Brian Walshe case: Judge rules to allow digital evidence at upcoming murder trial

COHASSET, Mass. — A Massachusetts judge has ruled that some digital evidence will be allowed in the murder trial of Brian Walshe, the Cohasset man accused of dismembering his wife, Ana Walshe, with a hacksaw and disposing of her remains.

The decision permits prosecutors 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.

In the first motion, the judge determined that investigators did not exceed the scope of Walshe’s consent when searching his devices, allowing the digital evidence to be used in court.

WATCH: Brian Walshe's alleged Google searches after his wife Ana's death

However, the judge agreed to suppress certain search warrants related to the GPS system on Walshe’s mother’s car and specific days of records from his cellphone.

Monday court filings revealed that prosecutors have requested the certification of five material witnesses from outside Massachusetts to testify when Walshe’s case goes to trial later this year, The Boston Globe reported.

One of the witnesses is the private investigator hired by Walshe’s mother to investigate Ana Walshe’s alleged infidelity. Others include some of the missing woman’s coworkers.

Larry Tipton, Walshe’s lead defense attorney, argued last week that the prosecution didn’t present sufficient evidence to the grand jurors to indict his client for first-degree murder on theories of premeditation.

Prosecutors allege that Walshe killed his 39-year-old wife and misled investigators about her disappearance in early 2023.

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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.

Prosecutors have also previously said that a broken knife with blood on it was found in the basement of the Walshe family home.

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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, adding to the complexity of the case.

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