Husband pleads not guilty to murdering mom-of-three Ana Walshe
The same morning she disappeared, Brian searched for: 'ten ways to dispose of a dead body if you really need to.'
Brian Walshe, the husband of missing mom Ana Walshe, pleaded not guilty to her murder on Wednesday as prosecutors read out evidence collected against him.
Walshe appeared before a judge at the Quincy District Court, where he pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and disinterring a body.
Walshe barely spoke at all during the hearing. When the judge asked him if he understood the charges, he said ‘I do.’
At the hearing, Assistant District Attorney Lynn Beland read off evidence against the defendant, including a long list of Google searches including ’10 ways to dismember a body,’ ‘can you be charged with murder without a body,’ and ‘can you identify a body with broken teeth.’
Ana was last seen by guests at a New Year’s Eve party around 1.30am on January 1. Shortly before 5am that same morning, her husband searched for: ‘How long before a body starts to smell’ and ‘how to stop a body from decomposing.’
Walshe shook his head as Beland read more of the searches he made on one of his young children’s iPad.
In the following hours that same morning, Brian searched for: ‘ten ways to dispose of a dead body if you really need to,’ ‘how long for someone to be missing before you inherit,’ and ‘can you throw away body parts.’
Beland rode off dozens of more searches related to cleaning blood and identifying remains.
Prosecutors also detailed how surveillance footage captured Walshe disposing of heavy trash bags in dumpsters at several different apartment complexes.
A search of local waste disposal facilities revealed multiple items containing Ana’s DNA, including her Hunter boots, a Prada handbag, and her COVID-19 vaccine card.
Additionally, investigators found a hacksaw, hatchet, and cutting shears with her DNA.
Brian and Ana lived with their three children in Cohasset, Massachusetts, an affluent suburb just south of Boston. Ana worked for a real estate firm based in Washington, DC.
Ana was last seen on New Year’s Eve. She was expecting to leave for a work emergency early in the morning on New Year’s Day. However, Ana never checked in for her flight at Boston Logan Airport.
Ana was reported missing on January 4 by her employer. Brian initially told authorities he had not left his home since her disappearance. However, surveillance cameras caught footage of him outside of his home at multiple locations, including purchasing $450 of cleaning supplies at a home supplies store.
Brian was arrested on January 9 on suspicion of lying to investigators. After a search of the couple’s home, they discovered a broken knife containing traces of Ana’s blood.
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