DEDHAM, Mass. — The second week of testimony continues Monday in the Brian Walshe murder trial, where prosecutors allege Walshe killed his wife, Ana Walshe, and dismembered her body around New Year’s Day 2023.
[ Watch live: Testimony in Norfolk Superior Court resumes at 9 a.m. ]
Since the start of the high-profile trial on December 1, jurors in Dedham’s Norfolk Superior Court have been seeing new evidence daily.
- Follow Boston 25’s Bob Ward on X for live updates from court
DNA evidence on tools
Before the court adjourned Friday, jurors saw a number of tools — including a hammer, hacksaw, and wire cutters — recovered from a Swampscott dumpster.
Prosecutors say these tools were used to dismember Ana’s body. Today, the state medical examiner is expected to testify that the tools contain Ana Walshe’s DNA.
Affair and digital evidence
Jurors also learned last week that Ana was having an affair. They reviewed emails and messages exchanged between Ana and William Fastow, a D.C. realtor, including communications on New Year’s Eve, hours before Ana disappeared.
A state police trooper testified that Ana’s last message to Fastow was sent at midnight on New Year’s, and said he found no evidence Brian Walshe was aware of those messages.
“You did not see any communication between Ana Walshe and William Fastow?”“Not that I recall,” the trooper testified.
Grisly internet searches
Jurors last week heard about troubling internet searches made on a device owned by the Walshe family, which were discovered by police after Ana Walshe went missing.
The searches, made between New Year’s Day and January 4th, included queries such as "how to dispose of a body" and “how to get blood out of hardwood floors.”
Defense claims natural causes
Walshe’s attorneys argue Ana died of natural causes and that Brian panicked when he found her dead in bed in their Cohasset home, although he has pleaded guilty to disposing of her body and lying to police. They point to earlier internet searches showing someone shopping for a 4-carat diamond ring and a Porsche as evidence that the couple was happy.
Jurors also learned Ana Walshe had two life insurance policies worth more than $1 million, with Brian listed as the beneficiary.
Walshe has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder.
Trial timeline
The judge told jurors she expects the trial to last two more weeks.
Testimony resumes at 9 a.m. today.
Boston 25 News is streaming the trial live at Boston25News.com.
RELATED:
[ Brian Walshe murder trial: Week 1 recap with Bob Ward, criminal defense attorney, Elyse Hershon ]
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