(Trends Wide) — A Massachusetts man was indicted on one count of murder Thursday in the disappearance of his wife Ana Walshe, a corporate real estate manager and mother who went missing earlier this year, a district attorney said.
Brian Walshe had already been charged with murder and other charges in January in connection with the disappearance of his wife, charges to which he pleaded not guilty, after authorities said they found evidence that he killed her, dismembered her and disposed of her belongings. frightening remains.
Thursday’s indictment by a Norfolk County grand jury moves the case from district court to county superior court, and a new arraignment will take place, County District Attorney Michael said. W. Morrissey.
The grand jury indicted Brian Walshe, 48, on counts of murder, misleading investigators and improperly transporting a human body, Morrissey said.
A massive search for Ana Walshe, 39, was launched after her employer reported her missing on Jan. 4, and her husband told investigators he last saw her leaving their Cohasset home for a trip. work on New Year’s Day.
Investigators uncovered a series of chilling Internet searches they say Brian Walshe did, prosecutors said, including: “How long does it take before a body starts to smell?” and “How to prevent a body from decomposing.” Investigators also discovered 10 trash bags of evidence at a garbage collection station, which contained a hacksaw, an ax and various items with the DNA of Brian and Ana Walshe, prosecutors said.
Brian Walshe was arrested on January 8 on suspicion of misleading investigators and indicted on charges of manslaughter and unauthorized disinterment of a body on January 18, the first day prosecutors publicly said they believed Ana Walshe was dead, even though she was not. they said if his body had been found.
During the January arraignment in Quincy District Court, prosecutors alleged that Brian Walshe killed his wife because he wanted to end their marriage and that he lied to investigators about some of his actions and whereabouts in the days after she went missing. .
“Instead of divorcing, Brian Walshe is believed to have dismembered Ana Walshe and disposed of her body,” prosecutor Lynn Beland said during the January proceedings.
Trends Wide has reached out to Brian Walshe’s attorney for comment. Walshe is being held without the possibility of bail, the district attorney’s office said.
“This is just one step in a long process, during which Brian Walshe enjoys the constitutional presumption of innocence and all the protections afforded him by the Constitution,” Morrissey said. “We are grateful to the detectives who have put in so many hours to gather the evidence in this matter and to the witnesses who have helped us get to this step.”
Tracy Miner, Brian Walshe’s defense attorney, suggested in January that prosecutors’ case was not strong, saying evidence had not yet been sent to her.
The case of Anna Walshe
Brian Walshe told police he last saw his wife on the morning of Jan. 1, when he said she told him she had a work emergency in Washington and left her home, according to a police affidavit. Ana Walshe, who had three children with her husband, lived with her family in Massachusetts and traveled to Washington for work during the week, according to a friend of hers.
However, prosecutors alleged that there is no evidence that Ana Walshe took her usual rideshare or taxi to the airport, or that she arrived in Washington. The husband said he spent the rest of the day running errands for his mother and spent time with her children on Jan. 2.
Investigators allege Brian Walshe lied about running errands and also took an undisclosed trip on Jan. 2 to Home Depot, where prosecutors said he spent about $450 on cleaning supplies, including mops, a bucket and tarps.
On January 4, Ana Walshe’s employer, the real estate company Tishman Speyer, called police to report her missing, according to investigators.
Brian Walshe, left, and his wife Ana were married in 2015. (Courtesy: Peter Kirby)
Brian Walshe’s defense lawyer has said the husband called his workplace to ask if they knew of his whereabouts before the company called the police.
As a daylong search for Ana Walshe continued, investigators uncovered new information that began to shift their focus toward suspicions that she may have been murdered, two law enforcement sources briefed on the investigation at the time told Trends Wide.
Among the evidence prosecutors say was discovered was: blood and a bloody knife in the Walshes’ basement; Dumpsters containing what appeared to be Ana Walshe’s belongings, blood stains, a hacksaw, an axe, cleaning supplies, and other items believed to be related to the case; Brian and Ana Walshe’s DNA on some of the discarded items; and surveillance footage showing the husband throwing bags into area dumpsters.
Ana Walshe’s cell phone also rang in the area of her home around Jan. 1-2 after Brian Walshe said his wife had left the home, prosecutors said.
Additionally, prosecutors said Brian Walshe did shady Google searches, including some on his son’s iPad. Those searches, according to prosecutors, included: “10 ways to dispose of a dead body if you really need it”; “dismemberment and the best ways to dispose of a body”; and “can you be charged with murder without a body?”
The charges against Brian Walshe are the latest in a series of legal problems for the husband. In 2021, she pleaded guilty to three federal fraud charges related to a scheme to sell fake Andy Warhol art online.
In 2019, he was involved in a legal battle over his father’s estate. During the dispute, a relative and family friends argued that Walshe was violent and unreliable.
— Trends Wide’s Eric Levenson, Kristina Sgueglia, John Miller, Amanda Watts and Jason Carroll contributed to this report.
