Closing arguments are set for Friday in the murder trial of Brian Walshe, a Massachusetts father of three accused of killing and dismembering his wife, Ana Walshe.
Brian Walshe, 39, has pleaded guilty to lying to police after his wife’s disappearance and to improperly disposing of her body, but he denies murdering her and faces trial on that charge. Ana Walshe’s body has not been recovered. On Thursday, the defense rested without calling any witnesses. Judge Diane Freniere noted that Walshe had appeared likely to testify based on the defense’s opening statement, but he ultimately waived that right.
During opening statements, Walshe’s attorneys said he discovered his wife dead on New Year’s Day 2023, panicked, and lied to authorities, insisting he did not kill her. Prosecutors contend he murdered and dismembered Ana Walshe, then disposed of her remains in dumpsters. Internet searches on his devices from Jan. 1, 2023, included queries like “best way to dispose of a body” and “best way to dispose of body parts after a murder,” prosecutors said.
Evidence presented during the two-week trial included surveillance footage of a man believed to be Walshe purchasing tools and supplies at a Lowe’s on Jan. 1, 2023, with a receipt showing items such as a hacksaw, utility knife, hammer, snips, Tyvek suit, shoeguards, rags, and cleaning supplies totaling $462 in cash. Additional footage showed someone disposing of trash bags at dumpsters in early January.
Forensic evidence linked several blood-stained items recovered from the dumpsters—including a hacksaw, a piece of rug, a towel, hairs, and an unknown tissue—to Ana Walshe through DNA testing. Blood was also found in the basement of the family’s rental home in Cohasset, according to forensic testimony.
Ana Walshe was reported missing by her employer on Jan. 4, 2023. Video shown in court captured Walshe telling police that she had a “work emergency” in Washington, D.C., on New Year’s Day. At the time, Walshe and the couple’s three children were living in Massachusetts while he awaited sentencing for a federal fraud conviction involving the sale of counterfeit Andy Warhol paintings.
The defense argued that Walshe panicked after finding Ana dead, describing her death as sudden and unexplained. Jurors also heard testimony from a D.C. man who said Ana Walshe had been having an affair and was frustrated about being away from her children, though the defense maintained the marriage was happy.
