October 29: Bank and Tesla Sale Records Enter Naresh Bhatt Trial as Judge Reviews Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s Statements

October 29, 2026

October 29: Bank and Tesla Sale Records Enter Naresh Bhatt Trial as Judge Reviews Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s Statements

On Thursday, October 29, jurors in the murder trial of Naresh Bhatt heard testimony about financial accounts and the sale of his Tesla after his wife, Mamta Kafle Bhatt, disappeared in 2024. Prosecutors called five witnesses before the jury was dismissed around 11:15 a.m. Eastern. After jurors left, the attorneys argued about statements Mamta allegedly made to her brother Mahesh Kafle. Judge Kimberly Irving said certain statements could be admitted, while other statements would require additional foundation at a later hearing. These are two different parts of the day’s proceedings, and testimony discussed outside the jury’s presence should not be described as evidence the jury has already heard. Naresh Bhatt has pleaded not guilty and is presumed innocent.

Why It Matters

Financial records can help a jury understand a timeline, but a bank statement or car sale does not independently prove a murder. Similarly, evidence that a person reportedly feared someone must meet court rules before it can be considered by a jury. The October 29 proceedings show prosecutors building a circumstantial case while the judge determines which statements may be heard. Mamta was a nurse, mother and daughter whose body has not been found. This trial remains about what can be proved, not simply which allegation attracts attention.

Go Deeper | What Happened Thursday, October 29

Bank witnesses and the couple’s financial records

According to 7News WJLA’s October 29 courthouse reporting, records custodians from Wells Fargo, Navy Federal Credit Union and JPMorgan Chase testified about checking and savings accounts, deposits, transfers, and payments associated with the family.

A JPMorgan Chase witness discussed accounts in Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s name opened February 14, 2024. Testimony also addressed a $2,000 check payable to Naresh Bhatt in February and a $710 payment to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in June 2024, among other transactions. The jurors were receiving financial documentation, not an expert conclusion that any particular payment established criminal intent.

The Tesla sale at CarMax

Lauren Leppo, an assistant business operations manager for CarMax, testified that sale records showed Bhatt sold a 2023 Tesla Model Y at the Fairfax dealership on August 16, 2024. WJLA reported a sale price of $28,000, an outstanding Navy Federal loan balance of $24,228.91 and a draft payment of $3,771.09 to Bhatt after the loan was paid. She also described police later retrieving the car and obtaining transaction documents.

These figures come from the witness’s description of business records. The sale date is important for the prosecution’s timeline, but the sale itself does not tell a jury what happened to Mamta in July. The defense may dispute the inferences the prosecution asks jurors to draw.

The jury is sent home early

The day’s five witnesses concluded the financial presentation by roughly 11:15 a.m. The judge excused jurors early, saying the prosecution expected to complete its case on Monday, November 2. That was a court schedule expectation, not a declaration that the prosecution had already rested or that the trial was nearly over.

What happened after jurors left

At a later hearing without the jury, attorneys debated the admissibility of statements Mamta reportedly made to her brother, Mahesh Kafle, in 2024. The Commonwealth sought to introduce communications and his account of telephone conversations concerning their relationship and Mamta’s concerns. The defense challenged admission of some of those statements.

WJLA reported that Mahesh described video, text and photograph messages, and that the judge examined proposed statements individually. Judge Kimberly Irving said some could be presented over objection. Others required the prosecution to establish the necessary foundation during expected testimony on Monday. This was an evidentiary decision. It was not a ruling that the alleged conduct had been proved.

What the judge’s ruling does not establish

A statement being admissible means the law permits a jury to hear it under the court’s conditions. It does not mean the judge independently confirmed everything described. Similarly, excluding a statement does not establish it is false. What matters for readers is identifying which evidence was actually shown to jurors and which issues remained under argument.

Where the prosecution stands

Naresh Bhatt faces charges of first-degree murder, concealing a dead body and defiling a dead body in the disappearance of his wife, a nurse and mother who was last heard from in July 2024. Her remains have not been recovered. The defense has disputed the prosecution’s circumstantial interpretation and has challenged the reliability and timing of some electronic records. These allegations remain unresolved by a jury.

What Happens Next

The jury was scheduled to return Monday, November 2. Prosecutors expected approximately six witnesses remained, and the judge was expected to address the evidentiary foundation for additional statements by Mamta’s brother. Any Monday testimony or later ruling belongs to its actual date and must be separately verified before it is added to the chronology.

Follow Mamta’s main case page and our October 29 trial-status report. The latter is a general posture summary and does not substitute for this later, more specific courtroom record.

Footnotes | Courtroom Reporting

As-of-record clarification: This article belongs under the October 29, 2026 court-event date, although it was researched and entered into Faces in the Footnotes on October 30. No judicial ruling or defense testimony from November 2 is assumed to have occurred. Statements attributed to Mamta and accusations against Naresh Bhatt remain distinct from findings of guilt. Presumed innocent unless proved guilty. Every name has a story.

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