On New Year’s Day 2023, Ana Walshe vanished without a trace. What began as a missing persons case in the quiet coastal town of Cohasset spiraled into a macabre mystery involving bloodstains, broken alibis, and Google searches that seemed ripped from a horror movie.
Her husband, Brian Walshe, a convicted art swindler on house arrest, was soon charged with her murder, accused of dismembering her body and discarding the pieces like evidence of a forgotten crime.
But behind the headlines lies another layer to this saga: the investigators themselves. Massachusetts State Police Troopers Michael Proctor, Yuri Bukhenik, and Nicholas Guarino—already facing scrutiny for their roles in the explosive Karen Read case—also appear in the Walshe investigation.
Their involvement, along with whispers of prior misconduct, raises troubling questions about whether this case, too, could be tainted by bias, missteps, or worse.
As echoes of the Sandra Birchmore tragedy add to the backdrop of mistrust in Massachusetts law enforcement, the Walshe case becomes more than a murder trial. It is now a test of public faith in the very system tasked with delivering justice.
This Trial Hub examines the Brian Walshe case in depth—from the timeline of Ana’s disappearance to court filings, evidence battles, and the broader systemic issues now threatening to overshadow the pursuit of justice.
Day 10 marked the transition from evidence to decision-making. With testimony complete, the court finalized jury instructions outside the presence of the jury, addressed minor but important edits, and then instructed jurors on the law governing the single charge they...
As the Brian Walshe trial moved into its final phase, the closing arguments distilled weeks of testimony into two sharply different narratives. The Commonwealth urged jurors to view the evidence as proof of a calculated, premeditated murder followed by deliberate...
The Commonwealth closed its case on December 10 after presenting a dense stack of forensic evidence, digital breadcrumbs, and witness testimony. But the real story unfolded immediately afterward — in the small procedural moments that signaled the trial was about to...
When the prosecution called William Fastow, Ana Walshe’s D.C. lover, they were clearly aiming to build a motive: a failing marriage, a wife emotionally checked out, a husband allegedly pushed to a breaking point. But by the time Fastow stepped off the stand, many...
Reader Tip: If you like to dig into the details make sure you read all the way to the bottom. I’ve included a BONUS breakdown of the Morning Housekeeping — the motions, rulings, and strategic sparks that happened before opening statements began.If you ever wondered...
Jury selection in the Brian Walshe trial began last week, and it took three days to empanel sixteen jurors who were seated under the steady hand of Judge Julia Freniere. NBC Boston’s coverage of the proceedings offered a view inside the courtroom, where the judge’s...
In a stunning twist just moments before jury selection, Brian Walshe pleaded guilty to two charges: Misleading Police and Improper Conveyance of a Human Body. The timing alone sent shockwaves through the courtroom. With trial scheduled to begin December 1, no one...
Below is an ordered roadmap of the hearing. Click on each topic for details. Ruling: Allowed. Only Zoom will be used; spectators cannot unmute. Impact: Reduces risk of disruptions; the judge is tightly controlling media presence. Ruling: Judge will allow such an order...
Walshe Trial Takes a Mental Health SabbaticalThe long-awaited murder trial of Brian Walshe was supposed to kick off later this month with jury selection, a courtroom full of media, and a spotlight brighter than a true-crime documentary premiere. Instead, Walshe is...
The court, residing Judge Peter Krupp, took up defense access to former MSP Trooper Michael Proctor’s communications (the “Proctor files”) and the defense’s push tying those materials to discovery and dismissal issues. Joint Hearing Context The hearing was...
Brian Walshe’s defense team announced plans to seek a change of venue in his upcoming murder trial. No doubt that he will argue that extensive media coverage may make it impossible to seat an impartial jury in Norfolk County. Walshe is charged with killing his wife,...
In a detailed 31-page decision that’s equal parts procedural chess match and courtroom drama, Judge Diane Freniere has denied Brian Walshe’s motion to suppress data extracted from his phone and iPad. The ruling, handed down following a multi-day evidentiary hearing...
In a pivotal hearing on July 24, 2025, Norfolk Superior Court Judge Hon. Diane Freniere presided over a critical challenge by Brian Walshe’s defense team, who argued that the indictment against Walshe for first-degree murder should be narrowed. Specifically, the...
On January 1, 2023, Ana Walshe disappeared from her Cohasset, Massachusetts home—only for the investigation to unearth chilling clues pointing to her husband, Brian Walshe. Now standing trial, Walshe, a federal art fraud convict, is accused of murdering and...