Watch live: Day 1 of witness testimony in Brian Walshe’s murder trial

DEDHAM, Mass. — Opening statements and witness testimony kicked off Monday in the murder trial of Brian Walshe, the Cohasset man who is accused of killing his wife, Ana, on New Year’s Day 2023.

WATCH LIVE: Day 1 of witness testimony in Brian Walshe's murder trial

Now on the stand: Harrison Schmidt of Cohasset Police

Follow Boston 25’s Bob Ward for live updates from court.

The trial is taking place at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham.

During opening statements, prosecutors argued that Walshe was responsible for the grisly murder of his wife, while his lawyers insisted the man panicked after she suddenly died in bed.

Boston defense attorney Elyse Hershon commented on the challenges prosecutors face, stating, “If a juror doesn’t know how she died, that’s not a conviction; they can not convict on that.”

Before jury selection, Brian Walshe dropped a bombshell and pleaded guilty to tampering with his wife’s body, but maintained his innocence regarding the murder charges.

Walshe, appearing before Judge Diane Freniere in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, entered a plea of guilty on charges of misleading police and unlawful disposal of a body.

“I’m here to plead guilty,” Walshe told Freniere. She then allowed the changes after asking him a series of questions.

Evidence presented by prosecutors includes Walshe’s initial lies to police about Ana’s whereabouts, grim internet searches on a child’s iPad about body disposal, and surveillance footage of Walshe purchasing cleaning supplies and disposing of trash in dumpsters.

0 of 49

The 16 jurors selected include the 12 who will decide the case, plus four alternates.

If convicted of first-degree murder, Walshe will serve a life sentence with no possibility of parole. Still, it’s possible at any point during the trial to enter another plea deal for a lesser charge like second-degree murder, which would allow for parole.

Walshe is accused of killing and dismembering Ana with a hacksaw and disposing of her remains after using his son’s iPad to Google the best ways to get rid of a body.

In March 2023, a Norfolk County grand jury indicted Walshe on a charge of murder, misleading a police investigation/obstruction of justice, and improper conveyance of a human body in connection with his wife’s death.

Ana, a mother of three young children and a real estate professional who worked in Washington, D.C., vanished on New Year’s Day 2023 and was reported missing a few days later, authorities said.

Prosecutors have alleged that Walshe killed his wife in their Cohasset home on New Year’s Day. The couple’s three young boys were reportedly home at the time.

0 of 9