Day 7 of testimony in Brian Walshe trial after jurors see possible murder weapon

Testimony resumes Tuesday morning in the murder trial of Brian Walshe, where jurors saw crucial evidence — including a knife that prosecutors say could have been used to kill Ana Walshe.

Jurors in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham are also examining blood evidence found inside the Walshes’ home, as well as chilling surveillance video that shows Walshe’s movements in the hours after he was last seen alive.

Blood evidence at home, on tools

Investigators found blood in the basement, on the basement stairs and on a support beam. Jurors also saw a knife recovered from a kitchen cabinet on top of the refrigerator, which Massachusetts State Police said had blood on it.

The jury also saw bloodstained tools, including a hacksaw, hammer, hatchet and hedge trimmer, which prosecutors said were found in dumpsters near Walshe’s Cohasset apartment complex. Walshe was accused of using these objects to dismember Ana’s body.

Items taken out of dumpsters

Jurors saw Ana Walshe’s black jacket, taken from an evidence bag. The jacket was found in a North Shore dumpster along with a bloody rug containing strands of hair.

Video surveillance

Prosecutors played a video recorded on Jan. 1, 2023, about 15 hours after Ana disappeared, showing Brian Walshe outside a Swampscott liquor store throwing out a trash bag.

Minutes later, Walshe was seen at a Lowe’s in Danvers, wearing a black mask and blue gloves, spending more than $460 on cleaning products and tools.

Three days later, he was recorded at a Lowe’s in Weymouth with a child, possibly his son, purchasing a trash can.

Testimony of the forensic doctor

A state medical examiner said that without Ana’s body, he could not determine the cause or manner of death.

The defense claims that Ana died a sudden and unexpected death and that Brian panicked.

Prosecutors say Walshe murdered Ana, dismembered her and threw her remains in dumpsters.

Case and digital evidence

Jurors also learned last week that Ana was having an affair. They examined emails and messages exchanged between Ana and William Fastow, a D.C. real estate agent, including communications from New Year’s Eve, hours before Ana’s disappearance.

A state trooper said Ana’s last message to Fastow was sent at midnight on New Year’s Day and said he found no evidence that Brian Walshe knew about those messages.

“You haven’t seen any communication between Ana Walshe and William Fastow?” “Not if I remember correctly,” the police officer testified.

Macabre searches on the Internet

Jurors last week heard about disturbing internet searches carried out on a device belonging to the Walshe family, discovered by police after Ana Walshe’s disappearance.

The searches, conducted between New Year’s Day and January 4, included queries such as “how to dispose of a body,” “how to get blood out of hardwood floors” and “best tool for dismemberment.”

Test coverage

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