Key Takeaways:
- Brian Walshe is currently on trial in Dedham, Massachusetts, for the alleged murder of his wife, Ana Walshe, who vanished on January 1, 2023.
- Prosecutors say Walshe killed Ana, dismembered her body, and disposed of her remains. He has already pleaded guilty to disposing of Ana’s body and misleading investigators, but denies murder.
- Opening statements began December 1, 2025, and the trial is expected to last three to four weeks. Ana Walshe’s body has never been found.
On December 31, 2022, Ana Walshe—a 39-year-old real estate executive, immigrant from Serbia, and mother of three—hosted a New Year’s Eve dinner with her husband, Brian Walshe, at their home in Cohasset, Massachusetts. She disappeared the following day and was never seen again.
Investigators quickly turned their attention to Brian Walshe, who is now on trial for Ana Walshe’s alleged murder.
Opening statements began Monday, December 1, 2025, in the highly anticipated Brian Walshe murder trial in Dedham, Massachusetts. The 50-year-old is charged with first-degree murder in Ana’s death. Although Walshe has already pleaded guilty to other charges related to disposing of Ana’s body and misleading police, he continues to deny killing his wife. Prosecutors argue he stood to benefit financially from her death, pointing to a $2.7 million life insurance policy that listed him as the sole beneficiary.
Here’s everything you need to know about Brian Walshe, the case, and trial.
Who Is Brian Walshe, and What Is He Accused of in Ana Walshe’s Murder?
Brian Walshe is accused of first-degree murder related to the 2023 disappearance of his wife, 39-year-old Ana Walshe.
Prosecutors allege Brian killed Ana on January 1, 2023, before dismembering her body and discarding her remains in dumpsters throughout the region surrounding their home in Cohasset, Massachusetts.
Ana, a real estate manager who was living and working in Washington, D.C., was reported missing after her employer requested a welfare check at her family’s home on January 4, 2023, according to NBC News. In subsequent interviews with authorities, Brian said Ana left their residence during the morning of January 1 for a work emergency.
However, Walshe allegedly made a series of disturbing internet searches between January 1 and 2, including “what happens when you put body parts in ammonia.” Prosecutors also claim he purchased a Tyvek suit, buckets, a hatchet, goggles, baking soda, and other cleaning products from a local Home Depot. Authorities later found a bloody knife in the Walshe’s basement.
Ana’s body was never found. Brian was arrested on January 8, 2023, for misleading police and charged with Ana’s murder later that month. He has been in custody ever since. The couple’s three young sons—aged 2, 4, and 6 at the time of her disappearance—were placed in state custody, according to NBC Boston.
Prosecutors have claimed Brian was motivated by money, because he was the sole beneficiary of Ana’s $2.7 million life insurance policy, and he believed she was having an affair at the time of her disappearance.
Did Brian Walshe Admit to Disposing of Ana Walshe’s Body?
The case already has a series of notable twists.
In September 2025, just weeks before the original start date of the murder trial, Walshe was stabbed during a prison attack. The trial was subsequently postponed because of a defense request that Walshe undergo a mental competency evaluation after the incident. He was ultimately deemed competent to stand trial.
Then on November 18, 2025, just prior to jury selection, Walshe surprisingly changed course from his arrest and pleaded guilty to lesser charges of “willfully conveying” his wife’s body and misleading police. According to a court document, Walshe “disposed of and did convey the body of Ana Walshe after her death” and intentionally made false statements to the Cohasset Police Department and Massachusetts State Police shortly after Ana’s disappearance.
Walshe hasn’t been sentenced for these additional charges. If convicted of first-degree murder, he’ll receive a mandatory life prison sentence without chance of parole.
What Was Brian Walshe’s Andy Warhol Art Fraud Scheme?
This isn’t the first legal saga involving Walshe. In a separate case, he pleaded guilty in 2021 to one count each of wire fraud, interstate transportation for a scheme to defraud, and unlawful monetary transaction.
Walshe participated in a “years-long, multi-faceted art fraud scheme” involving two purported Andy Warhol paintings, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Massachusetts. Walshe agreed to sell the paintings to a buyer in 2016 for $80,000, claiming they were part of the artist’s “Shadows” series from 1978. He included a photo of an invoice from the Warhol Foundation with authentication numbers in a sale posting on eBay. However, the buyer quickly realized the artwork was fake and made unsuccessful attempts to contact Walshe for a refund.
A subsequent investigation revealed Walshe had sold the original Warhol paintings to a gallery in 2011.
As of February 2024, the government hasn’t regained possession of the original artwork. Walshe was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release that same month. He was also ordered to pay $475,000 in restitution.
The case may also be relevant to Walshe’s murder trial. Court records show Ana Walshe was preparing to leave her marriage and move with her children to Washington, D.C., because she feared prosecutors would sentence Brian to prison for the art fraud, Boston.com reported.
How Long Will the Brian Walshe Murder Trial Last, and What Comes Next?
Walshe’s trial is expected to last three to four weeks in Dedham, Massachusetts, according to CBS News. The case is presided by Norfolk County Superior Court Judge Diane Freniere.
On December 1, prosecutors and Walshe’s defense team provided opening statements. Larry Tipton, an attorney for Walshe, offered a glimpse into the defense’s stance that Ana’s death wasn’t premeditated, but “sudden and unexplained.”
“The impossible, the unimaginable happened. It didn’t make sense to Brian Walshe. It was confusing. He never thought anyone would believe that Ana Walshe was alive one minute and dead the next. All he could think about was those three boys,” Tipton told jurors. “What would happen to their three boys now that Ana is no longer here? What will happen if they think he did something bad to Ana? Where will those three boys go? And so he told a story. He told lies. He tried to hide, so he could hang onto those boys.”
It’s unknown if Walsh will testify during the trial.
Tyler Piccotti joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor and is now the News and Culture Editor. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for a daily newspaper recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In his current role, he shares the true stories behind your favorite movies and TV shows and profiles rising musicians, actors, and athletes. When he's not working, you can find him at the nearest amusement park or movie theater and cheering on his favorite teams.
