‘He won’t see the light of day’: Attorney Elyse Hershon reacts to Brian Walshe’s murder conviction

DEDHAM, Mass. — Local criminal defense attorney Elyse Hershon joined Boston 25 News to share immediate reaction after a Norfolk Superior Court jury found Brian Walshe guilty of first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Ana Walshe, who disappeared nearly 3 years ago.

Jurors got the case on Friday following the closing arguments. After nearly six hours of deliberating inside the Dedham courthouse, they convicted Walshe of killing and dismembering his wife on Monday.

The conviction comes after Walshe pleaded guilty last month to lesser charges of misleading police and illegally disposing of her body.

Brian Walshe found guilty of first-degree murder, jury reads verdict

Walshe next faces sentencing on Wednesday, when victim impact statements will also be read aloud in court.

“The sentencing has to happen, but it’s a formality, in terms of life without parole is mandatory for Brian Walshe,” Hershon said. “He will not be seeing the light of day.”

Ana’s body has never been found since she disappeared on New Year’s Day 2023.

During his nine-day trial, prosecutors leaned heavily on incriminating Google searches made on devices connected to Walshe that related to dismembering bodies and cleaning up blood, including “dismemberment and best ways to dispose of a body.”

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They also showed the jury surveillance video of Walshe visiting multiple pharmacies and hardware stores to buy heavy-duty cleaning supplies, a Tyvek suit, and various tools on the same day his wife was last seen alive. They alleged Walshe chopped up his wife with those tools and disposed of her remains in area dumpsters.

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Walshe’s attorneys shockingly rested last Thursday without calling any witnesses, despite speculation that Walshe might testify.

During opening and closing statements, Walshe’s attorneys tried to put reasonable doubt in jurors’ minds, arguing he panicked after discovering Ana unexpectedly dead in bed at their home following a New Year’s Eve gathering.

Watch Hershon’s full reaction to the verdict in the video player at the top of this page.

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