Closing arguments are expected to be made Friday in the murder trial of Brian Walshe, a father of three accused of killing and dismembering his wife.
The Massachusetts man is accused of killing his wife, Ana Walshe, 39, around New Year’s Day 2023. pleaded guilty last month, before the trial, for lying to police after she disappeared and improperly disposing of her body, although he denies killing his wife and has pleaded not guilty to murder. Ana Walshe’s body has not been found.
Brian Walshe attends his trial for murdering his wife Ana, on December 4, 2025, in Dedham, Massachusetts.
Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool
The defense rested Thursday without calling any witnesses. Judge Diane Freniere noted in court Thursday that it appeared Brian Walshe would testify in his defense, based on the defense’s opening statement. Although he finally gave up his right.
During opening statements in the trial last week, defense attorneys said Brian Walshe found his wife dead in bed on New Year’s Day 2023 and then panicked and lied to police as they investigated her disappearance, but maintained that he did not kill her.
Prosecutors allege Brian Walshe killed and dismembered his wife and then dumped her remains in trash bins. His devices’ Internet history on Jan. 1, 2023 included searches such as “best way to dispose of a body,” “how long should someone be missing an inheritance” and “best way to dispose of body parts after a murder,” prosecutors said.
A surveillance camera image is presented as evidence of Brian Walshe shopping at Lowe’s in Danvers, on January 1, 2023, during Brian Walshe’s murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court, on December 8, 2025, in Dedham, Massachusetts.
Greg Derr/Pool/The Patriot Ledger via AP
Evidence presented during the two-week trial included surveillance footage of a man believed to be Brian Walshe purchasing tools and other supplies at Lowe’s on Jan. 1, 2023. A receipt showed that items including a hacksaw, knife, hammer, scissors, a Tyvek suit, shoe protectors, rags and cleaning supplies totaling $462 were purchased with cash.
A video purportedly showing Brian Walshe placing a bag of trash in a dumpster at an Abington apartment complex shown during Brian Walshe’s trial for murdering his wife, Ana, on December 4, 2025.
Matt Stone/Pool/The Boston Herald via AP
Additional surveillance footage presented in court showed someone throwing trash bags into dumpsters on several days in early January.
Several bloodstained items recovered from dumpsters by investigators, including a hacksaw, a piece of carpet, a towel, hair and an unknown fabric, were linked to Ana Walshe through DNA testing, a Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory forensic scientist testified during the trial.
A hacksaw, included in tools presented as evidence that all tested positive for blood, displayed during the murder trial of Brian Walshe, of Cohasset, accused of killing his wife Ana Walshe in 2023, at Norfolk Superior Court, on December 8, 2025, in Dedham, Massachusetts.
Greg Derr/Pool/The Patriot Ledger via AP
Blood was also found in the basement of the family’s rental home in Cohasset, another forensic scientist at the crime lab testified.
Ana Walshe was reported missing by her employer on Jan. 4, 2023. Brian Walshe told police at the time that he had a “work emergency” at his job in Washington, D.C., and left his Cohasset home on New Year’s Day, according to video of his interview shown in court.
A missing person poster that Cohasset police produced while searching for Ana Walshe is displayed on the first day of Brian Walshe’s murder trial at Norfolk Superior Court, December 1, 2025, in Dedham, Massachusetts.
Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool
At the time, Brian Walshe and his three children were living in Massachusetts while he awaited sentencing in a federal fraud case after pleading guilty to a scheme to sell counterfeit Andy Warhol paintings.
Before his murder trial, Brian Walshe admitted lying to police during his disappearance and improperly disposing of his body. His defense said during his opening statements that he panicked after finding her dead in bed and called her death sudden and unexplained.
Jurors heard testimony, including from a D.C. man with whom Ana Walshe was having an affair, that the mother of three was upset about being away from her children for so long and that there was stress in the marriage. The defense maintained that the couple was happy.
