Naresh Bhatt murder trial presents DNA and digital evidence

The murder trial of Naresh Bhatt, an accused Manassas Park man charged with killing and dismembering his wife, Mamta Kafle Bhatt, continued this week in Prince William County, Virginia. Prosecutors have presented a range of forensic and digital evidence, including cellphone records and vehicle tracking data from a Tesla. An FBI expert testified that while the data generally placed the couple in the same vicinity, there were notable instances where Mamta’s phone remained stationary while Naresh’s vehicle traveled to Chantilly.

Forensic evidence has been a central focus, specifically regarding a Ryobi saw that investigators believe was used to dismember the victim. Prosecutors presented testimony regarding reddish-brown stains and hair-like strands found inside the tool. Forensic scientists testified that DNA from a hairbrush was 99.9999% likely to have come from the biological mother of the couple’s daughter, which prosecutors used as a reference sample.

Defense attorneys have challenged the investigation, questioning the reliability of surveillance video timestamps and the limitations of chemical tests used to identify blood. They also argued that forensic scientists could not definitively determine when or how the DNA and blood were deposited on the evidence. Bhatt faces charges of first-degree murder, concealing a dead body, and defiling a dead body. He has been in custody since his arrest in August 2024.