A Massachusetts man convicted of murdering his wife in 2023 and dismembering her body was sentenced Thursday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Brian Walshe, 50, was found guilty of first-degree murder on Monday, nearly three years after his wife, Anna Walshe, disappeared on New Year’s Day. She was last seen at her home in Cohasset, Massachusetts.
Prosecutors say that after the murder, partially motivated by financial gain, Walshe methodically cut up his wife's body and disposed of it in dumpsters. Walshe conducted more than a dozen Google searches during the cover-up, including "10 ways to dispose of a dead body if you really need to."
At the hearing in Norfolk County Superior Court, Walshe was additionally sentenced to no less than 19 years for lying to police and no less than two years for the improper disposal of his wife's body.
"The seriousness of your acts cannot be overstated," Massachusetts Superior Court Judge Diane Freniere said. "Your acts in dismembering your wife's body and disposing of her remains in multiple area dumpsters can only be described as barbaric and incomprehensible."
Walshe’s additional sentences will be served consecutively with his life sentence for murder, as prosecutors had argued for.
Assistant District Attorney Gregory Connor said at the hearing that the government recognizes its recommendation for consecutive sentencing is "harsh, but we think it's appropriate based on the facts."
"Human dignity was completely offended by the defendant's actions and how he treated his wife, how he disposed of her, and how he robbed her family and friends of the opportunity to bury her," he said.
Aleksandra Dimitrijevic, Ana Walshe's sister, addressed the court, saying, "Losing my sister in January 2023 has forever changed our lives and left us with an unbearable emptiness."
"I struggle with a grief that comes without warning, hoping every morning that this is all just a terrible dream," she said.
At trial, prosecutors said that Anna Walshe was first discovered missing after her real estate firm, Tishman Speyer, requested a well-being check on Jan. 4, 2023.
In four interviews with the Cohasset Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police in the subsequent days, Brian Walshe said that his wife left their home to go to Washington, D.C., for work and that "he hasn’t heard from her since," according to officials.
Days later, prosecutors say they found the disturbing Google searches from Walshe, which also included "hacksaw best tool to dismember,” and "can you be charged with murder without a body."
Blood and a damaged, bloodstained knife were recovered in the couple’s basement, according to authorities. Walshe also spent hundreds of dollars on cleaning supplies, mops and tape the day after his wife was last seen, authorities said.
Walshe was arrested on Jan. 8 and indicted on charges of murder, misleading a police investigation, and improper conveyance of a human body. His wife's body was never found, according to authorities.
Prosecutors said that Walshew’s motive was partially financial. He was the sole beneficiary of his wife’s $2.7 million life insurance policy, officials said. Officials also said he was motivated by an affair his wife was having with a realtor in Washington, D.C.
Last month, Walshe pleaded guilty to dismembering her body and misleading police, but maintained his innocence on all of the other charges.
The couple’s three young children have been put in state custody, NBC Boston reported.
