Burlington man pleads not guilty to beating wife to death with flashlight
Bal Khadka, 44, denied murdering his wife Lila Darjee Khadka in front of three children. A judge ordered him held without bail.
Burlington man denies murdering wife with flashlight as children watched
A 44-year-old Burlington man has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder after being accused of beating his wife to death with a flashlight while three young children were present in the home, vtdigger.org reports.
Bal Khadka entered the not guilty plea Tuesday morning at his arraignment in Chittenden Superior criminal court in Burlington. His wife, Lila Darjee Khadka, died Sunday evening at the University of Vermont Medical Center after being found unresponsive in the couple's South Champlain Street residence early Saturday morning.
Khadka also pleaded not guilty to three charges of child cruelty. A Nepali interpreter translated the proceedings for him. Judge Robert Katims granted the prosecution's request to hold Khadka without bail.
"Mr. Khadka is charged with a brutal assault in which he bludgeoned his wife with a flashlight," wrote Chittenden County Deputy State's Attorney Marykate Moore in her pre-hearing motion. "The act was witnessed by three juveniles and recorded by one of them."
911 calls and a child climbing out a window
Burlington police responded to the Champlain Street address shortly before 6 a.m. Saturday following several 911 calls, one of which reported a child screaming, according to a charging affidavit filed by Detective Cpl. Erica Schaller of the Burlington Police Department.
Outside the residence, officers encountered a 10-year-old girl who was frantic and crying. She told police she and a friend had escaped from the first-floor window and that her father was striking her mother inside. Officers found Lila Darjee Khadka lying on a bed, unresponsive and suffering from head injuries.
Police said they observed Bal Khadka in the living room, calmly attempting to put shoes on a young child. He said "Hello" in a low, calm voice and appeared unbothered by the officers' arrival. The charging document described him as "stone-faced" and "appeared unaffected by the incident."
All three children present were aged 10 or younger. One was a friend of the Khadkas' child who had stayed the night for a sleepover.
Audio recording captured the assault
One of the children recorded audio of the incident on a cellphone, capturing moments before and during the assault as well as the arrival of police and emergency services, court records stated. In the recording, a girl could be heard saying what sounded like "Dad no," followed by screaming.
Two children told police they had witnessed Khadka repeatedly strike his wife with a large black and green flashlight. Officers later found a flashlight matching that description in the top drawer of a bedroom dresser.
Khadka was arrested and taken to Burlington Police Department headquarters, where he made no statements about the incident but repeatedly asked why he was in handcuffs, according to the charging document. The children reported to police that Khadka had been using drugs in the period leading up to the attack.
Prior convictions and a dismissed domestic assault charge
Court records show Khadka has prior convictions for drunken driving, violating an abuse prevention order, and violating conditions of release.
A separate aggravated domestic assault charge filed in Chittenden County stemming from a 2020 incident was dismissed by the prosecution in 2021. Chittenden County State's Attorney Sarah George explained the circumstances in an email Tuesday.
"This was a charge that stemmed from an incident in October 2020 – at the height of COVID, and as the prosecution progressed Lila made the decision not to engage with the prosecution and indicated she was not interested in testifying and wanted the charge dismissed," George wrote.
George said the prosecution could not proceed without the victim's testimony. "This is very common and not meant to blame Lila for her decision. It's truly a false choice," she added. "Victims of domestic violence are not just exposed to and dealing with physical abuse, but also significant mental and emotional abuse, financial exploitation, and shared custody of children."
George noted that such cases frequently come down to one person's word against the other's, meaning the victim is almost always required to testify — a process that places her at greater risk of escalated abuse. She confirmed Tuesday that the Khadka children are "safe with family."
Public defender Stacie Johnson represented Khadka at Tuesday's hearing. Johnson could not immediately be reached for comment.
Khadka was listed Tuesday afternoon by the Vermont Department of Corrections as incarcerated at the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans. If convicted of the murder charge, he faces up to life in prison. His next court date is scheduled for 26 October.
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