Ana Walshe: Murder warrant issued for Brian Walshe in the death of his wife



CNN

An arrest warrant charging Brian Walshe with murder was issued Tuesday in the death of his wife Ana Walshe, a mother of three from Massachusetts who had been missing since the New Year, Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey announced.

Walshe, 47, pleaded not guilty last week to misleading investigators about his actions and whereabouts when his wife disappeared. He is being held at the Norfolk County House of Corrections and will be transported to Quincy District Court to stand trial for murder, Morrissey said.

“Additional details in the investigation and evidence supporting these charges will likely be presented at arraignment but will not be released at this time,” the prosecutor said.

A lawyer for Brian Walshe declined to comment.

The arrest warrant comes more than two weeks after Ana Walshe was reported missing from her workplace, prompting investigators to launch a massive search for her whereabouts.

Police found possible grim evidence: blood and a bloody knife in the basement of the Cohasset family home, prosecutors say; Brian Walshe’s internet records showing research into how to dismember and dispose of a body, according to law enforcement sources; and a hacksaw and apparent bloodstains at a garbage collection site, law enforcement sources said.

Police say he told investigators he last saw his wife in early January 1 when she left their Cohasset home in a carpool or taxi to the airport to catch a flight. for Washington, DC for his work in real estate. He said he ran errands for his mother in the nearby town of Swampscott later that day and went for ice cream with one of his children the next day.

However, prosecutors said there was no evidence Ana Walshe greeted a ride or drove to the airport, and in a criminal affidavit police said there was no proof that he ran errands for his mother on New Year’s Day. Prosecutors uncovered surveillance video showing Brian Walshe at a Home Depot buying $450 worth of cleaning supplies, including mops, a bucket and tarps, in cash on January 2.

The affidavit describes Brian Walshe’s statements to police as a “clear attempt to mislead and delay investigators”.

The charge follows a series of tumultuous legal issues for Brian Walshe.

In 2021, he pleaded guilty to three federal fraud charges related to a 2018 scheme to sell fake Andy Warhol artwork online. He has been under house arrest and monitored since then as part of his pre-sentence conditions.

Also in 2018, her father, Dr. Thomas Walshe, died, leading to a lengthy legal battle over his estate. In court documents, relatives accused Brian Walshe of financial misconduct, described him as an angry and violent person and said he had been diagnosed as a sociopath.

“He had a serious falling out with his son,” Andrew Walshe, the estate’s executor, said of Dr. Walshe’s relationship with Brian. “Brian had run off with a lot of his money; he had had almost no contact with Brian R. Walshe for the past ten plus years.

Additionally, Ana Walshe told police in 2014 that someone had threatened to “kill (her) and her friend,” according to an incident report CNN obtained from the Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department. A ministry spokesperson confirmed that Brian Walshe was the person involved in the report.

The report was filed by Ana Walshe — then Ana Knipp — when she resided in DC. The case was later dropped because the victim refused to cooperate with the prosecution, the spokesperson said.

The couple’s three children, all ages 2 to 6, are in the custody of the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families, a spokesperson said.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

malek

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