New details emerge in case of Massachusetts man charged with dismembering his wife

(CNN) — A Massachusetts father accused of killing and dismembering his spouse was ordered held with out bail Thursday, practically 5 months after the disappearance of Ana Walshe.

Brian Walshe, 48, shook his head as his homicide cost was learn aloud in Norfolk Superior Courtroom. He pleaded not responsible to the fees of homicide, deceptive police, and improper conveyance of a human physique.

Shortly after Walshe pleaded not responsible, Norfolk Assistant District Legal professional Greg Connor outlined a spate of recent particulars from the investigation.

Amongst them: “In December 2022, it had develop into evident that Mr. Walshe was suspecting his spouse of getting an affair,” Connor mentioned in court docket.

“He was routinely visiting the Instagram web page of certainly one of her male pals. And on December twenty sixth, his mom — along with his enter and course — obtained and employed a personal investigator to surveil Ana Walshe in Washington DC.”

Prosecutors haven’t mentioned whether or not Ana Walshe’s physique or stays have been discovered.

The suspect’s protection lawyer, Tracy Miner, has recommended the prosecutors’ case was not robust and accused them of leaking proof to the media earlier than making it obtainable to her.

“In my expertise, the place, as right here, the prosecution leaks so referred to as proof to the press earlier than they supply it to me, their case is not that robust,” Miner mentioned in a January assertion. “After they have a powerful case, they offer me every thing as quickly as potential.”

The protection lawyer added: “I cannot be giving any media interviews or feedback. I intend to win this case in court docket, not within the media, which has already tried and convicted Mr. Walshe.”

However the prosecution says a number of items of proof help the fees in opposition to Brian Walshe — together with Google searches about dismemberment and disposing of lifeless our bodies in addition to bloody gadgets that had the DNA of each Brian and Ana Walshe.

In Massachusetts, a first-degree homicide conviction carries a compulsory sentence of life in jail with out the potential for parole, the district lawyer mentioned.

‘Ten methods to eliminate a lifeless physique if you actually need to’

Ana Walshe was reported lacking by her employer on January 4.

A Norfolk County prosecutor detailed a few of Brian Walshe’s alleged on-line searches within the days earlier than and after his spouse’s disappearance.

“Moderately than divorce, it’s believed that Brian Walshe dismembered Ana Walshe and discarded her physique,” prosecutor Lynn Beland mentioned on the suspect’s January arraignment.

On December 27 — a couple of days earlier than the mom disappeared — the husband allegedly searched on Google: “What’s the most effective state to divorce for a person?”

After Ana Walshe disappeared, Brian Walshe allegedly Google searched phrases comparable to “Ten methods to eliminate a lifeless physique if you actually need to,” “dismemberment and the most effective methods to eliminate a physique,” “are you able to be charged with homicide with out a physique,” and “are you able to determine a physique with damaged enamel,” the prosecutor mentioned.

A hacksaw, a hatchet and Ana Walshe’s purse

Surveillance video captured Brian Walshe tossing heavy luggage into dumpsters in Abington and in Swampscott, Beland mentioned. Mobile phone knowledge confirmed the husband visited a dumpster close to his mom’s residence in Swampscott, the prosecutor mentioned.

The baggage in Abington had been destroyed by the point police positioned them, Beland mentioned.

However she mentioned the trash luggage in Swampscott have been present in a group web site in Peabody and contained blood stains, cleansing tools, a hacksaw, a hatchet, a Prada purse carried by Ana Walshe and her Covid-19 vaccination card.

The state crime lab examined a number of the bloody gadgets within the luggage and located DNA from Ana and Brian Walshe, Beland mentioned.

‘A superb businesswoman’ and ‘supermom’

Ana Walshe, 39, labored for an actual property agency primarily based in Washington, DC.

She was “an absolute radiant spirit, the type of individual that while you stroll right into a room, you simply really feel her vitality,” her good friend Pamela Bardhi advised CNN.

“She’s a superb businesswoman and what I wish to name a supermom.”

The mom of three younger kids would journey from Cohasset to DC throughout the week for her actual property job at Tishman Speyer after which return residence on weekends, Bardhi mentioned.

“She has been an influence lady and only a businesswoman, so long as I’ve identified her,” Bardhi mentioned. “She by no means actually talked about her husband a lot. It was all about her children and enterprise and elevation and the way she may assist different individuals.”

The couple’s three kids have been positioned within the custody of the Massachusetts Division of Kids and Households, a spokesperson mentioned. Two of Ana Walshe’s pals, together with Bardhi, mentioned a number of native households had provided to absorb the youngsters to allow them to stay collectively.

On the time of her disappearance, the mom of three had an actual property portfolio price practically $2 million, in line with CNN’s evaluation of publicly obtainable paperwork.

She owned a minimum of 4 residential properties, in line with property evaluation data and tax data in Massachusetts, Maryland and Washington, DC. Her husband was not listed as proprietor or co-owner of any of the properties.

Property data examined by CNN embrace these in each her married identify and the identify she used earlier than marrying Brian Walshe, Ana Knipp, however is probably not an exhaustive image of her actual property holdings.