COHASSET, Mass. — Another key ruling was made Tuesday in the case against Brian Walshe, the Cohasset man accused of dismembering his wife, Ana Walshe, with a hacksaw and disposing of her remains after using his son’s iPad to Google the best ways to get rid of a body.
Judge Diane Freniere denied a defense motion to dismiss an indictment charging Walshe with first-degree murder on the ground that the grand jury heard insufficient evidence to sustain an indictment.
In the motion filed last week, lawyers claimed that prosecutors violated Walshe’s rights by not reviewing “confidential materials” that could aid his defense. Prosecutors, however, argued that they are unable to review these materials due to federal regulations, as they are reportedly tied to the Karen Read murder case.
The specifics of these materials and their connection to the Read case remain unclear.
In denying the motion, Freniere stated that evidence presented to the grand jury was “sufficient to meet the probable cause standard to believe that he intended to kill Ana and that he decided to do so after a period of reflection.”
Prosecutors allege that Walshe killed his 39-year-old wife on Jan. 1, 2023, and misled investigators about her disappearance in early 2023.
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.
Earlier this summer, Freniere issued a ruling allowing the prosecution 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, during the trial.
Freniere determined that investigators did not exceed the scope of Walshe’s consent when searching his devices, despite pushback from the defense.
Prosecutors have also previously said that a broken knife with blood on it was found in the basement of the Walshe family home.
The Norfolk District Attorney’s Office previously said that it was awaiting DNA test results from dozens of items.
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.
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