Brian Walshe convicted of murdering wife Ana Walshe in Massachusetts
A Norfolk County jury convicted Brian Walshe of murdering his wife, Ana Walshe, who disappeared after New Year’s Day 2023; jurors deliberated about six hours over two days and he faces life in prison without parole at upcoming sentencing. Prosecutors — who called roughly 50 witnesses while the defense called none and Walshe did not testify — presented DNA linking Ana to a hatchet and hacksaw, receipts and surveillance of purchases of tools and cleaning supplies, internet searches about disposing of a body, a $2.7 million life-insurance policy naming Brian as beneficiary, and alleged motives including an affair and financial/legal pressure; no body has been recovered, and Walshe had previously pleaded guilty to related charges of misleading police and disposing of a body.
📌 Key Facts
- A Norfolk Superior Court jury convicted Brian Walshe of murdering his wife, Ana Walshe; jurors deliberated roughly six hours over two days before returning the guilty verdict on Dec. 15, 2025.
- The trial lasted about two weeks; prosecutors called roughly 48–50 witnesses over several days, the defense called no witnesses, and Walshe did not testify.
- No body was recovered; Walshe had pleaded guilty shortly before trial to willfully conveying a human body and to misleading police (matters jurors were barred from hearing), and the couple’s three children were placed in state custody after his 2023 arrest.
- Forensic and physical evidence presented included Ana’s DNA on a hacksaw, hatchet, a blood-stained rug segment, pieces of a Tyvek suit, slippers and 'unknown tissue' from trash, plus recovered items such as a hatchet, hacksaw, towels, cleaning agents, a Tyvek suit, a Prada purse, boots matching those Ana wore, and her COVID-19 vaccination card found in trash near Walshe’s mother’s home.
- Digital and circumstantial evidence cited by prosecutors included internet searches around Jan. 1, 2023 for topics like disposing of a body, cleaning blood with bleach and dismemberment; surveillance and receipts show Walshe bought cleaning supplies at Lowe’s on Jan. 1 and bought rugs/towels on Jan. 2 and Jan. 4 using store credits tied to Ana, and JetBlue records contradicted Walshe’s claim that Ana flew out on Jan. 1.
- Prosecutors argued two primary motives: anger over Ana’s alleged affair with Washington, D.C., realtor William Fastow (who testified that the affair began before her disappearance) and financial motives tied to Walshe’s contemptible finances—Ana’s $2.7 million life-insurance policy naming Brian as sole beneficiary and Walshe’s nearly $500,000 in federal restitution debt and pending sentencing in an unrelated art-fraud case.
- Prosecutors played more than an hour of interview recordings, additional excerpts and a voicemail to William Fastow, and called digital-forensics witnesses (including a state trooper) to detail Google searches and other electronic evidence.
- Sentencing was scheduled for the Wednesday following the verdict; if convicted of first-degree murder Walshe faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
📰 Sources (12)
Brian Walshe, who searched for crime tips online, is convicted of his wife's murder
New information:
- Jury deliberated roughly six hours over two days before returning a guilty verdict.
- Sentencing is scheduled for Wednesday; he faces life in prison without parole.
- Prosecutors called about 50 witnesses over eight days; the defense called no witnesses.
- Prosecutor Anne Yas described the killing as premeditated in closing and detailed purchases of cutting tools and alleged dismemberment; direct quotes included.
- Specific internet searches cited around the time of the killing included 'best ways to dispose of a body,' cleaning blood with bleach, and 'can you be charged with murder without a body.'
- Trial lasted roughly two weeks; Walshe pled guilty last month to misleading police and willfully disposing of a body shortly before jury selection.
- No body was recovered; the couple’s three children were placed in state custody after his 2023 arrest.
- Walshe was awaiting sentencing in a federal art fraud case at the time of Ana’s death; he stared straight ahead as the verdict was read.
Brian Walshe convicted of murdering wife after New Year's Day disappearance
New information:
- The jury convicted Brian Walshe of murdering his wife, Ana Walshe.
- Court records show Ana Walshe held a $2.7 million life insurance policy naming Brian as beneficiary.
- Surveillance and receipts show Brian Walshe made a $463.26 purchase of cleaning supplies at Lowe's on Jan. 1, 2023.
- State police DNA supervisor Saman Saleem testified that DNA consistent with Ana’s profile was found on a hatchet and hacksaw recovered from trash.
- Brian Walshe owed nearly $500,000 in restitution in a separate federal case, cited by prosecutors as part of motive context.
Watch live: Verdict reached in Brian Walshe murder trial
New information:
- A jury reached a verdict after about six hours of deliberation.
- Verdict reading is being streamed live from Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham.
- The jury consisted of six women and six men.
- Judge Diane Freniere barred jurors from being told of Walshe’s prior guilty pleas to disposing of a body and misleading police; he has not been sentenced on those counts.
- Prosecution called 48 witnesses; the defense called none, and Walshe did not testify.
- If convicted of first-degree murder, Walshe faces life without parole; jurors could alternatively convict on second-degree murder.
Brian Walshe declines to testify at murder trial as he's accused of destroying dad’s will before murder case
New information:
- Brian Walshe declined to testify, and the defense rested without calling any witnesses.
- Jury deliberations are scheduled to begin Friday, with closing arguments expected beforehand.
- Background probate dispute resurfaced: reporting that Walshe sought control of his late father’s estate in 2018, with allegations he destroyed the will, sold belongings, and removed over $500,000 after being cut out; friends Fred Pescatore and Jeffrey Ornstein provided statements.
- Court records note Ana Walshe carried a $2.7 million life insurance policy naming Brian as beneficiary, and he owed nearly $500,000 in federal restitution.
Closing arguments expected in murder trial of Brian Walshe over wife's disappearance
New information:
- Defense rested Thursday without calling any witnesses; Brian Walshe did not testify.
- Closing arguments are scheduled for Friday.
- Prosecutors highlighted additional circumstantial evidence, including a $2.7 million life-insurance policy naming Brian Walshe as beneficiary.
- Details of friends’ testimony: New Year’s Eve interactions, signs of marital strain, and messages exchanged by Ana with another man.
- Recap of prosecution’s timeline: early Jan. 1 internet searches on dismemberment and odor, same-day purchases of cleaning supplies, Tyvek suit, and tools; delayed missing-person report until Jan. 4.
Ana Walshe's DNA found on hacksaw, hatchet, bloody rug, forensic scientist testifies in husband's trial
New information:
- Massachusetts State Police DNA supervisor Saman Saleem testified that single-source female DNA matching Ana Walshe was found on a hacksaw (blade and handle), a hatchet (head and handle), Tyvek suit pieces, slippers, rug pieces, and 'unknown tissue' recovered from trash.
- The hacksaw blade DNA was 'at least 39 million times more likely' to be Ana’s than an unrelated person’s, according to Saleem.
- Ana’s DNA was also found on a blood-stained rug segment and on 'unknown tissue' from a Swampscott dumpster.
- On cross, Saleem acknowledged the possibility of DNA transfer between items if packed together in a bag.
- TJX loss-prevention manager Michael Roddy presented surveillance and receipts showing Brian Walshe bought rugs, towels and bathmats on Jan. 2 and Jan. 4 using store credits traced to returns Ana made in December 2022 in Baltimore and Washington, D.C.
Testimony at Brian Walshe murder trial details affair his wife was having before she vanished
New information:
- Court played a voicemail from Brian Walshe to William Fastow in which Walshe said Ana hadn’t been in touch for a few days, asked if Fastow had heard from her, and apologized for the call, delivered in an upbeat tone.
- Fastow testified he and Ana Walshe spent Christmas Eve together and planned to meet on Jan. 4 to discuss their future.
- Fastow said the relationship included dinners, bars, time on his sailboat, overnight stays at his home, and a Thanksgiving trip to Ireland.
- Fastow’s last contact with Ana was a New Year’s Eve text; on Jan. 2 his calls to her went straight to voicemail.
- Fastow and Ana discussed telling Brian Walshe about the affair, with Ana insisting he should hear it from her.
Brian Walshe murder trial: Slain wife Ana's lover takes the stand
New information:
- William Fastow, a D.C. realtor and Ana Walshe’s alleged lover, testified they began an intimate relationship before her Jan. 1, 2023 disappearance.
- Fastow said he helped Ana secure a Washington, D.C., townhouse where she set up rooms for her three children, anticipating a move.
- Fastow detailed a Thanksgiving trip to Dublin with Ana and said they spent Christmas Eve together in Washington; Ana later visited Serbia.
- Fastow testified that Ana wanted her husband to hear about the affair directly from her if he ever found out.
- He said Ana told him the children stayed in Cohasset because Brian Walshe’s federal home confinement required him to be their primary caretaker.
- Prosecutors showed jurors a saw and hatchet recovered from a dumpster near Brian Walshe’s mother’s home, along with Ana’s COVID-19 card, clothing, and bloody towels.
- Prosecutors outlined two alleged motives: anger over the affair and a belief that being the sole caretaker would help Brian avoid federal prison.
- Defense denies Brian Walshe knew of the affair, though he referenced Fastow to detectives and allegedly searched him online before Ana’s disappearance.
Brian Walshe told cops his missing wife left for a flight on Jan 1, JetBlue records keeper says otherwise
New information:
- JetBlue records keeper Thomas Menino testified that Ana Walshe’s Dec. 25 flight was refunded, she flew D.C.–Boston on Dec. 30, was a 'no show' for a Jan. 3 return to D.C., and missed four additional January flights previously booked.
- Cohasset Police Officer Gregory Lowrance testified Brian Walshe told him on Jan. 4 that he last saw Ana on Jan. 1 when she left for a Boston-to-Washington flight, a claim contradicted by JetBlue records.
- CBP agent William Foley testified briefly about Ana’s recent air travel in the weeks before she vanished.
- K-9 Sgt. Patrick Reardon testified his search with K-9 Einstein on Jan. 5, 2023 around the Walshe home found nothing notable.
- MSP Trooper Nicholas Guarino’s testimony highlighted additional search history items (e.g., Porsches, diamond jewelry sales, a pornographic video about a cheating wife, and searches for alleged affair partner William Fastow) alongside prior dismemberment/DNA-cleanup queries.
Recordings of Brian Walshe played as prosecutors outline alleged love triangle murder
New information:
- Prosecutors played more than an hour of Walshe’s interview recordings on Monday and plan about 40 additional minutes of excerpts on Tuesday.
- In the recordings, Walshe told police, "I would never do anything to my wife. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with my wife."
- Cohasset Police Sgt. Harrison Schmidt is being further questioned as part of the recordings’ presentation.
- Massachusetts State Trooper Nicholas Guarino, a digital forensics expert, is expected to testify next about alleged Google searches, including the name of the man tied to an alleged affair and disposal of remains.
- A Washington, D.C., realtor alleged to have been involved with Ana Walshe is expected to take the stand Thursday (Fox identifies him by name).
- Defense opening argued Walshe found his wife dead in bed, denied knowing of any affair, and framed the death as potentially sudden and unexplained.
- Prosecutors outlined two motive theories: discovery of an alleged affair and a belief that sole custody of the children could help Walshe avoid prison in a federal art-fraud case.
Brian Walshe defense says he found wife dead in bed, denies uncovering affair as murder trial begins
Brian Walshe goes on trial in death of wife who disappeared more than 2 years ago
New information:
- Prosecutors say Ana Walshe held a $2.7 million life insurance policy naming Brian Walshe as sole beneficiary.
- Detailed items prosecutors say were recovered from trash bags: a hatchet, a hacksaw, towels, a Tyvek suit, cleaning agents, a Prada purse, boots matching those Ana was last seen wearing, and her COVID-19 vaccination card.
- Brian Walshe pleaded guilty last month to misleading police and willfully conveying a human body in violation of state law (separate from the murder charge).
- At the time of Ana’s disappearance, Walshe was awaiting sentencing in an unrelated art-fraud case; he was later sentenced to more than three years in prison and $475,000 restitution.
- Potential witness issues flagged: Massachusetts State Police’s Michael Proctor (linked to the Karen Read case) could affect trial dynamics; he was fired over offensive texts.