Police say three children were present when Lila Darjee Khadka was fatally attacked in the family’s Burlington apartment.
BURLINGTON, Vt. — A 44-year-old Burlington man pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and three counts of cruelty to a child after authorities accused him of fatally attacking his wife with a large flashlight while three children were inside their South Champlain Street apartment.
Bal Khadka entered the pleas Oct. 13 in Chittenden Superior criminal court in the death of his wife, Lila Darjee Khadka, 44. Judge Robert Katims granted a prosecution request that Khadka be held without bail. The charges are allegations, and Khadka has not been convicted in connection with his wife’s death.
Burlington police said officers were sent to an apartment at 234 S. Champlain St. at about 5:48 a.m. Oct. 10 after dispatchers received several 911 calls. Some callers reported a fight in progress, while others requested an ambulance. Officers found Lila Khadka unresponsive in a bed with serious head injuries, according to police and court records.
The Burlington Fire Department took her to the University of Vermont Medical Center, where she remained in critical condition. Police initially arrested Bal Khadka on an attempted second-degree murder charge. Lila Khadka was pronounced dead at the hospital at about 7:07 p.m. Oct. 11, and detectives then submitted another probable-cause affidavit seeking a second-degree murder charge.
Police said investigators determined that Bal Khadka had allegedly struck his wife with a large flashlight while three juveniles were present. Court reporting identified the children as the couple’s daughters, ages 3 and 10, and a 10-year-old friend who was staying overnight. Authorities have not publicly identified the children.
Charging documents described by VTDigger said police encountered one of the 10-year-old children outside the residence after she and another child had left the building through a first-floor window. The child told officers that her father was attacking her mother and that help was needed. A charging affidavit also said one of the children made an audio recording during the incident. Those accounts are allegations contained in the criminal case and have not been proven at trial.
Chittenden County Deputy State’s Attorney Marykate Moore cited the presence of the three children in a motion asking that Khadka be held without bail. Prosecutors also filed three child-cruelty counts, one related to each child authorities say was present during the alleged attack.
Khadka appeared at his arraignment with public defender Stacie Johnson, and a Nepali interpreter translated the court proceeding. He entered not guilty pleas through his attorney to the second-degree murder charge and the three child-cruelty counts. The court ordered him held without bail at the Northwest State Correctional Facility.
The Burlington Police Department said its Detective Services Bureau continues to investigate the killing. Police have not announced a trial date or publicly released findings that change the pending murder and child-cruelty allegations against Khadka.
Author note: Last updated October 16, 2026.