In a case that seems destined to be covered on a true crime podcast, a Prince William County jury in Virginia convicted Naresh Bhatt of the first-degree murder of his wife, Mamta Kafle Bhatt, on November 10, 2026. Bhatt may have hoped that a shocking admission he made while testifying would get him acquitted, but it had the opposite effect, earning him additional convictions for defiling and concealing a dead body.
The six-week-long trial included a stunning moment when Bhatt claimed that, after finding his wife dead from an apparent suicide in July 2024, he dismembered her body and placed her remains in trash cans. This directly contradicted the initial claims he’d given to police and family members that he didn’t know where Mamta was and that she’d gone missing. Bhatt said he “panicked” and was afraid he’d be blamed for his wife’s death (which turned out to be the end result anyway). It took the jury about four hours after closing arguments to find Bhatt guilty.
Despite the guilty verdicts bringing an end to the trial, the Naresh Bhatt murder trial is likely to remain a hot topic. Confirming his status as a liar was bold, but it didn’t pay off.
A Missing Wife, a Power Saw and a Changing Story
Stunning courtroom reveals are far more common in TV and movies than in the real world, but Bhatt’s stunning testimony about how he disposed of his wife’s body is a reminder that prosecutors and the public can still be surprised during trial. The Bhatts lived in a Manassas Park home in Virginia with their infant daughter. Mamta was a nurse at the UVA Health Prince William Medical Center, while Naresh worked as an IT specialist and a system technician.
Mamta was last seen on July 27, 2024. Her family and friends became concerned when they couldn't contact her after that, alleging that Bhatt was an abusive husband. Bhatt reported his wife’s disappearance in August. Although Mamta’s remains have never been recovered, authorities arrested Bhatt on August 22, 2024, on a charge of concealing a dead body. On December 2, 2024, a Prince William County grand jury indicted him on additional charges of murder and defiling a dead body.
Bhatt continued to maintain his innocence as the prosecution presented a case based on circumstantial and DNA evidence. This included suspicious Google searches and surveillance videos of Bhatt buying trash bags, knives, and cleaning supplies at a Home Depot and other locations. They also submitted a reciprocating power saw that Bhatt had given to a landscaper in lieu of payment that tested positive for traces of Mamta’s DNA. The prosecution’s argument was that Bhatt had killed his wife, cut her into pieces, and disposed of her body in dumpsters.
Whether a jury would have found it compelling enough to convict Bhatt became mostly moot after Bhatt changed his story during his second day on the stand. Admitting his previous declarations had been lies (after also testifying that he “wasn’t a liar”), Bhatt testified that he awoke around 4 a.m. on July 30, 2024, and later found Mamta unresponsive near the foot of their bed, surrounded by vomit and blood. He claimed she had ingested Celphos, an agricultural pesticide, and said he moved her body into the adjoining bathroom after unsuccessfully trying to revive her.
Describing himself as “panicking,” Bhatt said he didn’t call 911 out of fear of being blamed for her death. This led to his decision to dismember and dispose of his wife’s body, with throwing it into the Potomac River an early option. Instead, Bhatt testified that he placed her remains in kitchen trash bags in a household trash can for collection. Prosecutors argued that he disposed of her remains in area dumpsters. While exposing himself as having spread falsehoods, Bhatt continues to insist that he never abused his wife, nor did he kill her. As evidenced by the rapid convictions, the jury didn’t believe him.
No Body, No Acquittal
After his bold admission failed to earn him a not-guilty verdict, Bhatt is scheduled to learn his terms of incarceration on March 12, 2027. As Virginia abolished the death penalty in 2021, he faces 20 years to life in prison for the murder of his wife. He can also receive up to five years each for concealing and defiling his wife’s dead body.
Like any other convicted criminal in Virginia, Bhatt may appeal his convictions to the Court of Appeals of Virginia. Given that his own testimony established him as untruthful and guilty of at least two felonies, he probably shouldn’t get his hopes up.
