07/25/2025
In Dedham, MA, Brian Walshe, the Massachusetts man accused of killing and dismembering his wife in 2023, asked the court Thursday to limit some of the evidence in his upcoming trial.
Brian Walshe, 48, was arrested on Jan. 18, 2023, and was indicted by a grand jury on charges including murder, misleading a police investigation/obstruction of justice and improper conveyance of a human body. He is being held without bail.
It has been two years since Ana Walshe disappeared from her Cohasset home. Her body was never found.
Brian Walshe has asked a judge to restrict the use of potentially incriminating online searches in his upcoming trial.
The hearing began with the defense's motion to dismiss, arguing that the prosecution did not present to the grand jury sufficient evidence to indict Brian Walshe for first-degree murder on the theories of premeditation or cruelty.
In Massachusetts, the first-degree murder statute mandates that prosecutors must prove either premeditation or extreme atrocity.
Prosecutors said Brian Walshe performed several online searches in the days after Ana Walshe's death, including for information about "how to dispose of a body." Brian Walshe's attorneys say those searches were obtained without a warrant, which prosecutors deny.
Investigators took eight devices from the Walshe home, including the one on which Trooper Nicholas Guarino said he found the suspicious searches. According to court filings, the defense originally shared electronic devices with investigators on the condition that the forensic inquiry be limited to communications between Dec. 25, 2022, and Jan. 6, 2023. The defense argues that the agreement did not include internet searches.
Recent court records show that the defense and prosecution continue to debate related issues, including exhaustive DNA testing and records the defense is seeking from Massachusetts State Police about investigators who worked the case, including Trooper Michael Proctor.
Proctor was terminated prior to the start of Karen Read's second trial. During the first trial, Proctor was questioned about messages he shared with a group of friends. After reading one of the messages, in which he called Read a "whack job" and an expletive, he apologized to the jury for his "unprofessional" comments.
Brian Walshe's trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 20.
We are following the trial 👇
Justice for Ana Walshe
Ana Walshe, his wife, disappeared more than two years ago. Her body has never been found.
