Mamta’s 1-year-old daughter, Neema.
“Their visas are still good,” Barton said. “They are still in the country with the baby, and they are still taking care of her. [Mahesh] has put in for citizenship to stay here permanently to raise her. Right now, there is not a status update as to when [Gita] is going to return to Nepal, but for now, she’s staying.”
Barton said she maintains faith in the commonwealth’s attorneys prosecuting the case.
“There’s really nothing that they can do more,” Barton said. “They’ve collected the evidence, they have a strong case, so it’s just a matter of waiting for the trial date. The longer we wait, in a lot of ways, it’s better, because they’ll be better prepared.”
Barton said she and other community members have still crossed paths periodically as they await new developments in the case.
“We’re good – we still all get together and see each other,” Barton said, “talk to each other, and so we’re still holding on strong.”
