Brian Walshe found guilty of murdering his wife, who disappeared nearly 3 years ago

BOSTON (AP) — Brian Walshe was found guilty Monday of killing his wife, whose body has never been found after she disappeared from their Massachusetts home on New Year’s Day nearly three years ago.

Ana Walshe, an immigrant from Serbia, was last seen early Jan. 1, 2023, after a New Year’s Eve dinner at the couple’s home. Walshe was convicted of first-degree murder after pleading guilty last month to lesser charges of misleading police and illegally disposing of her body.

There was no reaction in the courtroom as the verdict was read, with Walshe staring straight ahead. He was handcuffed and shackled before being led out of the courtroom.

Prosecutors leaned heavily on searches made by devices connected to Brian Walshe that related to dismembering bodies and cleaning up blood. The search questions included “dismemberment and best ways to dispose of a body,” “how long before a body starts to smell” and “hacksaw best tool to dismember.”

When initially questioned by investigators, Walshe said his wife had been called to Washington, D.C., on New Year’s Day for a work emergency. But witnesses testified there was no evidence she took a ride service to the airport or boarded a flight. He didn’t contact her employer until Jan. 4.

Walshe later admitted that he dismembered her body and disposed of it in dumpster, saying that he did so only after panicking when he found his wife had died in bed. Walshe’s defense team didn’t call any witnesses and have argued he found Ana Walshe dead in bed and panicked.

Michael Casey, The Associated Press