Prosecution rests in Naresh Bhatt trial after emotional testimony from Mamta's brother
Prosecutors rested their case Monday in the trial of Naresh Bhatt, the Northern Virginia man accused of killing and dismembering his wife, Mamta Kafle, more than two years ago.
Kafle’s brother Mahesh Kafle was the last witness to take the stand for the prosecution.
In emotional testimony, Mahesh said he told his sister not to marry Bhatt after the first time he met him.
He said that a couple of months before Mamta’s disappearance, she secretly texted him a picture that appeared to show her with a black eye, and she told him Naresh gave her the bruise.
Mahesh said Mamta told him to keep the photo because she might need it at a later time. She then told him she would delete it off of her phone so that Bhatt wouldn’t find it, Mahesh testified.
Forensic scientist says blood on carpet ‘beyond likely’ Mamta’s
A witness from the Department of Forensic Science testified earlier in the day that it was “beyond likely” that the majority of the blood on the stained primary bedroom carpet was Mamta’s blood.
Hired expert and professional forensic evidence analyst Iris Dalley Graff also connected some crucial dots for prosecutors.
Her testimony began with a diagram of Bhatt and Kafle’s primary bedroom, where prosecutors believe Bhatt murdered his wife.
The bed is positioned where detectives believe it was originally – then the yellow markings show where it was moved to, covering up an area of carpet where blood was found and, maybe more importantly, where blood was not found.
“There are patterns that are missing,” Graff testified.
Graff also explained what may seem obvious: If blood is found on the bottom side of carpet, at some point, the blood was on top of the carpet.
Missing stains on the top of the carpet “would generally indicate some type of cleaning,” she said.
Graff then testified to an illustration that showed the source of the blood on the carpet being dragged from the area near the bed to the primary bathroom, where investigators discovered more blood evidence.
Friend says Bhatt gave her wedding band after wife disappeared
A close friend of Bhatt and Mamta Kafle testified that a couple of weeks after Kafle disappeared, Bhatt gave her all of Mamta’s jewelry and his wedding band.
The friend said Bhatt spoke to her seven to eight months before about the possibility of divorcing Kafle.
Last week, a forensic scientist testified that DNA and blood samples found in an electric saw are very likely to be Kafle’s blood.
Prosecutors said Bhatt bought the saw months before they say he killed Kafle. He gave it to a landscaper – who then gave it to police.
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