DEDHAM, Mass. — On Monday, all eyes will be on Norfolk County Superior Court in Dedham for the Murder trial of Brian Walshe. He is charged with killing his missing wife, Ana Walshe, over New Year’s 2023.
Ana Walshe disappeared from the couple’s Cohasset home after a small New Year’s Eve party.
Brian Walshe initially told police his wife abruptly left Cohasset to handle a work emergency in Washington, D.C.
Brian Walshe has now admitted that it was a lie. In a shocking legal twist last week, Walshe pleaded guilty to two counts against him: lying to police and for illegally disposing of Ana’s body. He is now on trial for the single charge of Murder.
Investigators have amassed a mountain of evidence against Brian Walshe, most notably a series of internet searches on a child’s iPad about how to dispose of a body.
They also have surveillance images of Walshe buying cleaning materials at local hardware stores and dumping heavy trash bags at area dumpsters.
Boston criminal defense attorney Elyse Hershon believes prosecutors will need more if they are going to prove that Brian Walshe murdered his wife.
“If a jury doesn’t know how she died, that’s not a conviction. They cannot convict on that,” Hershon said.
Attorney Hershon explains that prosecutors are challenged by the fact that Ana Walshe has never been found.
And, even though Walshe has admitted he illegally disposed of Ana’s body, there are no witnesses to Ana’s death, making it hard to prove a murder charge.
“He could have had nothing to do with how she died, or it could have been self-defense, or it could have been some type of manslaughter, so there are a lot of options still open, which is the definition of reasonable doubt. If you think he caused her death, but you don’t know how, that’s an acquittal,” Hershon said.
Opening statements and first testimony are scheduled to take place on Monday, December 1st.
Join Bob Ward and Elyse Hershon for a new weekly Boston 25 Podcast on the Brian Walshe Murder Trial. Episode 1 is available now on YouTube.
[ Previewing the Brian Walshe trial: Bob Ward, Elyse Hershon break down the grisly murder case ]
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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