Naresh Bhatt testified Thursday that his wife, Mamta Kafle Bhatt, died by suicide, InsideNoVa reports.
Bhatt said he found Mamta unconscious beside her own vomit, pesticides and pills in the early-morning hours of July 30, 2024. He said he attempted CPR using a stethoscope and thermometer.
During testimony on Day 17 of his murder trial, Bhatt said he sought to hide the body in the Potomac and later cut it up with a saw. He said he did not call 911 out of fear and panic.
Mamta’s mother, Gita Kafle, sobbed in the courtroom and briefly left before returning. Audible gasps came from the gallery during parts of the testimony, InsideNoVa reported.
Bhatt, 39, is charged with first-degree murder, concealment of a dead body and physical defilement of a dead body. No body has been found. Mamta, a Manassas Park nurse and mother, was last heard from on July 29, 2024. She was 28.
Prosecutors have not cross-examined Bhatt yet.
