Closing arguments were presented Friday in the trial of Brian Walshe, the Massachusetts man accused of murdering his wife, after the defense rested its case Thursday without calling a single witness to the stand.
After hearing instructions from the judge, the jury has been handed the case, and began their deliberations around 12:30 p.m. ET on Friday.
Walshe himself declined to testify for his own defense on Thursday, an apparent departure from the defense team’s original plan.
What to know:
- Brian Walshe is charged with first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Ana Walshe.
- Walshe has pleaded guilty to dismembering her body and misleading police, but denies killing her.
- Ana’s disappearance sparked a massive search in early 2023, and despite extensive efforts, her body was never recovered.
- The prosecution rested its case on Wednesday. On Thursday, the defense told the court they would not be calling any witnesses and rested their case.
The Commonwealth rested its case on Wednesday with emotional testimony.
Walshe is accused of killing Ana Walshe on New Year’s Day 2023. He’s pleaded guilty to dismembering her body and misleading police, but is fighting a first degree murder charge.
His defense, however, denies that he killed her. They say she experienced a sudden unexplained death while lying in bed after a New Year’s Eve celebration, sending him into a panic.
Prosecutors on Tuesday had a series of forensic scientists from the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab testify on Tuesday, confirming strong links to the Walshe couple on DNA samples from key pieces of evidence.
While tools and blood stains showed DNA links to Ana Walshe, the defense team focused on the limited capability of DNA testing to capture circumstances like when and how the biological material was deposited. At multiple points, his defense team brought up the possibility of compacted trash contaminating the samples.
