BOSTON (AP) — Brian Walshe was found guilty Monday of killing his wife, whose body has never been found after she disappeared from their Massachusetts home on New Year’s Day nearly three years ago. Ana Walshe, an immigrant from Serbia, was last seen early Jan. 1, 2023, after a New Year’s Eve dinner at the couple’s home. Walshe was convicted of first-degree murder after pleading guilty last month to lesser charges of misleading police and illegally disposing of her body.
There was no reaction in the courtroom as the verdict was read, with Walshe staring straight ahead. He was handcuffed and shackled before being led out of the courtroom. Prosecutors leaned heavily on search history from devices linked to Brian Walshe that included phrases related to dismembering bodies and cleaning up blood, such as 'dismemberment and best ways to dispose of a body' and 'how long before a body starts to smell.'
Initially, Walshe claimed that his wife had been called to Washington, D.C., for a work emergency on New Year’s Day. However, witnesses testified there was no evidence she took any transportation to the airport or boarded a flight. He only contacted her employer on Jan. 4. Walshe later admitted to dismembering her body and disposing of it in a dumpster, asserting he panicked upon discovering her lifeless body in bed. His defense did not present any witnesses, focusing instead on his claim of panic following Ana Walshe's death.
There was no reaction in the courtroom as the verdict was read, with Walshe staring straight ahead. He was handcuffed and shackled before being led out of the courtroom. Prosecutors leaned heavily on search history from devices linked to Brian Walshe that included phrases related to dismembering bodies and cleaning up blood, such as 'dismemberment and best ways to dispose of a body' and 'how long before a body starts to smell.'
Initially, Walshe claimed that his wife had been called to Washington, D.C., for a work emergency on New Year’s Day. However, witnesses testified there was no evidence she took any transportation to the airport or boarded a flight. He only contacted her employer on Jan. 4. Walshe later admitted to dismembering her body and disposing of it in a dumpster, asserting he panicked upon discovering her lifeless body in bed. His defense did not present any witnesses, focusing instead on his claim of panic following Ana Walshe's death.
