Jurors hear from detectives, friends and more in week 3 of Naresh Bhatt's murder trial

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: BOTS murder trial is now in its third week and the details already have been compelling. [00:00:04] Liana: Straight out live to 7 News reporter Liana Golden who's been staying on top of this trial for us in its entirety. She's with us live to walk us through the footage Liana and the latest testimony we just [00:00:13] Adam: heard. Yeah well up until this point we'd only seen footage of Naresh inside of the BOTS home when the police officers came to him. This is new. This is the first time we're seeing him inside of the police station being intentionally questioned about where his wife was at that time. Here's part [00:00:32] Speaker 4: of what he said. What's the longest she was ever gone for? I remember a couple of weeks, not a couple of weeks. Somewhere like that 10 to 15 days, something like that. So that line of questioning happened after [00:00:47] Adam: the police captain asked how they got along and whether the couple ever talked about getting a divorce. That interview took place on August 12th, about two weeks after Momta disappeared. Jurors also got to see more surveillance video of Naresh's alleged trips to grocery stores and Home Depot over several days around the time she disappeared. Store employees testifying they saw him in videos buying heavy-duty trash bags, garden gloves, carpet cleaner, other cleaning supplies. And you likely remember this video from last week when prosecution brought out a large carpet from the couple's bedroom. Crime scene investigators testifying it had suspected bloodstains on it. The jury also heard from a security officer who confirmed seeing Naresh on tape buying gloves. [00:01:31] Speaker 5: You know, there's a lot of people who have been on this photo. Can you tell us, read out the date, time and stamp on this screenshot? [00:01:39] Speaker 6: July 30th, 2024, 8:24 a.m. [00:01:43] Speaker 5: And is the date, time and stamp what you put on this image? [00:01:47] Speaker ?: Yes. [00:01:47] Speaker 5: Does it reflect the accurate date and time of the purchase of the gloves? Yes, it does. [00:01:53] Adam: Now, one of Mamta's closest friends also testified as she was supposedly one of the last people to see Mamta. She said that she was having a hard time reaching her. She got really concerned when she wouldn't pick up her phone, saying she was always a very reliable and consistent person. Her words were, she's not difficult to reach. [00:02:14] Liana: All right. So, Liana, I mean, pretty compelling and frankly damning testimony. The stuff with the carpet in Home Depot. I mean, how many criminals have we seen done in by their Home Depot purchases? What sort of things can we expect to play out in court today? [00:02:27] Adam: Yeah, so we're going to see the rest of that surveillance footage, Adam. We only saw about 30 minutes in. We know it's longer than an hour and so certainly curious myself to see how that line of questioning finished. What else Nuresh said? We've heard him say plenty on video already, so we're all kind of waiting to see what else he's got to say today. Well, [00:02:49] Speaker 6: jurors heard Nuresh tell police that the couple didn't have arguments, but they also heard from one of Mamta Kofflebot's friends who says Mamta told her she was suffering. [00:03:01] Speaker 7: Did Mamta ever talk to you about divorce? She talked about staying separate and being safe. And when you say staying separate, what did you understand that to mean? She did not talk about divorce, but she wanted to be safe. [00:03:24] Speaker 6: Sunita Basnet Thapa testified she saw a bruise on Mamta Kofflebot's face in December of 2023, but she said Mamta told her she fell down. There were several objections from the defense during Thapa's testimony as the prosecution's line of questioning veered toward allegations of Nuresh's past violence and behavior before Mamta disappeared. The judge excused the jurors and Thapa for nearly an hour as both sides argued the legal grounds of what testimony should be deemed relevant to this case. The judge found there's room to discuss the nature of the relationship with what people observed, but she said it needs to be relevant in order to prove malice. Earlier in the day, jurors heard Nuresh during his first police visit on August 12, 2024, 10 days before his arrest. Nuresh is heard in the video saying he and Mamta didn't have arguments and that she seemed normal [00:04:17] Speaker 4: when he last saw her. How would you describe her mood on that Wednesday? It was like very normal. Very [00:04:25] Speaker 6: normal. Very normal. Very normal. Not doing normal. And we also heard from waste management officials about how their trash collection process works. Remember, prosecutors are alleging that Nuresh dumped [00:04:40] Rebecca: mumped his body. Michelle. Yeah, a very important point to keep in mind. Rebecca, jurors also heard from the couple's babysitter who started watching their 11 month old just weeks before manta's disappearance. What did that person have to say? [00:04:57] Speaker 6: Yeah, well, she talked about how she started watching the child earlier in 2024 and that she said on the day she watched her that manta would be texting her constantly checking in on her baby. But she said later the following month or the end of the month, I should say between July 30th and August 2nd, she said Nuresh had asked her to watch the child. But she said at no point during that time frame did mom to reach out to her to check in on the baby that Nuresh was the only parent who did. And she said when the child would come back each day she came back in clothes from the night before. [00:05:35] Speaker 9: For 31 minutes approximately, do we see the defendant? Yes. What is he doing? He is pulling up to park. And where is he parking? Near the trash compactor. [00:05:53] Speaker 5: Was there a vehicle in that general area prior to this? Yes, there was. [00:05:59] Speaker 9: What kind of a vehicle was it? It was a white Jeep Wrangler. [00:06:12] Speaker 5: What do we see the defendant doing? Getting out of his vehicle and opening the trunk. Now, what if anything do you see on his hands? He's wearing gloves. What color gloves? White. And what does he appear to be carrying? Trash bags. What does he do with the trash bags? Throws them out in the compactor. [00:07:04] Speaker 9: What is he doing now? Getting more bags and headed towards the compactor. Throwing some more stuff into the compactor. Does he still have those gloves on? Yes, he does. What is he doing now? What is he doing now? He is getting more trash bags out and into the compactor. [00:07:36] Speaker 5: What if anything? What if anything is he doing with the gloves? Removing the gloves. [00:07:52] Speaker 9: What is he doing now at 33 minutes and 22 seconds? Throwing more stuff into the, in front of the compactor. What if anything is he doing now at 33 minutes? He's doing a compactor. [00:08:02] Speaker ?: What if anything is he doing now at 33 minutes? He's doing a compactor. What if anything is he doing now at 33 minutes? He's doing a compactor. What if anything is he doing now at 33 minutes? He's doing a compactor. What if anything is he doing now at 33 minutes? He's doing a compactor. What if anything is he doing now at 33 minutes? He's doing a compactor. What if anything is he doing now at 33 minutes? He's doing a compactor. What if anything is he doing now at 33 minutes? He's doing a compactor. What if anything is he doing now at 33 minutes? He's doing a compactor. What if anything is he doing now at 33 minutes? He's doing a compactor. What if anything is he doing now at 33 minutes? He's doing a compactor. What if anything is he doing now at 34 minutes? [00:08:46] Speaker 5: At 34 minutes and 14 seconds, what do we see the defendant do? He drives away. And we saw him go to the right hand side of the screen. [00:08:57] Speaker 9: What direction is he going in? Um, they're either back to his apartment or there's also an exit out that way as well. [00:09:11] Speaker 5: Stopping this video at 34 minutes and 42 seconds. [00:09:27] Speaker ?: So, let's go. I'm going to go to the right hand side. I'm going to go to the right hand side. I'm going to go to the right hand side. I'm going to go to the right hand side. I'm going to go to the right hand side. I'm going to go to the right hand side. I'm going to go to the right hand side. I'm going to go to the right hand side. I'm going to go to the right hand side. I'm going to go to the right hand side. I'm going to go to the right hand side. I'm going to go to the right hand side. I'm going to go to the right hand side. [00:09:57] Speaker 5: This is commonwealth's exhibit 330 D. Can you tell us what we're looking at here? [00:10:09] Speaker 9: Yes, that is another view of the trash compactor. [00:10:12] Speaker 5: Is this in the day or nighttime nighttime? Does it correspond with? Pausing this at 6 minutes and 49 seconds. Do you see Mr. Bott? I do, yes. What does he appear to be doing? Throwing trash bags into the compactor. And can you just tell us what he's wearing? Orange shirt, blue jeans, and flip-flops. Flip-flops. Continuing to play. Now, what does he appear to be doing approximately at 6 minutes and 55 seconds? [00:10:56] Speaker 9: Taking out something from the bag in order to before he throws it back into the compactor. [00:11:14] Speaker 5: Stopping that video at 7 minutes and 10 seconds. [00:11:22] Speaker 10: Where is he parking directly in front of the dumpster? Again, it is inverted, so it's going to look like he gets out of the passenger side, but he is the driver. [00:11:39] Speaker 5: And at this time, I am going to zoom in. I'm going to tools, effects and filters, video effects, geometry, interactive zoom. So we see the individual appear to put something on his hands. Can you tell what that is? [00:12:10] Speaker 10: It appears he put gloves on. [00:12:16] Speaker 5: And what does it appear he removed from the vehicle? [00:12:19] Speaker 10: A large bag of trash. [00:12:25] Speaker 5: Does he place it into the dumpster? Yes. Is there a second bag that he? [00:12:37] Speaker 10: Yes, that one looks smaller than the first. Looks like he dropped it, so he bent down to make sure he put it in the dumpster that time. [00:12:54] Speaker 5: Again, we just saw him enter what appears to be the passenger seat. [00:13:09] Speaker 10: But that is the driver because of the inversion of the camera. So, that video is July 30th in the morning. I'm going to say between 7:00 to 9:30 ish. [00:13:36] Speaker 5: And is that Tuesday, July 30th, 2024? I don't remember Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. [00:13:45] Speaker 10: But it is July 30th, 2024. I don't know if it's July 30th, but it is July 30th, 2024. [00:13:59] Speaker ?: I don't know if it's July 30th, 2024. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. [00:14:47] Speaker 5: I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. [00:14:58] Speaker ?: I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. [00:15:08] Speaker 9: I don't know if it's July 30th. [00:15:10] Speaker ?: I don't know if it's July 30th. [00:15:12] Speaker 5: What does he appear to be doing? [00:15:26] Speaker 9: Um, he appears to be getting some trash out of his trunk. When object to that judge, that's not really what we're seeing on the screen. [00:15:38] Adam: I'll allow you to cross her on it. [00:15:39] Speaker 5: What did we just see him do at minute seven minutes in? [00:15:57] Speaker 9: Um, throw bags into the trash compactor? [00:16:11] Speaker ?: I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. [00:16:54] Speaker 5: I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. [00:16:57] Rebecca: I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. [00:17:08] Speaker ?: I don't know if it's July 30th. [00:17:08] Rebecca: I don't know if it's July 30th. [00:17:09] Speaker 11: I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. 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I don't know if it's July 30th. [00:18:21] Speaker 12: I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. [00:18:23] Speaker ?: I don't know if it's July 30th. [00:18:24] Speaker 6: I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. [00:19:00] Speaker 5: I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. [00:19:07] Speaker 9: I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. [00:19:12] Speaker ?: I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. [00:19:14] Speaker 6: I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. [00:19:30] Speaker 11: I don't know if it's July 30th. I don't know if it's July 30th. It's a short week for jurors. The trial doesn't resume again until Monday. How much longer could this all last? [00:19:38] Speaker 6: Yeah, so it's allotted for seven weeks, and that includes the defense calling their witnesses and time for jurors to deliberate. So as you can imagine, we're on week three, when the judge dismissed jurors for the day. She called the attorneys together, and she essentially told the Commonwealth to speed things along because the Commonwealth has more than 100 witnesses that they have listed that they'll be questioning, but so far they've only gone through about 45. [00:20:08] Speaker 1: The judge in the Nareshbat murder trial is warning prosecutors time is running out. Glad to have you with us this morning. I'm Adriana Hopkins. I'm Adam Longo. [00:20:16] Liana: So the trial is already three weeks in, and Judge Kimberly Irving says she is not confident the state can finish within the seven weeks that was originally set aside. All right, 7 News. [00:20:25] Speaker 1: John Gonzalez is live with why the judge is demanding prosecutors pick up the pace. [00:20:32] Speaker 12: Yeah, Adriana, good morning. Yeah, the judge was very candid in court on Wednesday, saying that she's concerned that the prosecution is simply taking too long, and she's concerned that the defense team will not have enough time to present its case, to plead its case. Three weeks in, the prosecution has called more than 40 witnesses and has already shown jurors hours of video evidence. Remember, the judge wants all of this wrapped up in about seven weeks or less, and we understand more than 100 witnesses will be called overall before all is said and done. Now some of that surveillance video shown Wednesday was footage from two apartment complexes where prosecutors say Nuresh bought wore gloves and discarded trash bags in the days after his wife, Manta Call Fleet bought disappeared. Apartment managers testified about that footage on Wednesday. [00:21:33] Speaker 5: Can you explain or describe to us how he's holding the bag he's going to throw in the compactor? [00:21:39] Speaker 9: He's carrying as if the bag were to break, if it was something heavy. [00:21:44] Speaker 12: Now the judge has given the prosecution team four days to review their case and figure out what testimony can be streamlined. The trial is expected to resume Monday with that seven week deadline still a major concern off day today and Friday has been an off day during this trial. So yeah, time is running out, Adriana. [00:22:11] Speaker 1: Okay, John. So what other evidence key evidence did juror see? [00:22:16] Speaker 12: Yeah, some key evidence photographs. The jury saw photographs of a power saw that once belonged to Nuresh bought a power saw that prosecutors argued in court. He used to dispose of his wife's body. That power saw was actually returned to police by the family's landscaper. He says that Nuresh bought gave it to him as a gift, payback for the work he's done around the house. [00:22:43] Speaker 1: Okay, and there was also some testimony from the people who rented out the bots basement. What did they have to say? [00:22:49] Speaker 12: Yeah, there was a married couple that rented the basement for some time. The husband says said in court yesterday that Nuresh bought asked him to come up to the master bedroom one day and help him rearrange furniture. The prosecution argues that he was trying to rearrange furniture to hide blood stains in that master bedroom. That tenant, that husband, did also say under oath that he and his wife never saw the bots or never heard the bots argue or fight inside the house. [00:23:22] Speaker 1: All right, John Gonzalez, thank you for the report. Of course, stay with seven news as we continue to follow developments on Nuresh bought's murder trial. You can find all of our coverage on the trial and Monta's disappearance right now on wjla.com and our seven news YouTube page. All right, straight away.