Northeast
Brian Walshe defense says he found wife dead in bed, denies uncovering affair as murder trial begins
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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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Brian Walshe during jury selection in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, MA on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. Walshe is facing charges for killing his wife Ana. (Richard Beetham for Fox News Digital)
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.
Brian and Ana Walshe pose for a shot in Boston Public Gardens, Boston, Massachusetts on their wedding day on Monday, Dec. 21, 2015. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
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.
This image from the Cohasset Police Department shown in court depicts the sparsely furnished bedroom used by Brian Walshe. There was a hole in the ceiling, additional images show. (Pool)
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.
William Fastow leaves an open house in the Spring Valley area of Washington, D.C., on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. Fastow was a friend of the late realtor, Ana Walshe, and the two were allegedly involved in an affair before her death. (Fox News Digital)
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.
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Naugatuck Police say one person has been arrested after a multi-car accident on Route 63 Saturday afternoon.
According to police, they responded to the area of Route 63 and Cherry Street around 1 p.m. for reports of a collision with injuries.
They say a 30-year-old man from Waterbury was arrested and charged with operating under the influence of drugs/alcohol, operating under the influence with a child passenger, illegal possession of prescription drugs, failure to keep narcotics in the original container, risk of injury to a child and distracted driving.
Police say he is being held on a $10,000 Surety Bond.
This is all the information at this time.
BANGOR, Maine (WABI) – Good morning and Happy Sunday everyone. Skies are cloudy with fog across much of Maine this morning. Rain has entered locations along the interstate and to the northwest. Temperatures vary from the upper 30s to mid 40s. Winds are out of the SE between about 5-15 mph.
Today will be a wet and impactful day with rain and even snow anticipated as a large cold front passes through Maine. Skies will be cloudy with plenty of fog lasting through the morning. Rain will expand across the interstate by the late morning hours, reaching Downeast locations by midday/the early afternoon.
By the early to midafternoon, temperatures will start to drop across northwestern locations as the cold front passes through Maine. This will result in rain turning over to mixed precipitation and eventually snow across the Western Mountains, Moosehead region, and Northern Maine. Rain will continue steadily and at times heavily across the foothills, Interstate, Coast, and Downeast. A few thunderstorms are even possible closer to the coast.
Snow will expand across areas to the northwest of the interstate this evening, reaching all the way down to Interior Midcoast communities, the Bangor region, and Interior Downeast areas by sunset and into the start of the night. Precipitation will taper off across Western Maine shortly after sunset, before exiting the entire state around midnight tonight. High temps today will vary from the low 40s to low 50s with SSE to NW gusts reaching 20-25 mph.
Snowfall totals will vary under 2 inches across Western, Northern, and Interior Downeast locations. However, a few pockets of 2-4 inches are possible, mostly in higher elevations across the mountains. Rainfall totals will accumulate around a half inch to three quarters of an inch when all is said and done.
Precipitation will be out of Maine by midnight tonight, with cloudy conditions giving way to mostly clear skies by sunrise. Lows overnight will dip back below freezing across much of the state, from the low 20s to mid 30s tonight, so cover up any plants or flowers outside. WNW gusts will reach 20-25 mph. A Small Craft Advisory is expected offshore.
Skies will be partly to mostly sunny across the interstate and coast on Monday morning. However, by the late morning to midday hours, clouds will build with a few scattered rain and snow showers in spots. Conditions will remain on the cloudier side in the afternoon before clearing up around sunset into the start of Monday night. Highs will be chilly on Monday, from the low 30s to upper 40s. WNW to SW gusts will be a bit breezy, reaching 20-25 mph, which will add to the wind chill factor.
High pressure will build on Monday night, remaining overhead on Tuesday. Skies will be sunny in the morning, becoming partly to mostly sunny in the afternoon. Highs will remain cool, in the 40s across the board with North to SW gusts only reaching 15-20 mph.
A weaker low-pressure system could bring showers across Maine on Wednesday and Thursday. There is a bit of model uncertainty on exactly when it will impact Maine. The GFS has impacts on Wednesday, while the EURO, GRAF, and GDPS models have most of the impacts on Thursday. We will continue to monitor this system and potential impacts. All it looks to provide as of now are cloudier skies and rain showers, with some snow shower chances farther to the North.
By Friday and Saturday, conditions are trending on the drier side with sunshine and average temperatures returning to the forecast.
SUNDAY: Highs from low 40s to low 50s. Cloudy with AM fog. Rain becoming widespread throughout the day, turning over to snow to the north & west during PM. SSE to NW gusts reach 20-25 mph.
MONDAY: Highs from low 30s to upper 40s. Partly to mostly sunny early. Developing clouds with scattered rain/snow showers by midday/afternoon. WNW to SW gusts reach 20-25 mph.
TUESDAY: Highs throughout the 40s. Sunnier AM. Partly to mostly sunny PM. North to SW gusts reach 15-20 mph.
WEDNESDAY: Highs from low 40s to low 50s. Mostly cloudy with a few rain showers. Few AM snow showers possible North. SSE to SSW gusts reach 20-25 mph.
THURSDAY: Highs from mid 40s to mid 50s. Cloudier skies with rain showers possible. Some AM snow showers possible North. NW gusts reach 20-25 mph.
FRIDAY: Highs from upper 40s to mid 50s. Partly cloudy. NNW gusts reach 20 mph.
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