Brian Walshe, accused of killing and dismembering wife in Cohasset, seeks to have Internet searches suppressed

Boston Globe

19-05-2025

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The defense is questioning the validity of seven search warrants,
In court papers, the defense said Walshe and his then-attorney, Tracey Miner, shared electronic devices with investigators but on the condition that the forensic inquiry be limited to to communications since Dec. 25, 2022 — not Internet searches.
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The defense argues that State Police failed to adhere to the agreement, improperly discovering the alleged Internet searches and violating Walshe's constitutional rights. Walshe's lawyers also contend that police then used the illegal information to collect more forensic evidence from the family home, a car, and other locations that should not be used against him.
'The searches conducted between January 6th and January 8, 2023, were without a warrant, without voluntary consent or were conducted outside the scope of any consent,' defense lawyers wrote in court documents.
'The searches conducted thereafter, whether by warrant or otherwise, were tainted from the illegal and unauthorized searches of the devices and were fruits of the illegal and unauthorized searches,' they wrote.
But prosecutors from Morrissey's office said police acted properly because Walshe voluntarily gave them the devices after consulting with his attorney.
'When police first went to the defendant's home, there was no evidence of a murder; police were there because Ana's employer reported that she was missing,' prosecutors wrote. 'Attorney Miner ended the interview when it became apparent that the searches suggested a crime.'
The defense is raising its contentions before Superior Court Judge Diane Freniere, who has been specially assigned to handle the trial. Freniere will preside over two days of hearings this week.
Walshe has pleaded not guilty to first degree murder, disinterring a body, and misleading police. He is being held without bail.
On New Year's Eve 2022, the couple had hosted one of Ana Walshe's former employees, who left their Cohasset home around 1:30 a.m., according to prosecutors.
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By 4:50 a.m., authorities allege, Ana Walshe was dead and her husband allegedly used his son's iPad to conduct the Internet searches.
Prosecutors say Brian Walshe was the sole beneficiary of a $2.7 million life insurance policy his wife had taken out.
Ana Walshe's body has not been found, but authorities allege they have recovered DNA evidence showing where Brian Walshe dropped the remains into dumpsters.
Information from earlier Globe reporting was used in this account.
John R. Ellement can be reached at