On Thursday, the husband of Ana Walshe , a missing woman from Massachusetts, was indicted for murder in connection to her disappearance, according to a district attorney’s office.
A Norfolk County grand jury indicted Brian Walshe, 47, for the murder of his wife, misleading a police investigation/obstruction of justice and for the improper conveyance of a human body, Norfolk District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey’s office said in a news release.
Massachusetts’s first-degree murder conviction carries a mandatory sentence that includes life imprisonment without parole.
Morrissey stated that this is just one step in a long and complex process. Brian Walshe has the Constitutional presumption to innocence and all the protections afforded by the Constitution. “We are grateful to the detectives and witnesses who contributed to our reaching this point, as well as the many hours they spent assembling this evidence.”
Tracy Miner, Walshe’s lawyer, did not respond to an overnight request from NBC News for comment.
This development comes just weeks after Morrissey’s office issued an murder warrant for Brian Walshe in January in connection to the death of his wife.
According to the criminal complaint, Walshe was charged with assaulting and beating his wife, with the intent of murdering her. He also faces charges with moving her body or remains. He entered a plea agreement of not guilty during his January arraignment.
Ana Walshe’s remains are not known to have been found. Authorities claim that she never took a Jan. 3 flight, which she had booked for her frequent trips to Washington.
Tishman Speyer, the head of security at her employer, called Cohasset police to request a well being check. She also stated that the company had contacted her husband, according a police log.
According to an affidavit, Brian Walshe was interviewed by police at his residence shortly after 6:30 p.m. According to the police log, he claimed that his wife had left Washington for work at 6:30 a.m. on New Year’s Day and that he has not heard from her since.
During Walshe’s January arraignment, the shocking details that prosecutors claimed led them to pursue murder charges in January were revealed.
Investigators claimed that they discovered more than a dozen disturbing Google search made by Walshe just minutes after he told police he had last seen his wife. Prosecutors stated in court that Walshe had performed searches for “10 ways to dispose off a dead body if it is really necessary” and “how you can stop a body decomposing”.
Ana Walshe disappeared on Jan. 2, and the Internet searched for “hacksaw best tool of dismemberment,” “can a person be charged with murder with no body” as well as “can you identify a corpse with broken teeth” were all performed. Prosecutors said they had not yet received any response.
Prosecutors also claimed that officials discovered blood in the basement, along with a stained, bloodstained knife. Brian Walshe is also alleged to have spent $450 for cleaning supplies, tape, and other items, the day after his wife disappeared.
The case was moved to Norfolk Superior Court on Thursday. Brian Walshe is expected to be arraigned within the next few weeks, Morrissey’s office stated. According to NBC Boston, Brian Walshe was still held without bail while Ana Walshe and his three young children were in state custody.
Julianne McShane contributed.
