Latest news with #BrianWalshe
Fox News
03-08-2025
- Fox News
Brian Walshe murder trial: Prosecutors say husband dismembered wife Ana to dodge prison in art fraud case
As Brian Walshe awaits a trial in his wife Ana's murder, Massachusetts prosecutors allege it wasn't a crime of passion but a calculated plan to protect his freedom and fortune. Ana Walshe, who split her time between Washington, D.C., and her family home in Cohasset, Massachusetts, was last seen on New Year's Day 2023, when she reportedly got into a rideshare to catch a flight to D.C. to deal with a work emergency. Police in Massachusetts confirmed Walshe never got on the plane. Her husband of seven years is charged with first-degree murder, improper transport of a human body and misleading police in his wife Ana's disappearance and faces separate federal charges for art fraud. He has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors, however, have laid out a broader and more calculated motive. As first reported by Los Angeles Magazine, state attorneys allege Brian Walshe believed that if Ana were "deceased or disappeared," he could avoid federal prison time from a previous art fraud conviction in Los Angeles. In 2021, Walshe pleaded guilty to a federal art fraud scheme involving the sale of two fake Andy Warhol paintings. He was sentenced in February 2024 to 37 months in prison and three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $475,000 in restitution, according to the Department of Justice. This theory, according to prosecutors, casts Walshe's alleged actions as a deliberate effort to eliminate his wife as a means to remove his looming federal prison term. Ana reportedly confided in a friend shortly before her disappearance that Walshe was convinced having custody of their children in Massachusetts would help him evade incarceration in the federal case, according to prosecutors. Despite the defense's objections, Judge Diane Freniere ruled prosecutors may introduce digital evidence at trial, including Brian Walshe's alleged Google search history and references to his wife's extramarital affair as part of their motive theory. According to prosecutors, in the early hours of Jan. 1, 2023, just hours after Ana Walshe was last seen, Brian allegedly used his son's iPad and his own phone to search phrases like "dismemberment and the best ways to dispose of a body," "how long before a body starts to smell" and "hacksaw best tool to dismember." At a recent evidence hearing July 24, Walshe's lead defense attorney, Larry Tipton, argued prosecutors have no proof Brian knew about Ana's affair, a central piece of the state's theory of premeditation. Fox News Digital has reached out to Tipton for comment. Without direct evidence of that knowledge, Tipton said, the state's claim of motive was "pure speculation." But retired Massachusetts Superior Court Judge Jack Lu told Fox News Digital premeditation doesn't require a long timeline. "A decision to kill may be formed over a period of days, hours, or even a few seconds," Lu said. He added that the legal threshold at the grand jury level is only probable cause, not proof beyond a reasonable doubt, making it unlikely the defense can suppress the search data. "These are absolutely top-shelf lawyers. Everyone knows what they're doing, and nobody makes foolish claims. It's demanding for the judge, but it's also easier because it's all on the record, and the legal arguments are very clean," he said. Judge Freniere recently denied the defense's motion to exclude the incriminating digital evidence, allowing jurors to consider Walshe's alleged search history for body disposal during the trial. "Good for the defense to move to dismiss this for multiple reasons, including legal staging for related arguments," Lu noted. "However, at the end of the day, dismissal on these grounds is almost impossible. Grand jurors are entitled to accept or reject evidence as they see fit." Additional court filings revealed that, on Christmas Day 2022, Walshe allegedly Googled the name of Ana's rumored lover, identified in court only as "W.F.," six times. Prosecutors also disclosed that Walshe's mother had hired a private investigator to follow Ana in Washington, D.C., where she lived during the week, and was allegedly conducting the affair. The prosecution further cited a $2.7 million life insurance policy naming Brian Walshe as the sole beneficiary, bolstering what they claim is a financial motive in the case. Jury selection in his trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 20, with proceedings expected to last approximately three to four weeks.
CBS News
02-08-2025
- CBS News
Judge in Brian Walshe's murder case reveals she may have conflict of interest
The judge in the Brian Walshe murder case revealed at a hearing on Friday that she may have a conflict of interest. Norfolk Superior Court Judge Diane Freniere described an attorney appointed to represent the state in the case as a "mentor and friend." While she said she believes she can still be impartial in the case, she's letting the defense consider how it feels about this. Walshe is accused of murdering his wife, Ana, in Cohasset back in January 2023. She was last seen early on Jan. 1 and Walshe said she had been called to Washington, D.C. on a work emergency. The company, who reported her as missing, said there was no emergency. Prosecutors have said that starting Jan. 1 and for several days after, Walshe made multiple online searches for "dismemberment and best ways to dispose of a body," "how long before a body starts to smell" and "hacksaw best tool to dismember." Ana Walshe's body has never been found. Walshe's defense team is also seeking emails related to two other Norfolk County cases, including the Karen Read murder trial, particularly emails and text messages from State Trooper Michael Proctor, who helped lead the investigations that resulted in the arrests of both Walshe and Read. Proctor was fired in March for his actions during the Read investigation when he sent vulgar text messages about her to friends and family. Walshe's trial is set to begin in October 2025.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Yahoo
Teen charged after head-on car crash with school bus in Mass. town
Lunenburg police criminally charged an 18-year-old driver Tuesday morning after they got into a head-on collision with a school bus while using their phone, according to the police department. The crash happened in the 1300 block of Lancaster Avenue when the sedan the teen was driving drifted into the opposite lane, Lunenburg police wrote in a Facebook post. Speed was not a factor, but the sedan driver admitted to being distracted by their cell phone. There were 20 people on the school bus — including students — at the time of the crash, but neither the people on the bus nor the sedan driver were injured in the crash, police said. The school district arranged a second bus to take the students to school following the crash. Officers determined that the 18-year-old was driving negligently, police said. As a result, they were criminally charged. 'Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that's like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed,' police wrote in the Facebook post. 'You cannot drive safely unless the task of driving has your full attention. Any non-driving activity you engage in is a potential distraction and increases your risk of crashing.' Waltham man found guilty on manslaughter charge in 2023 fatal shooting Arlington man arrested in Cambridge after several hit-and-run crashes Maynard man faces assault charges after domestic incident, break-in Murder suspect Brian Walshe wants Google searches on body disposal suppressed from trial Man pleads guilty to Boston fatal shooting from May 2020 midway through trial Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Yahoo
Mass. man arrested after several hit-and-run crashes involving stolen truck
Cambridge police arrested an Arlington man Saturday night after he stole a truck and was then involved in several hit-and-run crashes, according to the police department. Cambridge police began investigating the man — who they have not named — after receiving reports about a pickup truck that was towing a trailer of competitive row boats and driving 'erratically' in West Cambridge, the police department said in a Facebook post. Officers soon learned that the truck had been reported stolen to Arlington police. Additionally, Arlington police informed Cambridge police that the truck had been involved in several hit-and-run crashes at multiple locations, Cambridge police said. No one was killed in the crashes, but they resulted in non-life-threatening injuries and caused 'significant' property damage. Cambridge police responded to the scene and soon located the truck near the Belmont town line, the police department said. Police from both Cambridge and Belmont then managed to stop the truck and arrest the driver. A Cambridge police cruiser was involved in a crash while responding to the scene, police said. An ambulance took the officer to a local hospital. He was treated at the hospital and later released. "The investigation into this incident is ongoing. It involves multiple scenes and coordination with several partner agencies," Cambridge police wrote in the Facebook post. It is unclear what charges the driver may face out of Cambridge and Arlington. Cambridge police did not immediately respond to a request for further information about the case Tuesday afternoon. Waltham man found guilty on manslaughter charge in 2023 fatal shooting Teen charged after head-on car crash with school bus in Lunenburg Maynard man faces assault charges after domestic incident, break-in Murder suspect Brian Walshe wants Google searches on body disposal suppressed from trial Man pleads guilty to Boston fatal shooting from May 2020 midway through trial Read the original article on MassLive.
