‘You're a liar': Prosecution cross examines Bhatt after he says he disposed of wife's body

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: First at four, a stunning admission from the witness stand in the Naresh Bhatt murder trial. Thanks for joining us for News 4 at 4. I'm Eun Yang. And I'm Erica Gonzalez. We want to warn you, you are about to hear testimony that includes gruesome details. We understand it is not for everybody, especially younger viewers. Naresh Bhatt is the Manassas Park man accused of killing his wife Mamta and dismembering her body in 2024. And in a surprise move today and a complete change from what he has claimed up to this point, Bhatt testified that he did not kill Mamta, but that she died by suicide and that he then got rid of her body. Here's some of what Bhatt had to say today on the stand. [00:00:41] Speaker 2: You, you, did you, what were you trying to put into the trash can? [00:00:47] Naresh Bhatt: Dead body. [00:00:49] Speaker 2: Mamta's body. [00:00:50] Naresh Bhatt: That's correct, yes. [00:00:51] Speaker 2: And how, what did you do before you put your body in the trash can? [00:00:58] Naresh Bhatt: Reduce the size and then put in a trash can with the, with the bat, in the bag. [00:01:02] Speaker 2: How did you do that, Mr. Bhatt? [00:01:04] Naresh Bhatt: With the, uh, I had a saw, we, I used the saw. [00:01:10] Speaker 1: Our Northern Virginia Bureau Chief, Drew Wilder, joins us live now from the Prince William County Courthouse. Drew, what a day. And that was actually just the beginning. [00:01:23] Speaker 4: I mean, everyone in the courtroom gasped, jaws hit the floor as Naresh Bhatt admitted that he dismembered his wife, Mamta Koffley, inside of the family's home. But in the same breath, says he didn't kill her. As you mentioned, he claimed that he woke up one night, was sleeping with their young baby down the hall and came into the bedroom. And he claims he found Mamta lying on the floor, dead from apparent suicide. But he says he got worried. He got scared that he was going to be blamed for this. So he didn't want to call 911. He claims he tried to save her life himself and that he failed. Then he describes over the next two days some of the most gruesome details I've ever heard in my life, but that he used a reciprocating saw to dismember his wife so he could throw her away in the trash. Late this afternoon, prosecutors began their questioning of Naresh Bhatt, and the cross-examination this afternoon has been eviscerating. You're a liar. [00:02:22] Naresh Bhatt: Yes. [00:02:23] Speaker 4: You lied. [00:02:27] Speaker 1: Order not doing that. [00:02:33] Speaker 4: There has been an actual line of people waiting to get into the courtroom today to witness this testimony. I've never seen anything like it. The courtroom is full to capacity, and there are people waiting out in the hall. It's one in, one out for people who want to hear this testimony of a man who claims that he never once raised his hand in violence at his wife, but admits that he did use a reciprocating saw to chop her up so she would fit more comfortably into a trash can. The testimony is dark, it's sinister, and you wonder whether or not the jurors listening to this now on the fifth week of this trial are buying any of it. I'll tell you who's not buying any of this. Momtacoffley's loved ones and her friends who were so shocked by the testimony inside the courtroom today that for the very first time during this trial, they came out during the lunch recess and they wanted to talk with the media. [00:03:31] Speaker 5: You know, girls are like God, right? So Momtacoffley's also somebody's girl, right? Momtacoffley's also somebody's daughter, right? You love your daughter to death, but you don't care about Momtacoffley, she's also somebody's daughter. He has no emotions, it's all made up, it's all, you know, he memorized all this last two years. This is what I want to say. [00:03:59] Speaker 4: Prosecutors are still cross-examining Naresh Bhatt. This is starting to get to the point in the day where the judge has been wrapping up the trial. Wonder whether or not prosecutors are going to wrap up here in the next 30 minutes or if this cross-exam is going to carry into next week. Remember, there isn't any trial on Friday. But the question for the attorneys is, where do they go from here legally? The charges against Naresh Bhatt are first-degree murder, defiling of a human body, of a dead human body, and concealing a dead human body. Naresh Bhatt admits that he defiled a dead body and that he concealed a dead body, but he says he didn't commit any murder. Tomorrow, we anticipate the attorneys will get together outside the presence of the jury and they'll begin working through some of the jury instructions that the jury will ultimately present it when the case gets to them. Really wonder whether or not prosecutors will continue to move forward with this first-degree murder charge. Probably too early to speculate on that, but what a massive shift in the tone of this trial today. [00:05:02] Speaker 6: It is pretty unbelievable. Drew, anyone else you know of who will testify for the defense for Naresh Bhatt that's coming up? [00:05:11] Speaker 4: Right. We know that they're going to recall probably a couple of the detectives and they're probably going to recall a couple people from the Department of Forensic Science. And they also have a forensics expert that they've hired and brought on to kind of counter some of the things that the prosecution's expert testified to. One of the really interesting points of contention moving forward is in the DNA evidence that was discovered in the primary bedroom. Prosecutors believe that Mamta was murdered inside the primary bedroom. Remember, that's where Naresh says he found her dead and that she had vomited. There's going to be a question moving forward of whether or not the DNA evidence that was recovered in the primary bedroom was her blood. Or could the defense try to explain that away and say, well, that was actually the vomit that he claims was from her taking her own life. It's a lot. I realize this is a lot to try to explain and it's a lot to hear. You guys, what this comes back to is a woman who was reaching out to her friends and her loved ones, alleging domestic violence and abuse inside the home. And prosecutors are saying this was a case of domestic violence. That ended in murder. [00:06:27] Speaker 1: Drew, we're going to have to leave it there. We're going to continue our coverage with you. We invite you at home to join us tonight at 730 for a special half hour of the case. Where is Mamta? Drew will join me live and we're going to hear more of today's testimony. We're also going to be joined by an NBC News legal analyst and a psychologist who impact this new theory of suicide in the case. Scan the QR code that you see on your screen. You'll catch the first four episodes of the case. Where is Mamta? In our NBC Washington YouTube channel.