Cohasset man who allegedly killed, dismembered wife wants Google searches tossed

Boston Globe

a day ago

Walshe's consent was necessary at the time because State Police hadn't obtained a warrant for the devices. In Thursday's filing, Walshe's lawyers said the agreement covered 'all communications' between Dec. 25, 2022, and Jan. 6, 2023, the date the electronics were turned over. The sole exception was for communications between Walshe and his lawyer, the filing said.
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Miner testified that the agreement did not include GPS location data or any browser or Internet searches, the defense said.
Walshe's current lawyers said investigators 'obtained the internet searches and GPS/data location information in the same act of illegality, exceeding the scope of the consent.'
According to the memo, State Police began a forensic search of the devices on the night of Jan. 6, 2023, and continued into the early hours of Jan. 7.
An investigator who conducted the work alerted colleagues on the evening of Jan. 7 to the Internet searches in question, which were later referenced in an affidavit for a search warrant, records show.
But before a warrant was
issued, the filing said, 'police willingly and knowingly violated the agreement by exceeding the agreed-upon scope by downloading and searching the entire content of' Walshe's phone, his son's laptop, and a third laptop with a cracked screen that he turned over.
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The filing didn't detail the Google searches, but at Walshe's January 2023 district court
arraignment for allegedly killing his wife,
They included 'how to embalm a body,' '10 ways to dispose of a dead body if you really need to,' 'how to stop a body from decomposing,' and 'how long before a body starts to smell.' They were made between 4:55 a.m. and 5:47 a.m. on New Year's Day, prosecutors said.
In court, Walshe at one point shook his head during the recitation of the searches.
Days before allegedly killing his wife, Walshe, who in 2021 pleaded guilty to scamming a Los Angeles art collector out of $80,000, had inquired online about divorce, Assistant Norfolk District Attorney Lynn Beland said at his arraignment.
'On Dec. 27, the defendant Googled 'what's the best state to divorce for a man?' ' Beland said. 'Rather than divorce, it is believed Brian Walshe dismembered Ana Walshe and discarded her body.'
Additional search terms, Beland said, included 'can you throw away body parts,' 'what does formaldehyde do,' 'how long does DNA last,' 'can identification be made from partial remains,' 'dismemberment and best ways to dispose of a body,' and 'what happens when you put body parts in ammonia,' as well as 'hacksaw best tool to dismember,' and 'can you be charged with murder without a body.'
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During Walshe's April 2023
Walshe had been closely monitoring the Instagram page of a man he believed his wife was having an affair with, prosecutors said. When he lost touch with Ana Walshe for about 24 hours around Christmas 2022, he and his mother hired a private investigator to follow her around Washington, D.C., where she had taken a new job with a real estate company, according to court documents.
On New Year's Eve 2022, the couple hosted Ana Walshe's former employer at their house, who left around 1:30 a.m. 'That was the last time someone had seen Ana Walshe alive outside of the defendant,' prosecutor Greg Connor said.
The guest told investigators he had dinner with the couple and they shared champagne and wine, according to an affidavit. Brian and Ana Walshe were in a good mood and everyone enjoyed themselves, he said, adding that Ana Walshe appeared to be a bit 'tipsy' from the alcohol, while Brian Walshe appeared unimpaired.
By 4:50 a.m., authorities allege, Ana Walshe, 39, was dead, and the disturbing Google searches started.
Over the next several days, prosecutors allege, Walshe dismembered his wife's body in the basement and discarded her clothes and other evidence in a dumpster at a liquor store near his mother's home in Swampscott. He also allegedly disposed her remains in dumpsters at apartment complexes in Abington and Brockton.
Police also allegedly found blood in the basement of the couple's home.
Seven days after Ana Walshe's disappearance, police searched the dumpster near the home of Brian Walshe's mother. Inside, they found a COVID vaccination card for Ana Walshe, a Hermes watch, and clothing Ana Walshe was known to wear, according to prosecutors. Forensic testing showed her DNA on items found in the dumpster, prosecutors said.
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Walshe, 50, has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder, lying to investigators, and disinterring a body. He remains held without bail, and his trial is scheduled to begin in October, records show.
Material from prior Globe stories was used in this report.
Travis Andersen can be reached at