The Massachusetts art fraudster has been found guilty of killing, dismembering and disposing of his wife, real estate executive Ana Walshe.

After six hours of deliberation, a Massachusetts jury has found Brian Walshe guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of his wife, Tishman Speyer real estate executive Ana Walshe, on or around New Year’s Day 2023.

On Thursday, Brian’s attorneys failed to mount a defense following nearly two weeks of testimony on behalf of the prosecution, which detailed the last months of the Walshe’s marriage, including testimony about Ana Walshe’s affair with a Washington, D.C., luxury real estate agent, William Fastow.

In addition, the prosecution presented evidence of incriminating Google searches, DNA and blood evidence from the Walshes’ home, and video footage of Brian’s purchases of cleaning and disposal supplies.

Brian Walshe murder trial

Brian Walshe on video surveillance | NBC 10 Boston

In closing arguments on Friday, Assistant District Attorney Anne Yas argued that it defied “common sense” to think that Walshe was responsible for the dismembering and disposal of Ana’s body but was not responsible for her death. In the jury’s charge from Judge Diane Frenier, the jury was instructed to bring back one of three verdicts: guilty of first-degree murder, guilty of second-degree murder or not guilty.

Brian was indicted in March 2023 on three counts: first-degree murder, misleading a police investigation/obstruction of justice and improper conveyance of a human body. He pled guilty to the lesser charges on Nov. 18, 2025, prior to the start of his murder trial, but has not yet been sentenced on those counts.

Prior to the murder of Ana Walshe, Brian had also been convicted of fraud in a scheme to sell fake Andy Warhol paintings. According to testimony during the murder trial, part of the tension within the Walshe marriage centered on uncertainty around Walshe’s sentencing in that case.

The mandatory punishment for first-degree murder in Massachusetts is life in prison without the possibility of parole. Brian Walshe will be officially sentenced on Wednesday.

Email Christy Murdock

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