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Brian Walshe Indicted On Murder, Obstruction Of Justice Charges In Wife's Disappearance
Brian Walshe, who has maintained his innocence in the disappearance of his 39-year-old wife Ana Walshe, faces numerous charges related to her presumed murder.
A Massachusetts man was indicted for murder and other charges on Thursday in relation to the disappearance of his wife, despite the fact that her body has yet to be found.
In addition to murder, a grand jury indicted Brian Walshe of Cohasset, 47, on charges for misleading a police investigation, obstructing justice and improper conveyance of a human body, according to the Norfolk County District Attorney's Office.
Walshe has maintained his innocence in the disappearance of 39-year-old Ana Walshe, who's been missing since New Year's Day, and entered a not guilty plea on Jan. 18. Now, the case will move to Norfolk Superior Court, Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morissey said in a news release, where he'll be arraigned.
RELATED: Grisly Details In Ana Walshe Case Revealed As Husband Pleads Not Guilty To Her Murder
Walshe's defense attorney Tracey Miner told People that "an indictment contains only allegations" and that it is "not evidence."
"It will be up to the prosecution to prove those allegations beyond a reasonable doubt, which is significantly more difficult than obtaining an indictment in a grand jury proceeding where the defense does not have the right to participate or even be present," he said. "That is why defendants are presumed to be innocent under our constitution."
Prosecutors say Walshe carried out incriminating internet searches days before his wife failed to report to her job as a real estate executive in Washington D.C. on Jan. 4, People reported. Inquiries for "how long before a body starts to smell," "how to dispose of a 115-pound woman's body" and "how long before a body starts decomposing" were allegedly found on the search history of his son's iPad.
Previously, according to Boston ABC affiliate WCVB-TV, Walshe had allegedly Googled which state was best to file for divorce.
Cohasset Police stated that Walshe reported his wife missing "simultaneously" with her employer, but later clarified that he never reported her disappearance, according to Masslive. He initially told police that his wife left their Cohasset home early on the morning of Jan. 1 for Boston's Logan Airport to go to D.C. for a work emergency. However, according to the outlet, police found no record of her getting on a flight, or evidence that she reached the airport at all.
On Jan. 2, prosecutors allege, Walshe was captured on Home Depot security footage spending $450 on tarps, mops and other cleaning products. Before the video surfaced, he told detectives that he only left home once that day to get ice cream for one of his three children, Masslive reported.
A bloodied hatchet, hacksaw and rug were found in 10 trash bags discovered at a Peabody transfer station on Jan. 10. Believed to be connected to the woman's disappearance, the evidence was cited to jurors, according to local outlet WBZ News. A damaged, bloody knife was found in the Walshe home, Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey said in an agency press release.
“Rather than divorce, it is believed that Brian Walshe dismembered Ana Walshe and discarded her body,” said Norfolk County Assistant District Attorney Lynn Beland. “The bags were later discarded in Swampscott and contained Ana’s property and the items used to clean up, as well as the DNA that was left behind.”
