Brian Walshe, a Massachusetts man previously convicted of fraud, was found guilty on December 15, 2025, of first-degree murder in the killing and dismemberment of his wife, Ana Walshe. The verdict, delivered by a jury of six women and six men in Norfolk County Superior Court, comes nearly three years after Ana, a 39-year-old mother of three, was last seen alive on New Year’s Day 2023 at the couple’s home in Cohasset, Massachusetts. The case has drawn national attention not only for its grisly details but also because Ana’s body has never been found—a fact that didn’t deter prosecutors or the jury from reaching a conviction.
According to ABC News and NBC News, Brian Walshe faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. His formal sentencing is scheduled for Wednesday, December 17, 2025, when victim impact statements are expected to be read. Throughout the reading of the verdict, Walshe remained stoic, showing little reaction as his fate was sealed by the court.
Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey, whose office prosecuted the case, called the outcome historic. “This is the first case to my recollection where our office has gotten a first-degree murder conviction without having the victim’s body,” Morrissey told reporters outside the courthouse. He also shared the words of Ana’s sister: “Justice has been served.” Morrissey praised investigators for their exhaustive work, remarking, “They left no stone unturned. They went to dumpsters, landfills, dumps, transfer stations, department stores, lumber stores, CVS, just to gather all this evidence which was critical in this case.”
The prosecution’s case was built on a mountain of circumstantial and forensic evidence. Surveillance footage showed Brian Walshe purchasing a slew of items from Lowe’s and other stores on January 1, 2023—the very day Ana was last seen. The items, totaling $462 in cash, included a hacksaw, utility knife, hammer, snips, a Tyvek suit, shoe guards, rags, and cleaning supplies. Later, surveillance footage captured a man believed to be Walshe disposing of trash bags in dumpsters on multiple days in early January.
Investigators recovered several blood-stained items from dumpsters, including a hacksaw, a piece of rug, a towel, and hairs. DNA testing by the Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory linked these items to Ana Walshe. Blood was also found in the basement of the family’s rental home in Cohasset. On January 8, 2023, police found a broken knife and more blood in the basement—further tying Walshe to the crime scene, as reported by WBZ-TV.
Perhaps most damning was the digital trail left by Brian Walshe. Prosecutors presented evidence that, in the early hours of January 1, 2023, Walshe conducted a series of internet searches including, “best way to dispose of a body,” “how long for someone to be missing to inherit,” “how to saw a body,” “10 ways to dispose of a dead body if you really need to,” and “how long before a body starts to smell?” According to NBC News, he also searched, “can you identify a body with broken teeth.” Prosecutors argued that these searches, in combination with the purchase of cutting tools and cleaning supplies, pointed to a methodical and premeditated plan to kill Ana and conceal the evidence.
The prosecution painted a picture of a marriage in crisis, driven to its breaking point by financial strain and infidelity. Assistant District Attorney Anne Yas told the jury, “He needed her dead. This was a marriage in crisis.” Prosecutors alleged that Brian Walshe was motivated by money—he was the sole beneficiary of Ana’s $2.7 million life insurance policy—and by anger over an affair Ana was having with a realtor in Washington, D.C. They argued that he killed her, dismembered her body, and disposed of the remains in dumpsters to hide his crime.
The defense, led by attorney Larry Tipton, pushed back hard against the prosecution’s narrative. Tipton described Brian Walshe as a “loving father and loving husband” and claimed that Ana died suddenly and unexpectedly on New Year’s Day. According to the defense, Walshe found his wife unresponsive in bed after their New Year’s Eve celebration and panicked, believing no one would believe that Ana was “alive one minute and dead the next.” Tipton conceded that Walshe lied to police and improperly disposed of her body, but insisted there was no evidence of premeditation or motive. He argued that the internet searches and subsequent actions were the result of Walshe’s disbelief and panic, not a calculated murder plot.
Despite these arguments, the jury was not swayed. The defense rested its case without calling any witnesses, and Brian Walshe ultimately chose not to testify in his own defense, despite indications to the contrary during opening statements. The prosecution, on the other hand, called 48 witnesses, including police investigators, forensic scientists, and a man with whom Ana Walshe was having an affair. Testimony revealed that Ana was upset about being away from her young children—then ages 2, 4, and 6—due to her job in Washington, D.C., and that there was significant stress in the marriage. The defense, however, maintained that the couple was happy and denied the affair allegations.
A timeline of events presented in court showed that on December 31, 2022, the couple celebrated New Year’s Eve at home with a family friend, who later testified there was “no indication” of an impending tragedy. Brian Walshe initially told police that Ana left early on January 1 for a work emergency in Washington, D.C., taking an Uber or Lyft to the airport. But Ana was reported missing by her employer on January 4, and investigators quickly uncovered inconsistencies in Brian’s account.
Adding another layer to the complex case, Brian Walshe was awaiting sentencing in a federal fraud case at the time of Ana’s disappearance, having pleaded guilty to selling counterfeit Andy Warhol paintings. This criminal background, combined with the life insurance motive, painted a grim picture for the jury.
Legal analysts have noted the extraordinary nature of the conviction. As WBZ-TV legal analyst Jennifer Roman observed, “This was a huge win for the prosecution, not having a body, not having a cause of death. They convinced 12 people beyond a reasonable doubt that Brian Walshe not only killed her, but he premeditated that murder.”
While the verdict brings some measure of justice, the tragedy remains raw for Ana Walshe’s family, especially her three young children who are now left without a mother. As District Attorney Morrissey reminded the public, “Let’s not lose sight of the fact that Ana’s three young children will be without a mother.”
As Brian Walshe awaits formal sentencing, the case stands as a sobering reminder of the power of forensic evidence and digital footprints—even in the absence of a body—to bring about justice in the most challenging of circumstances.
