The murder trial of Brian Walshe, accused of killing and dismembering his wife, Ana Walshe, will begin Monday with opening statements.
Walshe is facing a charge of first-degree murder in the death of his wife nearly three years ago in Cohasset, Massachusetts.
The 50-year-old stunned a Massachusetts courtroom on November 18 by admitting that he misled investigators and disposed of his 39-year-old real estate executive wife’s remains, but has insisted that he is not a murderer.
While Walshe entered a shocking guilty plea to the two lesser charges, no plea deal had been reached on the final charge of murder, allowing the trial to move forward as planned.
His defense attorneys stressed that their client is “not admitting to...murder” with the partial plea.
Judge Diane Freniere said she expected the trial to last three to four weeks.
Walshe was arrested on January 8, 2023, for misleading police and was charged with murder later that month. He has been held in custody ever since, serving a concurrent federal sentence after pleading guilty to selling forged Andy Warhol artwork in a separate case.
With the new guilty pleas, he faces up to 10 years on the misleading charge, with a potential 20-year enhancement if convicted of murder, and up to three years in prison on the body disposal count.
Key Points
- Brian Walshe appears shackled in court at hands and ankles
- Commonwealth begins with opening statements
- Google searches, surveillance footage and DNA results to be shared during trial
- Defense says Ana Walshe experienced a sudden, unexplained death
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17:53 , Isabel KeaneCheck back for any updates as the trial continues...
Brian Walshe details what happened leading up to wife's disappearance in recording of his interview with police
17:49 , Isabel KeaneThe jury listened to a recording of Brian Walshe’s interview with police on January 4, 2023, after his wife was reported missing.
The Walshe’s three children can be heard running and playing in the background of the audio, which was recorded in the family’s Massachusetts home.
At one point, Walshe tells the officers, “Look at anything that’s going to help you.”
Investigator asks Brian Walshe for details about Ana's travel habits
17:43 , Isabel KeaneAudio of Cohasset Police Sgt. Harrison Schmidt’s interview with Brian Walshe showed the investigator had asked about his missing wife’s travel habits.
“I don’t want to hide anything from you, if that could lead to finding my wife sooner,” Walshe told the officer.
Police then conducted a walkthrough of the Walshe’s home after the interview.
During the walkthrough, Schmidt said he noticed a hole in the ceiling of a bedroom.
First witness takes the stand
16:40 , Isabel KeaneCohasset Police Sgt. Harrison Schmidt has taken the stand to testify in the murder trial.
Schmidt said he was the lead investigator in the disappearance of Ana Walshe.
An interview Schmidt conducted with Walshe in his home on January 4, 2023, was then played for the court.
Defense says Brian Walshe did not kill his wife, but 'never thought anybody would believe' she suddenly died
16:17 , Isabel KeaneDefense attorney Larry Tipton told jurors during opening statements that Brian Walshe did not kill his wife, but instead found her dead in their bed.
“He never thought anybody would believe Ana Walshe was alive one minute and dead the next,” Tipton said. “Brian Walshe never killed Ana. Brian Walshe never thought about killing Ana.”
The court took a brief break after Tipton concluded his opening statement.
Defense says Ana Walshe experienced a sudden, unexplained death
15:41 , Isabel KeaneDefense attorney Larry Tipton claimed that Brian Walshe found his wife unresponsive in their bed, and that she experienced a sudden and unexplainable death.
“When he entered the bedroom, he sensed something was wrong,” Tipton said, adding that Walshe nudged his wife and caused her to fall out of bed.
“He is panicking and doesn’t understand what was happening,” Tipton added.
Tipton also told jurors that his client made those alarming Google searches as “he wrestled with the fact that Ana Walshe was dead.”
Google searches, surveillance footage and DNA results to be shared during trial
15:27 , Isabel KeaneProsecutors plan to present digital evidence during the trial, including some of the alarming Google search inquiries Brian Walshe made in the days after his wife’s disappearance.
Chilling Internet searches prosecutors say Brian Walshe made include “dismemberment and best ways to dispose of a body” and “can you throw away body parts.”
Assistant District Attorney Greg Connor said jurors will be shown surveillance footage of a white man at several retailers buying cleaning supplies, a hacksaw saw and more.
Connor also noted that DNA from both Walshes was found on items recovered from the trash.
Prosecutors detail extramarital affair
15:23 , Isabel KeaneAssistant District Attorney Greg Connor says the jury will hear from Ana Walshe’s friends and colleagues.
At the time of Ana’s death, Brian Walshe and their children were living in Cohasset. She had been living and working in D.C. while he was forced to stay in Massachusetts as a pending fraud case kept him on house arrest.
Ana had purchased a townhouse in D.C., not far from her office, and entered a romantic relationship with the man who sold her the home, Connor said.
The mom of three missed Christmas Eve and much of Christmas Day in 2022 after spending time with the man in D.C., Connor said.
Commonwealth begins with opening statements
15:08 , Isabel KeaneAssistant District Attorney Greg Connor delivered the prosecution’s opening statement in the murder trial of Brian Walshe.
Connor began by telling the jury how the search for Ana Walshe began when her employer reported her missing on January 4, after being in touch with her husband.
The director of human resources at Tishman Speyer, where Ana Walshe worked in Washington, D.C., learned that Brian Walshe had called looking for Ana.
After speaking with Brian on the phone, the employee drove to Walshe’s townhouse in D.C., but was not able to get inside and see if Ana was there.
Later that day, the global head of security at the company reported Ana missing to police in both Washington, D.C., and in Cohasset, Massachusetts, where she lived with Brian and their three children.
Brian had not reported Ana missing to police, Connor said.
Brian Walshe appears shackled in court
14:38 , Isabel KeaneBrian Walshe entered the courtroom on Monday, shackled at his ankles and wrists.
He greeted his mother, who was sitting in the front row of the gallery, and Judge Diane Freniere, who is overseeing the trial.
Freniere swore in a panel of 12 jurors and four alternates, each of whom she asked if they were able to comply with orders she gave them not to research or talk about the case.
There are nine women and seven men in the jury, including the alternates.
Chilling evidence found by investigators
14:25 , Isabel KeaneProsecutors say investigators found trash bags allegedly thrown out by Brian Walshe containing a hacksaw, hatchet and items with both his and his wife’s DNA.
They also uncovered chilling Google searches he made after his wife disappearance, including “dismemberment and best ways to dispose of a body” and “can you throw away body parts.”
Around 4:55 a.m. the morning of January 1, he looked up “how long before a body starts to smell,” prosecutors said.
The alarming searches continued through the morning and included queries of “how to stop a body from decomposing?” and “how long for someone to be missing before you inherit?” prosecutors said.
The following day, on January 2, he searched, “Can you be charged with murder without a body?” “Hacksaw best tool to dismember,” and “can you identify a body with broken teeth?”
Prosecutors now say they have “binders” full of electronic evidence that they plan to present to jurors.
One report, which is 1,000 pages, was found on a MacBook Pro from Walshe’s home and contains new material.
The disappearance of Brian Walshe's wife, Ana
14:11 , Isabel KeaneAna Walshe, a 39-year-old real estate executive, vanished early on New Year’s Day 2023.
Her husband claimed she left for an emergency work trip to Washington, D.C., and that she took a car service to Logan International Airport in Boston.
However, her company refuted those claims, saying there was no work emergency.
Prosecutors also said there was no evidence Ana had taken a car service or a flight that day. Her cellphone, credit cards and debit cards were inactive after she disappeared.
Meanwhile, Brian Walshe said that after she left the house, he visited his mother, went grocery shopping and spent time with his children.
That claim, however, was disputed by investigators, who found surveillance footage appearing to show Walshe at a Home Depot that same day.
While at the store, he reportedly purchased $450 worth of cleaning products.
