DEDHAM, Mass. — A Massachusetts jury on Monday found Brian Walshe guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of his wife, Ana Walshe, bringing a high-profile and closely watched trial to its conclusion.
Walshe, 50, of Cohasset, was accused of murdering Ana, who was last seen alive on New Year’s Eve 2022. She was reported missing several days later, sparking an extensive investigation that drew national attention. Ana’s body has never been recovered.
Before the trial began, Walshe pleaded guilty to charges related to the improper conveyance of a human body and misleading a police investigation. He pleaded not guilty to the murder charge, with his defense arguing that Ana died as the result of a sudden medical emergency rather than an act of violence.
Prosecutors, however, presented a case built on circumstantial evidence, digital records, and Walshe’s actions in the days following Ana’s disappearance, ultimately persuading jurors that the killing was premeditated.
At the time Ana went missing, Walshe was already on home confinement while awaiting sentencing in an unrelated federal art fraud case, a detail that figured prominently in the timeline of events presented to the jury.
Walshe is tentatively scheduled to be sentenced on Wednesday. Victim impact statements are expected to be delivered before the court hands down its decision, marking the final chapter in a case that has haunted Ana Walshe’s family for more than two years.