Massachusetts man Brian Walshe sentenced to life for killing, dismembering wife, authorities say

DEDHAM, Mass. — A Norfolk County Superior Court jury has sentenced Brian Walshe, 50, to life in prison without the possibility of parole after finding him guilty of killing and dismembering his wife Ana Walshe, 39, prosecutors said.

According to court records, Ana Walshe, a real estate professional and mother of three, disappeared from the couple’s Cohasset home on Jan. 1, 2023, after a New Year’s Eve gathering. Her body has never been recovered.

Prosecutors told jurors that evidence, including internet searches on Walshe’s devices for terms such as “best way to dispose of a body” and “how long before a body starts to smell,” linked him to her death and the subsequent disposal of her remains.

Walshe previously pleaded guilty to charges of misleading police and unlawfully disposing of a body, though he maintained he did not kill his wife. At trial, his defense argued that Ana Walshe died suddenly and that he panicked afterward.

Judge Diane Freniere described the killing and dismemberment as “barbaric and incomprehensible” before imposing the life sentence. Prosecutors said Walshe’s actions deprived the couple’s children of the chance to properly mourn their mother.

Family members have said the loss has left them devastated, and a sister of the victim described the impact on the children as “unbearable.”

Officials have not disclosed a definitive motive for the killing.