Naresh Bhatt trial jurors handle replica of saw allegedly used to dismember wife

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: A busy start to the fourth week of Nuresh Bhatt's murder trial after the judge told the Commonwealth last week to speed things along. Prosecutors called 15 witnesses today. [00:00:12] Speaker 2: And jurors got to see some key evidence, including the power saw that prosecutors alleged the Manassas Park man used to dismember his wife, Mamta Kofle Bhatt. Our Rebecca Turco joins us now live outside the Prince William County Courthouse. Rebecca, the saw was shown in court today, right? [00:00:32] Rebecca Turco: Yes, and on top of that, jurors even got to physically hold the same make and model of the power saw, and they got a demo of how it works. Watch. [00:00:42] Speaker 4: Just for five seconds, could you put it on max speed and... [00:00:51] Rebecca Turco: And earlier today, a crime scene investigator showed jurors the actual power saw that was taken into evidence two years ago. She told jurors that she took it apart and found suspected bloodstains and hair-like fibers inside that she sent to the forensic lab to be tested. Remember, this is the same power saw Nuresh Bhatt's landscaper testified last week that Nuresh gave him on August 1st, 2024, which we know was right around the time Mamta Kofle Bhatt disappeared. Jurors also heard from the city's superintendent of public works, who testified around 160 gallons of water were used in the Bhatt's house during a two-hour period on July 31st, 2024. He said that is not consistent with personal use. [00:01:36] Speaker 1: Can you help visualize how much water that would be? [00:01:41] Speaker 5: It would be equivalent to having a faucet open all the way or a severe plumbing issue. [00:01:49] Rebecca Turco: Crime scene investigators also testified about bath mats recovered from a clothing donation bin at a gas station in Loudoun County. The same gas station where jurors saw a surveillance video of last week of a man who testified Nuresh was seen in surveillance videos on August 1st, 2024. Today, investigators testified one of the bath mats found in that bin had suspected bloodstains on it. Jurors also heard from an official at the White House military office who testified he was asked to run search queries on Nuresh's military account. Nuresh worked for IT at that office, so the official there testified Nuresh's account included internet searches from April of 2024 asking about the debt of a deceased spouse and how long it takes to get married after a spouse dies. [00:02:38] Speaker 6: If someone were to come up and use my computer while I'm away from it, it would still show that I, in my username, searched for an item, correct? [00:02:47] Speaker 4: When Nuresh's bot typed in, how long does it take to get married after spouse dead, do you know what Nuresh's bot's motive is when he types that? Ain't good. [00:02:58] Rebecca Turco: And a family friend of the bots also testified today that back in February of 2024 that she went over to the bot's house and that Nuresh told her that he didn't want to continue the relationship. He said the couple kept arguing. Scott. [00:03:16] Speaker 2: Yeah, Rebecca, 15 witnesses by the prosecution. That's a lot of testimony today. Is the Commonwealth on track now to finish its case on time? [00:03:27] Rebecca Turco: Yeah, well, they told the judge they are. Today they said that they expect to rest their case to call all of their witnesses by next Monday. But remember, this comes after just last week saying that they estimated it taking another three weeks to call all of their witnesses, which the judge said then that they couldn't have. Remember, the trial overall is slated for seven weeks. And after the Commonwealth rests, the defense still has several witnesses to call. Items that tested positive for presumptive blood were the ones then sent for DNA testing. She said scientists used a hairbrush believed to be Mumta Koffle bots to build a DNA profile for her. Jurors had first heard about that brush on Monday. Investigators testified it was found in a drawer downstairs with some of Mumta's prescriptions. Now, the scientists today testified that for certain swabs of presumptive blood taken from the power saw, Mumta could not be eliminated as a major contributor to that DNA profile. But she said Naresh and his daughter could, meaning it's likely not their DNA on the power saw. Some tested areas of the power saw, however, could not produce a complete DNA profile, which the defense questioned during cross-examination. And then the Commonwealth worked to clarify why. [00:04:44] Speaker 1: What about other cleaning supplies? Could those degrade DNA as well? [00:04:49] Speaker 7: Yes, other cleaning supplies, even if they don't contain bleach, can also degrade or destroy DNA. [00:04:57] Rebecca Turco: Jurors also heard from an FBI special agent who analyzed records of the bots' cell phones and Naresh's Tesla around the time Mumta disappeared. That special agent said the Tesla and the phone we know to be Naresh's were usually in the same vicinity at the same time, including during trips to a trash compactor. But not when the Tesla pinged a cell tower by a gas station in Chantilly on the afternoon of August 1st, 2024. That's when prosecutors claim Naresh dropped off a bath mat with suspected bloodstains and other items in a clothing donation bin there. The special agent testified the phone we know to be Mumta's was pinging in that vicinity, too, at that time. He said that was the last time that phone connected to the cellular network. The defense's line of questioning aimed at proving how the data can't show who was in the car at any given time and that it also can't show who was holding the phone. And on redirect, the Commonwealth pointed to other evidence they had that they say points to Naresh bot like surveillance. [00:06:00] Speaker 4: Would a timing advance log and a photograph of a person at the timing advance location, would that assist an investigation for a person of interest? It certainly would. [00:06:17] Rebecca Turco: And jurors also heard from a handful of the bots' neighbors who testified that Naresh never told them Mumta was missing and that he never asked them for help finding her. [00:06:26] Speaker 2: Yeah, Rebecca, a lot of DNA and geolocating for jurors to try and sort through today. What should we expect for tomorrow? Do we know yet? [00:06:37] Rebecca Turco: Yeah, well, at this point, we got a little bit of a preview at the end of the day. That's because the Commonwealth said they planned to introduce a Prince William County police officer to the witness stand after the jurors left. The defense already had several objections to that because the state plans to introduce evidence tomorrow of a WhatsApp conversation between Naresh and Mumta in Nepali, allegedly talking about infidelity. Now, the judge said that the Commonwealth is going to need to have that officially translated for the jury because as of yet, it's not translated. So whether or not we get that evidence introduced tomorrow, in theory, is going to depend on if the Commonwealth can get it translated tonight. So an officer testified that he responded to the bots' home the night of Valentine's Day back in February of 2024. And he said it was Mumta Kopley Bot who called police that night. He testified that Mumta was crying and that she seemed upset. He said he ultimately ended up changing the calls label in the system, though, from domestic because, he said, Mumta no longer wanted to speak with him, so he didn't have any information on what happened. Jurors also heard from a forensic investigator who extracted data from Naresh Bot's cell phone, including text messages. She and the prosecutor read through those texts that she said were sent from Naresh and Mumta's phones beginning February 16th, 2024. Remember, that's just shortly after police first responded to the home. Some of the texts were translated from Nepali. The text from Mumta's phone says she needs a break from the frustration and says she won't come to the house. The couple goes back and forth the following two days, figuring out times they will care for their child. The text from Naresh's phone labels Mumta as cruel and says she'll regret a lot. On cross-examination, the defense pointed to how the investigator doesn't know the exact context of everything translated from Nepali and the tone of the messages overall. On redirect, the Commonwealth fired back. [00:08:42] Speaker 4: The days are coming that you will regret a lot. Is that subject to interpretation or is the context pretty clear what the bot phone is saying to the Mumta phone? [00:08:55] Speaker 1: I think it's clear. [00:08:59] Rebecca Turco: Jurors also heard about Google searches extracted from Naresh's cell phone. The investigator testified there were searches made about divorce in February of 2024. And she said on July 30th that year, there were searches for human brain diagram and chicken farm near me. She outlined numerous searches made in the days surrounding Mumta's disappearance, including for flights, private adoption, criminal lawyers, and whether VA disability stops if you go to jail. Now, jurors also heard from immigration officers this afternoon who testified that Mumta never showed up for an interview that she had scheduled for August. She was applying to become a naturalized citizen. She had a green card at the time. Michelle? [00:09:43] Speaker 1: A lot of big developments today in court, Rebecca. Do we know who the Commonwealth plans to call to the stand tomorrow? [00:09:50] Rebecca Turco: Not officially, but the judge did tell jurors before they were released for the day that the Commonwealth plans to rest its case on Monday. So that means two more days of testimony Thursday and Monday from the Commonwealth. From there, the defense picks up. At last check, they only have about 15 or so witnesses they plan to call. And we still don't know yet at this time if Naresh is one of those witnesses. [00:10:17] Speaker 1: Prosecutors are close to resting their case in Naresh Bhatt's murder trial. They plan to call their final witnesses on Monday, and then it's the defense's turn. The Manassas Park man is accused of killing his wife, who hasn't been seen since her disappearance in 2024. Our Rebecca Turco joins us live now from the courthouse with the breakdown. So, Rebecca, it was a shorter day today for jurors. [00:10:43] Rebecca Turco: Yeah, for jurors it was, but not so much for attorneys because they spent close to three hours arguing over evidence that the Commonwealth wants introduced in this case, including statements from the victim and her brother. The Commonwealth focused on the Bhatt's bank accounts for most of the morning. Jurors learned from two witnesses that Naresh Bhatt had two solo bank accounts, one from before he got married and one from two years later. A J.P. Morgan Chase supervisor testified Naresh's wife, Mamta Kofle Bhatt, opened her own checking and savings account on February 14th, 2024, hours before we know police went to the couple's house on a domestic dispute call. Yesterday, a responding officer testified Mamta was crying and seemed upset that night, but wouldn't talk to police. No charges were filed. Jurors also learned Mamta had a credit card in her name. The bank supervisor testified the first missed payments came late August of 2024. Jurors heard from a CarMax employee last. She testified Naresh sold them his Tesla on August 16th of 2024. That's around two weeks after Mamta disappeared. After the jurors left, the attorneys went back and forth about statements the Commonwealth aims to put into evidence, including text messages between Mamta and her brother that point to Naresh being abusive. The judge wanted to hear both sides' arguments. [00:12:08] Speaker 8: Some of the rulings I've made here are different than I would have anticipated based on the evidence that was given. So you need to know that I'm not beyond changing that ruling if I am convinced that I am incorrect. [00:12:22] Rebecca Turco: She called Mamta's brother to the stand so the Commonwealth could lay their foundation for the evidence they want allowed in when they call him to the stand Monday. So both sides went back and forth over which statements they feel should be found admissible versus hearsay. Like texts sent from Mamta's phone alleging that Naresh withheld food and other abusive acts, the judge preemptively decided on some of those statements being allowed in. Others, she said she'll decide in the moment based on the Commonwealth's foundation they lay. We're live from the courthouse. Rebecca Turco, 7 News.