Brian Walshe, Cohasset man accused of murdering and dismembering his wife, due back in court
Judge denies Brian Walshe's lawyers access to Michael Proctor's phone records
Brian Walshe, who prosecutors say killed his 39-year-old wife and misled investigators about her disappearance in early 2023, is slated to make an apperance in Middlesex Superior Court in Woburn. Boston 25 News will stream the hearing live.
In March 2023, a Norfolk County grand jury indicted Walshe on a charge of murder, misleading a police investigation/obstruction of justice, and improper conveyance of a human body in connection with his wife's death.
Ana Walshe, a mother of three young children and a real estate professional who worked in Washington D.C. vanished on New Year's Day 2023 and was reported missing a few days later, authorities said.
Prosecutors have alleged that Walshe killed his wife in their Cohasset home on New Year's Day. The couple's three young boys were reportedly home at the time.
Days after Ana's disappearance, a hacksaw and a blood-soaked rug believed to contain biological evidence were recovered from their home by investigators.
Police later searched trash bins, dumpsters, trash trucks, and trash facilities in the areas where Brian Walshe traveled following her disappearance.
Prosecutors have also previously said that a broken knife with blood on it was found in the basement of the Walshe family home.
The Norfolk District Attorney's Office previously said that it was awaiting DNA test results from dozens of items.
In late June, Walshe had a court appearance waived. At that time, prosecutors said during a brief hearing in Dedham Superior Court that DNA results were expected by the end of the month, the Patriot Ledger reported.
In September, prosecutors announced that they won't call a suspended Massachusetts State Police trooper Michael Proctor to testify in Walshe's upcoming trial. Proctor was the lead investigator assigned to Ana Walshe's murder.
State police suspended Proctor in July following Karen Read's mistrial. While testifying during Read's trial, Proctor received criticism for inappropriate texts he sent about Read.
Walshe has been held without bail since his arrest. In December 2024, a judge set his trial date for Oct. 20, 2025.
Ana's body has never been found.
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Boston Globe
5 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Judge denies dismissal motion from Brian Walshe, charged with killing wife Ana Walshe in Cohasset
The night before Ana Walshe's disappearance, Freniere wrote, the couple hosted her former boss, Gem Mutlu, for a New Year's Eve party. 'Mutlu noted that the atmosphere on New Year's Eve was jovial, and Brian and Ana appeared very happy,' the ruling said. 'Mutlu described Brian as very attentive that night.' Advertisement The trio drank wine and champagne, Freniere wrote, and they all signed the champagne box, with Brian Walshe inscribing, 'Gem Ana Brian NYE 2023! To the Best Triumvirate Ever! Love Brian.' When Brian Walshe later told Mutlu his wife had gone missing, Freniere wrote, Mutlu asked if the couple had argued or if 'something happened.' The ruling said Brian Walshe replied, ''Did it look like we had an argument that night? You saw us. You know, you know you saw what she wrote on the - ' or words to that effect.' Advertisement The judge said grand jurors could make a damning inference from that anecdote. 'The grand jury could infer from such an interaction that Brian had used the New Year's Eve dinner with Mutlu as a facade so that Mutlu would deflect any suspicion away from Brian when Ana went missing,' Freniere wrote. Notably, Freniere wrote, Brian Walshe told Mutlu on New Year's Eve that he'd lost his phone and later told him he'd found it on Jan. 2. He told police the same thing on Jan. 5, adding that once he recovered the device, he tried calling and texting his wife and her friends about her disappearance. But phone records contradict that account, indicating Brian Walshe's phone was unlocked four times on Jan. 1 between roughly 8 a.m. and 12:45 p.m., when he was the only adult in the house. The phone was also unplugged from a charger at 1:42 p.m. on Jan. 1, one day before Walshe purportedly found his phone, the ruling said. 'The grand jury could infer that Brian lied to Mutlu about losing his phone on the night before he killed Ana, so Mutlu would corroborate that story to others including the police to explain why Brian had not been trying to contact Ana on Jan. 1, 2023 and why he had not told others she was missing,' Freniere wrote. She said the grand jury also heard evidence that on the Christmas weekend before the New Year's Eve gathering, Brian Walshe asked the couple's nanny to babysit their three children at 2 p.m. on Jan. 1, so he and his wife could go to brunch. Advertisement Freniere said grand jurors also heard testimony that Ana Walshe during the day on Dec. 31 went to a nail salon for a pedicure, telling another customer she had plans on New Year's Day to attend an 'elaborate dinner' with many courses in Marblehead without her children. 'Given evidence ... that Brian had told multiple lies about his and Ana's whereabouts on Jan. 1, 2023, it was reasonable for the grand jury to infer that Brian had also lied to Ana and [the nanny] about New Year's Day plans, and that he had done so to ensure that Ana did not make other plans and their children were occupied to allow himself time to further conceal his crime,' Freniere wrote. She said grand jurors also heard evidence that the couple's marriage was under strain owing to financial stress, physical distance with Ana Walshe living part of the week in Washington, D.C. for work, and Brian Walshe's In addition, the judge wrote, Ana Walshe was also having an affair with another man whom she communicated with via text and Instagram, and Brian Walshe told police he could sometimes access his wife's texts and Instagram account, where he could see 'messages people were leaving for Ana.' Brian Walshe also conducted an Internet search on Dec. 27 for 'Best state to divorce for a man,' learning from that inquiry that Massachusetts was the third-worst state for men splitting from their spouses, the ruling said. He also repeatedly searched on Instagram for the man Ana Walshe was seeing, according to the ruling. Advertisement And, the ruling said, the grand jury heard evidence that Brian Walshe was the beneficiary of 'multiple life insurance policies' that Ana Walshe had. 'From such evidence, the grand jury could infer that Brian knew about Ana's affair, thought their marriage was likely coming to an end, ... and viewed her death as more beneficial to him than a divorce,' Freniere wrote. Prosecutors have said Brian Walshe, after killing his wife, also made Those searches allegedly included 'how to embalm a body,' '10 ways to dispose of a dead body if you really need to,' 'how to stop a body from decomposing,' and 'how long before a body starts to smell.' The searches were conducted between 4:55 a.m. and 5:47 a.m. on New Year's Day of 2023, prosecutors said. Prosecutors also said investigators searched a dumpster near Brian Walshe's mother's residence, where they found clothes and jewelry he said his wife wore when she left home for a work emergency early on Jan. 1. Investigators also found a hacksaw that contained a bone fragment, officials said. He also allegedly disposed of her remains in dumpsters in Abington and Brockton. 'Where the evidence presented to the grand jury here established Brian took some steps before Ana went missing in furtherance of his later efforts to mislead the police investigation into her disappearance, it was sufficient to meet the probable cause standard to believe that he intended to kill Ana and that he decided to do so after a period of reflection,' Freniere wrote. Walshe, 50, is currently being held without bail. His next hearing is scheduled for Aug. 28, records show. His trial is scheduled to begin in October. Advertisement Material from prior Globe stories was used in this report. Travis Andersen can be reached at
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Brian Walshe murder case: Judge denies another defense motion ahead of trial
Another key ruling was made Tuesday in the case against Brian Walshe, the Cohasset man accused of dismembering his wife, Ana Walshe, with a hacksaw and disposing of her remains after using his son's iPad to Google the best ways to get rid of a body. Judge Diane Freniere denied a defense motion to dismiss an indictment charging Walshe with first-degree murder on the ground that the grand jury heard insufficient evidence to sustain an indictment. In the motion filed last week, lawyers claimed that prosecutors violated Walshe's rights by not reviewing 'confidential materials' that could aid his defense. Prosecutors, however, argued that they are unable to review these materials due to federal regulations, as they are reportedly tied to the Karen Read murder case. The specifics of these materials and their connection to the Read case remain unclear. In denying the motion, Freniere stated that evidence presented to the grand jury was 'sufficient to meet the probable cause standard to believe that he intended to kill Ana and that he decided to do so after a period of reflection.' Brian Walshe motion to dismiss denied - Aug. 19, 2025 by Boston 25 Desk Prosecutors allege that Walshe killed his 39-year-old wife on Jan. 1, 2023, and misled investigators about her disappearance in early 2023. In March 2023, a Norfolk County grand jury indicted Walshe on a charge of murder, misleading a police investigation/obstruction of justice, and improper conveyance of a human body in connection with his wife's death. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges. Ana Walshe, a mother of three young children and a real estate professional who worked in Washington, D.C., vanished on New Year's Day 2023 and was reported missing a few days later, authorities said. Prosecutors have alleged that Walshe killed his wife in their Cohasset home on New Year's Day. The couple's three young boys were reportedly home at the time. Days after Ana's disappearance, a hacksaw and a blood-soaked rug believed to contain biological evidence were recovered from their home by investigators. Police later searched trash bins, dumpsters, trash trucks, and trash facilities in the areas where Brian Walshe traveled following her disappearance. Earlier this summer, Freniere issued a ruling allowing the prosecution to use evidence from Walshe's son's iPad, including alleged Google searches for the best ways to get rid of a body and how long DNA lasts, during the trial. Freniere determined that investigators did not exceed the scope of Walshe's consent when searching his devices, despite pushback from the defense. Prosecutors have also previously said that a broken knife with blood on it was found in the basement of the Walshe family home. The Norfolk District Attorney's Office previously said that it was awaiting DNA test results from dozens of items. In September 2024, prosecutors announced that they wouldn't call then-suspended-and-now-fired Massachusetts State Police trooper Michael Proctor to testify in Walshe's upcoming trial. Proctor was the lead investigator assigned to Ana Walshe's murder. State police suspended Proctor in July 2024 following Karen Read's mistrial. While testifying during Read's trial, Proctor received criticism for inappropriate texts he sent about Read. He was fired from his role with the law enforcement agency in March, and Read was acquitted of murder and manslaughter charges just months later. Walshe has been held without bail since his arrest. He is currently serving a three-year prison sentence for selling fake Andy Warhol paintings. His murder trial is scheduled to begin on Monday, October 20. Ana's body has never been found. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Yahoo
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