Brian Walshe fights murder case with new lawyer year after wife’s disappearance
Brian Walshe allegedly killed his wife, Ana Walshe, on New Year's Day 2023 and disposed of her body
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}There was a major shakeup in a highly publicized Massachusetts murder case when a suspected killer's powerful lawyer suddenly backed out.
Brian Walshe, who allegedly killed his wife Ana Walshe on New Year's Day 2023 and disposed of her body, was represented by Tracy Miner.
Miner has a reputation in Massachusetts as a well-respected defense attorney, who's been called a "shark in the courtroom" by a fellow defense lawyer, who talked to Fox News Digital under condition of anonymity.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}She was replaced by public defender Larry Tipton, according to the court docket.
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Brian Walshe, accused of killing wife Ana, who disappeared on New Year's Day 2023, stands alongside his defense lawyer Tracy Miner, during his arraignment, April 27, 2023, in Dedham, Massachusetts. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
Miner officially withdrew on Dec. 14. She didn't return Fox News Digital's call or email for comment.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Nate Amendola, another Massachusetts defense lawyer who isn't involved in the Walshe case, told Fox News Digital that this murder case would've dragged out whether there was a switch of defense counsel or not.
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"Continuity is always good, but it's not unusual that criminal cases have a change of counsel for a variety of reasons," Amendola said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Different minds bring different approaches. Maybe this comes up with a new theory of defense, or maybe they follow the route Tracy Miner started."
Ana Walshe on her wedding day in Emmanuel Episcopal church on Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts, on Dec. 21, 2015. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
As it stands now, prosecutors and Brian's defense lawyers are waiting for DNA samples to come back from an independent crime lab.
There are two court appearances scheduled for early 2024.
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The first is a status conference scheduled for Jan. 23. The other is a hearing on compliance scheduled for March 4, according to the court docket.
Over the summer, all of Brian's assets were seized, which actually unintentionally helped him in one of his other legal bouts.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Brian and Ana Walshe pose for a shot in Boston Public Gardens on their wedding day, Dec. 21, 2015. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
He was accused of pillaging his late father's will and selling his art, rugs, jewelry and car, according to court records, which detailed how Brian dragged out the trial for nearly five years.
"It will be a useless waste of estate funds to pay legal fees in a trial," according to the motion to dismiss the probate case, which was obtained by WCVB 5.
"Even if they are successful on the petition, it will only cost the estate and not result in the return of funds taken by Brian Walshe."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ana vanishes on New Year's Day '23
A year later, Ana Walshe's body still hasn't been found, but law enforcement found a hacksaw in a dumpster, along with some of Ana's personal belongings, which is part of a laundry list of evidence.
But a murder case without a body is like a drug case without drugs.
It presents an uphill battle for the prosecution, which has to rely on circumstantial evidence to win the case.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Brian's third legal matter: Federal art fraud
The third legal matter hanging over Brian's head is a federal art fraud case, where he was convicted of selling fake Andy Warhol paintings on eBay.
He was on house arrest as part of his pre-sentencing probation in that case when Ana disappeared.
He was confined to their Cohasset, Massachusetts, home while he believed his wife, a real estate executive splitting time in Washington, D.C., was cheating on him with a man in the nation's capital, according to court documents.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ana Walshe pictured in front of a Ritz-Carlton hotel sign in August 2022. (Ana Walshe/Instagram)
The home confinement, coupled with Brian's stall tactics, dragged out the case, which prosecutors claimed strained Brian and Ana's marriage, according to court filings in the murder case.
He allegedly beat his wife to death on New Year's Day and discarded her body, prosecutors said.
Before that, he allegedly hired a private investigator to follow Ana in D.C., and made several divorce-related Google searches, such as, "What’s the best state to divorce for a man?"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CLICK HERE FOR MORE TRUE CRIME
And that was the least disturbing of Brian's 21 alleged Google searches, which included "Ten ways to… dispose of a dead body if you really need to" and "can you be charged with murder without a body?" among several others, that started between 4:50 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. on Jan. 1, according to court documents.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Brian pleaded not guilty to all charges, including murder and improper disposal of a body, as well as a previous charge of impeding a police investigation.