Prosecutors are in court this week fighting against Brian Walshe — the man accused of killing his wife Ana Walshe after she vanished back on New Year’s Day.
We’ve been reporting on the story of the Massachusetts family for some time now, but on Thursday, Brian’s latest court appearance brought shocking new updates. According to the prosecution, Brian allegedly killed his wife because he thought she had been having an affair behind his back.
During Thursday’s court appearance, per NBC News, Brian pleaded not guilty to all the counts that have been brought against him: murder, misleading a police investigation, obstruction of justice, and improper conveyance of a human body.
Prosecutors may have an uphill battle in the case. No trace of Ana — who vanished back on New Year’s Day after supposedly leaving home for a work trip — has even been found. She is presumed dead, but without her remains, police and prosecutors are searching for other evidence of what they believe occurred. According to them, the 48-year-old man allegedly killed his wife, dismembered her, and then disposed of her body.
In court on Thursday, the case against Brian started to unfold. Prosecutors argued that he “directed his mother to hire a private investigator” to track Ana as she traveled, per WCVB-TV. The 39-year-old woman was a real estate executive who worked regularly in Washington, DC, and traveled back and forth between there and the couple’s Boston home. The PI was brought on by Brian’s mother, according to the state of Massachusetts, “for the purpose of proving infidelity” on Ana’s part.
Per that news outlet, prosecutors stated part of their theory in court:
“In December 2022, Mr. Walshe suspected Ana was having an affair. During this time, he would repeatedly access the Instagram page of one of Ana’s male friends from Washington, DC.”
Interestingly, Walshe’s defense attorney Tracy Miner did confirm in court that Brian’s mother hired a private investigator. However, Miner argued it had not been done at Brian’s request or demand.
Per WCVB, Miner claimed the mother hired the PI on her own, and Brian was skeptical about any affair allegations:
“She told Mr. Walshe she was doing that. He said she was crazy, ‘Ana is a good girl, but go ahead you will be proved wrong.’”
Hmmm…
Prosecutors have previously indicated their belief that Ana was preparing to leave Brian at the time of her disappearance and presumed death. He had been facing a potential prison sentence in an unrelated art fraud case after being convicted for selling two fake Andy Warhol paintings to unsuspecting buyers back in 2018. Brian was under house arrest and awaiting sentencing in that case when Ana disappeared at the beginning of this year.
Per NBC News, prosecutors also think Brian was motivated to kill his wife in order to collect on her $2.8 million life insurance policy. As we’ve previously noted, cops already uncovered evidence of Google searches on one of the family’s internet devices for phrases like “how long before a body starts to smell” and “how long before a body starts decomposing” in the days before Ana went missing. Brian also allegedly purchased hundreds of dollars worth of cleaning supplies in that period, too.
Here is the latest from the Walshe case, via CBS Boston (below):
Thursday’s court hearing ended with a judge remanding Brian to prison without bail. He will remain there for the foreseeable future as his case continues to move forward.
Per People, his next court appearance will come in August.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available. Consider calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233, or text START to 88788, or go to https://www.thehotline.org/.
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