Experts declare Mamta Kafle Bhatt murder case ‘no body’

MANASSAS PARK, Va. – The disappearance of Mamta Kafle Bhatt, a young mother and nurse, has attracted widespread attention since she was last seen in late July.

Although she was presumed dead, her body was never found. Now her husband Naresh Bhatt is charged with murder.

He was scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday, but the hearing was postponed until Wednesday to allow for a translator.

On Tuesday evening, WUSA9 spoke with two legal experts who are familiar with murder cases without a body. They shared insights into the challenges facing both sides.

Frank Salvato, a criminal defense attorney, points out that defending Naresh Bhatt could be difficult, especially when evidence is already publicly known. He added: “It will be a very difficult case for the defense.”

“You will be left with these two scenarios: Did someone else do something nefarious to her, or did she voluntarily abandon her friends and family without leaving a trace, without any communication, without anything like that. That is, if that’s the case.” “A very, very difficult case for the defense, in my opinion,” Salvato said.

He said Naresh Bhatt’s inconsistent statements to the police, community and media were a huge burden.

RELATED: Newly released body camera footage shows first interaction between Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s husband and police

“The prosecutor will go through these statements piece by piece to point out each and every inconsistency. Did they have marital problems, where did they have problems?,” Salvato said.

He said all of these things were part of the circumstantial evidence in this case.

“Then there is something like what I call: this moment of caution, this difficult moment when the government and the prosecutor present all this evidence regarding the blood that was found in the house. Sometimes when there’s blood in a sink, there’s blood in a bathtub, there’s a small amount of blood in a car, that’s easy to explain from a defense perspective. When there is significant blood loss in a home, I think that’s a really difficult part of the case for the defense to overcome in order to create any kind of reasonable doubt,” Salvato said.

“From a prosecutor’s perspective, the next best thing to a confession is a lie,” said Cass Castillo, a special agent for the Florida attorney general with experience in murder cases where there is no body.

He said he prosecuted six murder cases without a body.

“Most prosecutors think not having a body is a disadvantage. In most cases it’s a benefit,” Castillo said.

He told WUSA9 that in most cases like this, prosecutors have to prove two things. That Mamta Kafle Bhatt is dead and that her death was the result of a criminal act. Castillo emphasized that prosecutors could build a narrative about who she was – a mother and a nurse – and strengthen their case.

“She is a likeable person under all circumstances. It doesn’t matter what the circumstances were. You know, she’s a likeable person and you as a prosecutor can easily take advantage of that. The juror will want to blame someone.” “They won’t abandon their obligation to prove you, but they will want you to prove your case,” Cass said.

Castillo believes the prosecution will ultimately succeed based on the evidence already released.

The defense had originally tried to speed up the trial, but in light of new charges, the roles could now be reversed. Experts say prosecutors will push for a quicker trial, while the defense could try to slow the process down.

The commonwealth’s attorney indicated the trial may not take place until fall next year.