Brian Walshe’s trial on a single count of murder continues Monday with opening statements.
The 50-year-old stands accused by Norfolk County officials of killing and dismembering his wife, Ana Walshe, in January 2023. Investigators say Brian Walshe suspected his wife was having an affair and that he killed her amid financial uncertainties after being convicted of federal fraud charges.
Brian Walshe, who lived in Cohasset with Ana Walshe, 39, and their three children, pleaded guilty to the counts of witness intimidation (misleading a police investigation) as well as disinterment of a body at the start of jury selection earlier this month.
The trial is taking place in Norfolk County Superior Court, the same courthouse where the high-profile Karen Read trials took place.
Some of the same investigators are on the witness list, including Michael Proctor, the state police investigator fired after the Read trial due to his behavior during the Read investigation.
The last time a family friend saw Ana Walshe was in the early hours of Jan. 1, 2023, as the friend left the couple’s Cohasset home.
The family friend had arrived at their home between 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., and she recalled Brian Walshe talking about how “free” he felt after losing his phone.
The children were soundly sleeping as the three adults ate a New Year’s Eve dinner. The eldest child appeared downstairs at about 10 p.m. and socialized for about 20 minutes, but then went back upstairs, the family friend recalled to Massachusetts State Police.
The friend left the couple and said goodbye to Ana Walshe for the last time.
Her body has never been recovered, but investigators say that he killed his wife and misled police after he reported her missing.
Investigators found evidence at a dumpster outside his mother’s apartment in Swampscott, including clothing that belonged to his wife, her COVID-19 vaccination card, towels with brown-red stains, a hatchet and a hacksaw, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors previously said that Brian Walshe Googled the best state to get divorced and questions such as “How long before a body starts to smell” in the hours that Ana Walshe went missing.
Ana Walshe worked in Washington, D.C., and traveled back and forth to their Cohasset home, which she shared with Brian Walshe and their three children.
