Defense rests in Naresh Bhatt murder trial: The News4 Rundown — NBC4 Washington

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: The News 4 Rundown starts now. [00:00:04] Speaker 2: Welcome in, everybody. I'm Jim Adley. It's Monday, November 9th, and here's a look at some of the stories we're following for you tonight. Coming up, an election night celebration now blowing up on social media. We asked D.C. Delegate-elect Robert White about his now viral dance moves, plus a new concourse at Dulles International, just about ready to welcome travelers. We'll give you a sneak peek of the newly renovated space. But first tonight, the defense rested in the case of Naresh Bhatt and the murder trial against him, but not before more testimony from the Manassas Park man accused of killing and dismembering his wife, Mamta Coughley. A warning, the details in this case are disturbing. Last week on the stand, Bhatt stunned the court when he said Mamta died by suicide and he got rid of her body. Our Northern Virginia Bureau Chief, Drew Wilder, is following this case every step of the way. He has the latest now from the Prince William County Courthouse. [00:01:03] Speaker 3: The defense has rested its case. Late this afternoon, a crime scene expert hired by the defense testified that after she reviewed all of the forensic evidence, she can't rule out either theory of this case, saying that Mamta's blood that was discovered in the bedroom could have been a result of her dying by suicide. It could have also been a result of Mamta being murdered. Once Naresh Bhatt was off the witness stand, you had to wonder where the defense would go next. Their second witness was a well-published psychologist with clinical experience and a current professor at Fordham University who evaluated Naresh Bhatt and diagnosed him with PTSD. Bhatt claims that after he discovered Mamta dead from apparent suicide, the new suggestion here is that it triggered his PTSD and he began dismembering her in a state of mind that he wasn't fully in control of. [00:01:52] Speaker 4: I've got a very, what I would consider solid basis for thinking that he suffers from PTSD and that when I'm interviewing him, he's not exaggerating the severity of that PTSD. I can't know what he was doing or thinking in that moment beyond what he tells me. [00:02:12] Speaker 5: When Mr. Bhatt is describing that thought process, is that consistent with the diagnosis of PTSD? [00:02:20] Speaker 4: It's certainly a plausible way of behaving, not the cutting of a body. I mean of panicking and not knowing what to do. That is not thinking clearly. It is not at all surprising for somebody who has got post-traumatic stress disorder and has been triggered by something upsetting. [00:02:41] Speaker 3: The most interesting aspect of this might be something that doesn't immediately meet the eye. This is evidence that Naresh Bhatt told someone his story that he found Mamta dead by suicide prior to dropping it as a bomb in the courtroom last week. And that is significant because there's a very legitimate question of whether Bhatt had what's called motive to fabricate. Outside the presence of the jury, Naresh Bhatt's attorneys asked the court if they could call his previous defense attorney to the witness stand to testify, saying that Bhatt told his version of the story to that other attorney just a few weeks after Mamta died. Now, the court shut that down. They didn't allow the previous defense attorney to testify, saying, number one, you can't call a surprise witness and just spring that on prosecutors without giving them any time to prepare. But number two, the judge said that whether Naresh Bhatt waited three weeks to tell someone that story or whether he waited two years to tell us that story, there was still a window for him to generate a motive to fabricate that lie, saying that he could have shared that story in the weeks that detectives were in and out of his house, in the weeks that crime scene investigators were in and out of his house. Whether it's true or not, he waited at minimum until he was in handcuffs before sharing that story. Reporting from the Prince William County Courthouse, Drew Wilder, News 4. [00:03:54] Speaker 2: And News 4 is your continuing source for coverage here in the case, Where is Mamta? Look for updates on the case on air, online, and in our free NBC Washington app. We also have weekly recaps on the NBC Washington YouTube channel. Other stories we're following for you tonight. The search continues this evening in the district for a missing 13-year-old. Catherine Ash Stallard was last seen on Wednesday near 2nd and Upshur Street Northwest near a charter school in Petworth. Her family tells us Ash has a developmental disability and no history of running away. If you know anything about this case, please call D.C. police. The active-duty marine accused of drunk driving, slamming into a vehicle, killing a mother and her young daughter was in court today. Malik Thomas' request to be released on bond was denied. He's facing a DWI charge and two counts of aggravated manslaughter. He will be back in court for a status hearing on Thursday. His preliminary hearing is set for February. When Democrats take control of Congress in January, they plan to move a plaque honoring law enforcement officers who defended the Capitol on January 6th. That's according to Politico. The Democratic Congress passed a law in 22 authorizing the plaque, but it wasn't ready until Republicans retook control. The Senate eventually unanimously authorized it to be displayed. Still, Republicans chose to place it in the basement of the Senate side of the building. Metro is making changes to service for the upcoming Veterans Day holiday. Metro Rail will operate from 5 a.m. to midnight on Wednesday with trains running on weekend frequencies. Metro Bus will follow a regular Saturday schedule with the M6X and P97 routes also in service. Metro access will be available, but subscription trips will be canceled. Riders who need service that day must make a separate reservation. The D.C. Council has a new member, and his appointment didn't come without controversy. Today, Council Chair Phil Mendelsohn swore in Jamal Holtz to fill the seat of Robert White, the one that he vacated. White was elected to replace Elder Holmes Norton as D.C.'s delegate to Congress. But Holtz told reporters he's only holding the seat until the state party can name another temporary council member. As News 4's Mark Seagraves reports, this means Holtz may only hold the office for a few weeks. [00:06:36] Speaker 6: Surrounded by family and before a large audience of council members and supporters, Jamal Holtz was sworn in as the newest and youngest member of the D.C. Council. [00:06:46] Speaker 7: And will faithfully discharge the duties. Of the office of member. Of the office of member. Of the council of the District of Columbia. Of the council of the District of Columbia. [00:06:55] Speaker 8: Which I am about to enter. [00:06:56] Speaker 7: Which I am about to enter. [00:06:58] Speaker 8: Congratulations. [00:07:00] Speaker 6: Holtz was chosen by the D.C. Democratic State Party to replace Robert White on the council. After White resigned so he could qualify to replace Eleanor Holmes Norton as D.C.'s non-voting delegate to Congress. The Democratic Party rushed Holtz's appointment after Councilmember Christina Henderson changed her party affiliation from Independent to Democrat. Henderson has now changed their affiliation back to Independent. But after his swearing in, Holtz was asked repeatedly by reporters if he would seek the permanent appointment and then run for the office in next year's special election. A question Holtz avoided at first. [00:07:37] Speaker 9: Do you plan on holding this position for longer than a month? Will you accept if the party names you as the permanent interim into this special election? [00:07:47] Speaker 7: The party will deliberate further on what that means on Thursday. I've currently accepted the role in this current state and so that's one of my focuses for the moment. [00:07:56] Speaker 6: The new council member eventually telling reporters he will only hold the seat for a few weeks and has no plans to seek the seat permanently. Prior to the swearing in, Chairman Phil Mendelsohn was asked why he would swear Holtz in knowing he may only serve less than a month. [00:08:25] Speaker 8: The law is clear that in the case of a Democrat at large member who resigns, the party gets to appoint a successor. And that's what they did and I don't have a choice but to go along with that. I'm not going to disagree that it's confusing and it certainly is unprecedented. But, as I said, the Home Rule Act says that when a Democrat at large, a Democrat elected to the at-large position resigns, the party gets to fill that vacancy. And I don't see that I have a choice and I don't see the value of my opining on that. [00:09:15] Speaker 2: As for what happens next, Mark tells us Holtz does not want to serve as a council member beyond this temporary appointment and that the state party will name another temporary council member as soon as four weeks from now. And, as Mark mentioned, the man James Holtz is replacing is already focused on his next chapter in Washington. D.C. Delegate-elect Robert White says he's working to build relationships with lawmakers. He's been reaching out to members of Congress, urging them to come see the district and better understand the push for D.C. statehood. And, as Democrats prepare to take control of Congress, White says the party needs to keep its focus on affordability and accountability. [00:09:57] Speaker 10: I think there are things we can work with Republicans on. It's infrastructure. It's job creation, economic development. Some of those things I think we can and I will. Some things I think getting bipartisan support is going to be a stretch, but I'll always try. [00:10:12] Speaker 2: White also addressed this now viral video from election night, showing him dancing and celebrating his victory. Take a listen. [00:10:19] Speaker 5: I need to ask you about your video of you dancing. Six million people watched you dance on election night so far. I'm just curious. Were you surprised so many people would be interested in your dancing skills? [00:10:32] Speaker 10: I am surprised. I'm a serious legislator, but I like to have a good time. Apparently, the legislation is not going to get six million views, but me dancing might. So I've got to figure out how to marry those two things. [00:10:45] Speaker 2: That would be the secret sauce. Alright, today's weather was great, but what does the rest of the week hold? Storm Team Fort Chief Meteorologist Doug Kammerer has all the details. Doug? [00:10:55] Speaker 11: Yeah, it was great across the area today. Temperatures in the 60s. We have another nice one tomorrow, but then the cold air makes its way in. The coldest air of the season. I'll show you when it moves in and how long it lasts. We'll see you in just a couple of minutes. [00:11:12] Speaker 2: It's a spectacular fall weekend. Felt like fall today, and we've got a cool down coming the rest of the week. [00:11:18] Speaker 11: A big cool down. Now, we're still nice tomorrow. We're still nice on Wednesday. Veterans Day looks good. Okay. And then Thursday and Friday, big changes making their way in. Let's first of all talk about what we can expect the next couple of days. High temperatures today. Look at these numbers. 60, 60, C68, Warrington, Quantico, 70. The average high is 61, so we're way above average. Beautiful all across the area. Hagerstown notice 58. Why? Well, more cloud cover up that way, but the rest of us all abundant sunshine. Very nice night tonight, but with clear skies, lighter winds. We still got a wind out of the north at 10. Earlier today, we saw 30-mile-an-hour gusts, but those winds are starting to lighten, and they'll continue to do so. And with lower dew points, meaning drier air, we're going to see a rather chilly night tonight. 40 or 45 degrees right now in Winchester, 50 Gaithersburg, 50 in Culpeper as well. Stanton, Virginia coming in at 47 degrees, and right now Martinsburg at 51. As we make our way through the rest of tonight, no rain to speak of. We're not going to see any rain tomorrow, not going to see any rain Wednesday. It's not going to be until Thursday that we see something, and you can take a look at the map here. Nothing from D.C. all the way out towards Denver as far as any storms go. We've got one coming down just to the north of the Great Lakes here, coming towards Toronto and New York. These are the clouds, I said, made their way towards Hagerstown a little bit earlier. Some showers and some cold showers up towards parts of New England, but that's not what's coming our way. We're going to stay on the mild side. Let's take you through the numbers hour by hour. By early tomorrow morning, notice here, 7 a.m., we're in the low to mid-30s. Area wide, tomorrow's going to be a chilly start. Not as cold as we've been so far this year. It's not the coldest year of the season, but definitely a chilly morning on our Tuesday. But with plenty of sunshine, dry conditions, we'll see temperatures that rebound nicely back into the mid to upper 60s to near 70 degrees. A terrific Tuesday for sure. Same thing happens during the day on our Wednesday, too. But once again, tomorrow looking great. 68 tomorrow. Wednesday, 67, Veterans Day. No problem at all for any of the festivities happening there. 60 degrees on your Thursday. 49 on Friday. Here's the big change. We've got rain coming in, mostly showers. I'm waiting to see how this storm shapes up to see how much rain we get. But either way, it's going to get much colder. 49 in showers on Friday. That's kind of a nasty scenario. The coldest air of the season working in. We'll be in the 30s in the city. That puts many of you in the upper 20s for the first time this season. A little bit on the breezy side, too. And even next week, for the most part, staying on the chilly side. [00:13:37] Speaker 2: All right. Thank you, Doug. We'll see you at 11. Next time you fly out at Dulles International, maybe for the holidays, you could notice some big changes. A new United Airlines concourse was dedicated today, and it opens to passengers tomorrow. Our transportation reporter, Adam Tuss, has been at Dulles all day and has details. [00:13:56] Speaker 9: Three, two, one. [00:14:00] Speaker 12: A ribbon cut and lots of smiling faces at the airport for the new concourse E. [00:14:06] Speaker 5: This is such an important day for Virginia. [00:14:09] Speaker 12: Celebratory day here at Dulles International Airport for the first time in about 20 years. Take a look. We've got a new concourse, new space for you to check out here. Thousands of square feet of new space. It is squeaky clean. New restaurants and shops like Michelin star rated Ellie Bird. Good company donuts and cafe. Charging stations and plugs in just about every space that you can imagine. Brand new seating areas and comfy chairs. Bathrooms, yes, the bathrooms, yes, the bathrooms that are modern, updated, and frankly, very nice. A United Lounge that's over 40,000 square feet with stunning views of the airfield itself. Airport leaders say get used to it. There's more of this coming to Dulles. [00:14:53] Speaker 13: This is the standard that we're going to use for all the rest of the construction here at Dulles. As you can see, it's big, it's airy, it's open. [00:14:59] Speaker 12: Building on that, we caught up with U.S. DOT Deputy Secretary Stephen Bradbury. [00:15:03] Speaker 14: This will become the center of airport investment activity in the whole United States. It's great for Northern Virginia. It's great for the DMV. [00:15:12] Speaker 12: We did ask about costs to build all this, funneling down to travelers. [00:15:16] Speaker 14: The airlines that invest in these airport facilities spread that cost across their whole network. So we don't expect you'll see a significant increase in ticket prices just because of this construction. [00:15:28] Speaker 12: Important to note that this new 14-gate terminal for United does connect directly to the aerotrain system, but international flights will still use the people movers. For today, though, a big party as a new day for United and Dulles take shape. At Dulles International Airport, Adam Tuss, News 4. [00:15:47] Speaker 2: By the way, the total cost for this new concourse was about $1 billion, and it took three years to build. Still ahead, NBC's The Voice is back tonight, kicking off six weeks of live shows. There's one contestant with ties to the district. We'll hear from him ahead of tonight's performance. But before we head to break, we want to remind you the News 4 Today team is taking the show on the road again and heading to only Maryland for the four-on tour. Join News 4 Today on Friday. They'll be hanging out at the Cabo Meza. It's in the shopping center off Maryland 108. The entire News 4 Today team will be there live starting at 6 a.m. Come out and say hi. They can't wait to see you. NBC's The Voice starts six weeks of live shows tonight, leading up to the crowning of the Season 30 winner next month. Two of the four teams will take the stage tonight as the top 13 begins. One of the contestants on Team Adam has ties right here to the district. NBC's Mark Barker joins us live from outside The Voice soundstage. So, Mark, tell us a little bit about Connor. [00:17:09] Speaker 13: Yes, Connor Kloss. He's actually from Middletown, New Jersey, but he attended and studied music at Catholic University there in Washington. And he'll be among the 13 singers singing over the next two nights. But actually, he's taking the stage tonight. And he's very excited about the opportunity. Understandably, he's nervous about it. But he said he is ready for whatever happens. [00:17:31] Speaker 15: I think I got a little bit of my nerves out last night rehearsing. And then today, since we'll get to go on stage before the actual live, just to, like, walk the stage and, you know, just to get comfortable. It'll definitely help with our nerves going into the actual live taping, which is fun. I'm feeling great. I was actually really surprised with, like, the creative aspects behind it. They do a great job coming up with a great, you know, set up for everyone's song and, like, just the screens in the background and what they have on stage with you. It's pretty cool how they do that. And I'm excited to do it because it just feels more like production. And I love that stuff. So, I'm excited. [00:18:10] Speaker 13: A new episode of The Voice. So, he's actually going to get a chance to get his feet wet because the top 13 will perform together to start off the show tonight. And then, later on, he'll perform individually, hoping to get the votes from America to move on, Jim. [00:18:25] Speaker 2: We're going to do our part. All right. Mark Barger, thanks so much. Live from L.A. for us. We appreciate it. And the next new episode of The Voice headed your way tonight, 9 o'clock on NBC4. Viewers will be able to vote for their favorite performances on the NBC app and on TikTok by texting. On Sunday, NBC turns 100 years old. And did you know that many of the huge moments from the last century happened right here in our Washington studios? As part of our special Preserving 100 Years of NBC, Tommy McFly takes us on a walk down memory lane. [00:19:01] Speaker 16: A hundred years of NBC. And just think, 70 of those 100 were done here at 4001 Nebraska Avenue. [00:19:09] Speaker 17: Everybody who's been anybody on the planet that's important, that's ever been in Washington, D.C., has been in this building. Because this was the home of Meet the Press. This was the home of the NBC News Bureau. One of the Kennedy-Nixon debates happened here. [00:19:20] Speaker 18: Here tonight are the Republican candidate, Vice President Richard M. Nixon. And the Democratic candidate, Senator John F. Kennedy. [00:19:29] Speaker 16: Jim Henson started here at WRC-TV with a little puppet, a bunch of puppets he called Sam and Friends in Washington, D.C. One of those puppets was Kermit the Frog. [00:19:39] Speaker 9: We were trying every crazy, nonsensical thing we wanted to just to see what would stick. [00:19:44] Speaker 16: To this day, Kermit the Frog is part of any kid or adult's life. [00:19:48] Speaker 17: Ronald McDonald was born here. Willard Scott was the first Ronald McDonald. Willard was a radio host at WRC Radio. It's a tough job, but somebody had to do it. The history in pop culture, as well as actual news history, is just so deep and rich here. [00:20:02] Speaker 1: You sold eggs every Friday. I made more money out of the tax angle. [00:20:10] Speaker 19: I didn't need a lawyer. I didn't need an accountant. You made a bundle of them. You bought those eggs. [00:20:14] Speaker 17: I bought them every Friday. So we felt like we had to share that with people when they come to the building. [00:20:18] Speaker 16: So the time capsule was put in the building by Richard Nixon in 57, May of 57. [00:20:22] Speaker 17: We didn't know that it was there until we started the renovation. We found it. We took it to the Udvar-Hazy, to the Air and Space Museum out in Chantilly, and they opened [00:20:31] Speaker 16: it up for us. The Holy Grail we found in there was two reels of film of that day, which we've never seen before. [00:20:38] Speaker 1: You'll even see him flush in the event that he happens to say something that he's a little embarrassed about. [00:20:42] Speaker 16: Vice President Nixon was joking about color television. [00:20:45] Speaker 1: This is going to mean we can keep no secrets at all as to our feelings from the people. [00:20:49] Speaker 16: And you know the rest of the history of Vice President Nixon and President Nixon. [00:20:53] Speaker 17: So we now have that video of Richard Nixon using the ceremonial trowel to put the ceremonial mud underneath the cornerstone and seal up the time capsule, which we opened after 60 plus [00:21:05] Speaker 16: years. One of the many cool things, if not the coolest, is President Eisenhower walking through the building here. He was here to dedicate the building. But what happened that day is we inaugurated the first broadcast of a color program. Why didn't they let Eisenhower push the button? He was the president. [00:21:22] Speaker 19: As I came through this building, which will itself make these communications better, more rapid, more comprehensive. [00:21:34] Speaker 17: What radio and then eventually television has done to reflect on the events of the days and giving us the, be able to look back and see those stories and see how important our history history is, is, is something that's really special to be a part of it. [00:21:51] Speaker 20: They can tell us something about, you know, who we are, who we were, uh, and, uh, you know, what the, uh, you know, the world, the world at that time. And maybe, you know, we'll learn something that we can use in, in our time. Every day is like a history lesson here. [00:22:06] Speaker 16: Every day we are talking about history. We are making history. We are covering history. [00:22:11] Speaker 21: The finest facilities can bring these and other events into your home in their full splendor. So is NBC in Washington now prepared to serve you wherever you may live. [00:22:20] Speaker 18: From NBC radio to television, to streaming and digital and whatever medium meets us in the future, we'll bring you the story. I'm Tommy McFly. Cheers to a hundred more years. [00:22:33] Speaker 2: And you can catch the full special Preserving 100 Years of NBC Friday night, 730. Tommy will take us into the side of a mountain in Virginia where some of the oldest pieces of broadcast history are stored and the race is on to preserve them. Well, DC has at least one team making a championship run this year. The Washington spirit moving on to the semifinal match after beating the Portland Thorns 4 to 1 yesterday. The spirit will take on the Utah Royals. This Saturday game kicks off at noon at Audi field, despite a scheduling conflict there. The venue was originally going to host a Division III college football game on the same day as that semifinal. And happening right now, the Wizards are looking to snap a three-game skid as they visit the Detroit Pistons. That game tipped off over at Peacock at 7 o'clock. Wizards trail 42 to 37 in the second quarter. We will, of course, have highlights for you right here on News 4 at 11. And that's going to do it for the News 4 rundown for this Monday night. Be sure to join us right back here for all the day's news and your forecast, too, from Doug for News 4 at 11. For now, I'm Jim Hadley. Have a great night, everybody. Have a great night, everybody. [00:24:12] Speaker ?: We'll be right back.