DEDHAM, Mass. — Brian Walshe’s murder trial opened Monday with a stunning defense claim: that Ana Walshe was not murdered but instead died from natural causes.
[ Brian Walshe murder trial: Opening statements reveal competing narratives in Ana Walshe’s death ]
Brian Walshe is charged with First Degree Murder for the 2023 death of his missing wife, Ana Walshe, from the couple’s Cohasset home
Walshe has already pleaded guilty to lesser charges of misleading police and disposing of Ana’s body.
In his opening statement, defense attorney Larry Tipton told the jury there Ana was not murdered, but instead inexplicably died in the couple’s bed after a New Years Eve dinner party
Tipton argued Ana died of an unknown, unexplained sudden death, and that Brian Walshe panicked.
“He nudged her now in a frantic and panicked reaction to where she actually rolled off the bed,” Tipton said. “It didn’t make any sense. It didn’t make sense that somebody that he had just been with and enjoyed New Year’s Eve into New Year’s Day, can suddenly be dead.”
But prosecutor Gregory Connor told the jury Brian Walshe carefully planned Ana’s death, that grim internet searches, from murder to dismemberment, provide a roadmap of evidence, and that State Police found tools of Ana’s murder in a dumpster near Brian Walshe’s mother’s house.
“They will explain that Ana Walshe’s DNA was found on items in the dumpster, including rugs, the hatchet, and the hacksaw,” Connor said.
Brian Walshe is also pleading guilty to lying to police when they came looking for Ana in the first week of 2023.
As the trial began, the jury heard Walshe apparently lying to them, shortly after he disposed of her dismembered remains.
“I don’t want to hide anything from you because if it leads to finding my wife sooner then that’s the most important thing,” Walshe told Cohasset police on January 4th, 2023. “But it’s extremely embarrassing for me to talk about. Under these circumstances, it’s worth it.”
Testimony resumes Tuesday morning.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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