A Virginia man told jurors he was too scared to call 911 after finding his wife dead and used a saw on her body, and a prosecutor called him a liar

Naresh Bhatt was found guilty of first-degree murder, concealing a dead body, and defiling a dead body after telling jurors he found his wife dead and dismembered her instead of calling 911, as reported by People. The verdict came after a six-week trial over the 2024 disappearance and death of his wife, Mamta Kafle Bhatt. Bhatt faces a possible life sentence, and his sentencing is scheduled for March 2027.

Mamta, a 28-year-old nurse and mother, disappeared from the home she shared with Bhatt in Manassas Park, Virginia, in July 2024. Authorities were alerted in early August after she missed two days of work in a row and her workplace requested a welfare check. The trial included testimony from nearly 100 witnesses.

Bhatt took the stand in his own defense days before the verdict. He admitted to using a saw to dismember his wife’s body and trying to dispose of the remains, but denied killing her. He testified that he woke up early on July 30, 2024, and found Mamta lying near their bed. He said she was surrounded by vomit containing pills and that an open packet of insecticide was nearby.

He admitted the cover-up but not the killing

Bhatt testified that he spent about an hour trying to resuscitate her before deciding to hide her body. He said he considered dumping her remains in the Potomac River and bought supplies from Home Depot. When his attorney, public defender Tracy Lennox, asked why he did not call 911, he struggled to answer.

“I don’t know why I did not. I tried to call. I was really scared. I don’t know why, something take over me. I was really, really panicked. I don’t know,” Bhatt said. He also testified that he tried to put the body in the trash, and when it would not fit, he used a reciprocating saw to cut it into pieces and placed them in multiple trash bags. Asked whether he intended to hide the remains so nobody would find them, he said yes.

Prosecutors challenged his account with forensic evidence from the home, including a power saw they said had blood and hair fragments on it. They also showed jurors internet search histories and text messages between Bhatt and his wife. Prosecutors argued the messages showed the couple had been arguing and indicated he wanted a Colombian woman, which they said pointed to a motive.

Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Matthew Sweet began his cross-examination by telling Bhatt, “You’re a liar.” Sweet questioned the inconsistencies in Bhatt’s statements and his failure to contact emergency services, and Bhatt acknowledged he had lied in the past.

Bhatt was first arrested in August 2024 after investigators found evidence in the house suggesting a body had been dragged out. He was initially charged with concealing a dead body, and the charges were later expanded to include first-degree murder and defiling a dead body.

Mamta’s remains have not been recovered despite extensive searches.