Ana and Brian Walshe.
Prosecutors allege the husband ofAna Walshe, the Massachusetts mom of three who vanished New Year’s Day and is presumed dead, killed her because he believed she was having an affair.
On Thursday,Brian Walshepleaded not guilty to murder, misleading a police investigation/obstruction of justice and improper conveyance of a human body in connection with Ana’s death,ABC Newsreports.
Ana’s remains have not been found, but prosecutors allege Walshe, 48, killed, dismembered and disposed of her body.
“In December 2022, Mr. Walshe suspected Ana was having an affair,” the records read, per the outlet. “During this time, he would repeatedly access the Instagram page of one of Ana’s male friends from Washington, D.C.”
Ana Walshe.Facebook
Although Walshe’s defense attorney, Tracy Miner, confirmed his mother hired a private investigator, she denied it was at Walshe’s request.
“She told Mr. Walshe she was doing that. He said she was crazy, ‘Ana is a good girl, but go ahead you will be proved wrong,'” Miner said in court Thursday, per WCVB.
According to ABC, prior to her disappearance, prosecutors said Ana had plans to leave Walshe because she feared he would be sent to prison in a separate art fraud case after he was convicted of sellingtwo fake Andy Warhol paintingsin 2018. At the time of Ana’s disappearance, Walshe was under house arrest and awaiting sentencing.
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Prosecutors said Walshe was also motivated to kill his wife so he could profit from her $2.7 million life insurance policy, perNBC News.
During a court hearing in January, prosecutors said Walshe allegedly used his son’s iPad to conductdisturbing internet searches, including, “how long before a body starts to smell” and “how long before a body starts decomposing,” days before Ana was reported missing. During that time, they also accused Walshe of purchasing hundreds of dollars’ worth of cleaning supplies anddisposing of a bloody hacksaw and hatchet, PEOPLE previously reported.
Walshe was ordered held without bail. He is due back in court August.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at1-800-799-7233, or go tothehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
