The murder trial of a convicted Massachusetts fraudster accused of killing his wife after learning of an affair kicked off Monday, with prosecutors delivering an opening statement that began shortly before 10 a.m.

In a surprise move during jury selection last month, Brian Walshe, 50, pleaded guilty to lesser charges of misleading a police investigation and improper conveyance of a human body.

He is still facing a first-degree murder charge that could land him in prison for life with no chance of parole if convicted.

He is accused of killing and dismembering his 39-year-old wife, Ana Walshe, whose remains have not been found. However, according to Walshe’s defense, he found his wife dead in their bed, “nudged” her, and she fell lifeless to the floor. Then he hid her remains and lied about it.

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Defense attorney Larry Tipton told jurors in his opening statement that Walshe “nudged” his wife in bed and discovered she was dead.

“Now he was panicking, and he doesn’t understand what has happened and what is happening,” Tipton said. “It didn’t make any sense to him. It didn’t make sense that somebody he had just been with, and enjoyed New Year’s Eve with into New Year’s Day, would suddenly be dead.”

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Tipton said evidence would show a “sudden, unexplained death” and that such a thing “happens.” He denied the prosecution’s allegation that his client was aware of Ana’s suspected affair with a friend from Washington, D.C., where she commuted to work.

“Brian Walshe is not a killer,” he concluded.

She was last seen on New Year’s Day in 2023, and prosecutors allege her husband dismembered her in their Cohasset, Massachusetts, home before hiding her remains. She was reported missing days later by her boss.

Cohasset Police Sgt. Harrison Schmidt, who responded to take the missing person report, was the first witness.

With Schmidt on the stand, prosecutors played recordings of Walshe’s initial interviews with police, in which he acknowledged marital trouble stemming from his art fraud conviction and his inability to move with the family to Washington, where he said his wife was making $315,000 a year.

Schmidt testified that he checked the trunk of Walshe’s Volvo SUV and saw it was covered with plastic sheeting. The detective said he returned to the Cohasset police station and put a tracker on Ana’s passport. He also showed photos taken during a walkthrough of the home, which showed Walshe was sleeping in a separate bedroom that had a hole in the ceiling.

Prosecutors have alleged that police recovered evidence from a dumpster near Walshe’s mother’s house, including a rug from the family home, clothing and a COVID vaccination card belonging to the victim, a hatchet, a hacksaw and red and brown stained towels.

Prosecutors have laid out two potential motives in the case. The first is that Walshe allegedly discovered an affair between his wife and another man, whose name he is accused of searching on Google six times. The second is that he allegedly believed being the sole caretaker of their children would help him avoid prison in connection with a federal art fraud case.

And he was the beneficiary of her $2.7 million life insurance policy.

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Investigators say they found digital evidence showing Walshe allegedly searched Google more than a dozen times for instructions on how to dispose of human remains. Then they say they found video of him at Home Depot, buying mops, goggles and a knife.

The trial before a jury of nine women and seven men is expected to last two to four weeks. 

Schmidt is expected to return to the witness stand Tuesday, but prosecutors said they were already running ahead of schedule.

BOSTON (WHDH) – Around 400 children from every neighborhood in Boston got in the holiday spirit Tuesday night while they shopped with Boston police officers at a Target in Dorchester as part of the 17th annual Shop with a Cop event.

“It is far better than the North Pole and a little warmer, too,” Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox joked.

The joy is all made possible by the Boston police department, the Boston Police Foundation, and its sponsorship partners.

“This is what they truly do,” said Dan Linskey, Vice Chair of the Boston Police Foundation. “Cops care, and our Boston cops care about our community, care about the kids, and leading the way to make sure kids have a great holiday season.”

The event started more than a decade ago with about 100 children, and soon grew to what it is today.

Officers involved said they know the true meaning of Christmas is sharing joy with the community.

“The first time kids are seeing a police officer, if it’s a positive experience with the magic of Christmas, that’s a lot better than a negative interaction with a police officer any time,” said Linskey.

Other law enforcement agencies also got in on the fun, with members of the MBTA transit police to the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department also shopping until they dropped.

“I’m thankful for all our officers who care so much not only about the residents but the kids. This is a kids event. That warms my heart,” said Cox.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers have found their next special teams ace. A team that has had one for years and decades – John Fiala of the late 90s, Clint Kreidwalt, Sean Morey, and Chidi Iwuoma of the mid-2000s, Darrius Heyward-Bey and Tyler Matakevich of the mid-late 2010s, and Miles Killebrew of the 2020s, Carson Bruener is carrying that torch into 2025 and beyond.

A seventh-round pick who made the roster for his ‘teams value, he’s been putting that role to good use. Though Bruener has logged just one defensive snap this season, he’s quickly emerged as a core special teamer. His 220 special teams snaps rank fifth on the team and his 14 tackles on that unit is an excellent number.

Sunday’s showing against Baltimore was his marquee performance to date. Three special teams tackles, all on kick coverage, with high-end reps. Twice, he bowled over his would-be Ravens’ blocker en route to the returner.

On this rep, he is aligned at R2, fourth-in from the left. No. 39 dies a slow death as Bruener runs over him while keying the returner. Baltimore’s runback is clunky with the returner ahead of his up-man, losing a blocker in the process, and Bruener keeps him lateral and pinned to the sideline. Sebastian Castro and Jabrill Peppers also do nice jobs here to run him out of bounds.

Very similar here. Bruener again runs through his blocker even more forcefully this time, and the returner has nowhere to go. Bruener is no longer blocked and in position to make the tackle. He finishes this play off himself.

His final tackle was an assist and not solo. A little less impressive. Still, it was a solid rep shedding the block of TE Charlie Kolar, squaring up the returner, and combining with Peppers to make the stop.

The tackles themselves don’t tell the whole story. Bruener’s three stops put the Ravens at: their 26, 26, and 29 yard line. That’s six to nine yards inside of where a touchback would come out to the 35 yard line. Hidden yardage that works in Pittsburgh’s favor.

An underrated part of Omar Khan/Andy Weidl’s first two draft classes are the seventh round hits. In 2023, there was OL Spencer Anderson. In 2025, Bruener. Two serious contributors to the roster.

Kick and punt coverage are the first line of defense. It must be strong. The Steelers have been excellent here, and Bruener looks like a stud in the making. It wouldn’t be surprising he became a special teams captain in 2026 and held the job for the next seven years.