Prosecutors focus on DNA and blood evidence found in dumpsters at Brian Walshe’s murder trial

By Lauren del Valle, CNN

(CNN) — Prosecutors at Brian Walshe’s murder trial continued Tuesday to present evidence they say proves he killed his wife around New Year’s Day 2023 at their Massachusetts home.

On the seventh day of witness testimony, the jury heard about DNA testing that found Ana Walshe, a corporate real estate manager, was a statistical match for DNA recovered on items – including a bloody rug and bath towel – that prosecutors say her husband threw away trying to cover up her killing.

The panel also saw surveillance footage of Walshe buying new rugs and bath towels at a home store in the days after his wife’s death.

Before the trial, Walshe pleaded guilty to illegally disposing of his wife’s body and misleading police after her death, but the jury doesn’t know that. He maintains he did not kill her.

During opening statements, his attorney told the panel Walshe panicked when he found his wife inexplicably dead in their bed in the early hours of New Year’s Day in 2023 and then lied to police because he thought no one would believe he wasn’t responsible for her death.

Wednesday, the jury is expected to hear from Ana Walshe’s former boss, who spent New Year’s Eve at the Walshes’ home and was the last person other than her husband known to have seen her alive.

DNA testing links Ana Walshe to blood stains on items recovered in dumpster searches

Testing found Ana Walshe was a statistical match for DNA recovered on items investigators retrieved from dumpsters near the apartment complex where Brian Walshe’s mother lived. Prosecutors say Brian Walshe threw away the items January 5, 2023, after killing his wife.

A forensic scientist from the Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory, Saman Saleem, testified Tuesday that Ana Walshe was a statistical match for DNA found on a blood-stained white towel, a blood stain on the blade of a hacksaw, a blood-stained piece of carpet, a clump of hair and a piece of human tissue found in the garbage bags.

Ana Walshe’s body has not been found, so this is closest thing to finding her remains the jury has heard about so far.

DNA testing conducted on items including a Tyvek suit and pair of blood-stained slippers showed Ana and Brian Walshe were both included as contributors to the DNA profiles with a high statistical probability, the forensic scientist explained.

A blood stain found on the floor of the Walshes’ basement included DNA from Ana and an unknown male source, Saleem said.

There is no way to tell how and when the DNA got on any of the items, Saleem confirmed on cross examination.

Defense attorney Larry Tipton also asked her to confirm that DNA testing on a particular object does not determine “the object was ever used against a person whose DNA profile appears on that object.”

The judge sustained an objection to that question so she did not answer.

Saleem did acknowledge two objects that came in contact with each other in a trash bag can transfer DNA from one to another.

Prosecutors suggest Brian Walshe replaced a rug in his living room after Ana Walshe’s death

Last week, the jury saw a photo of Ana Walshe, taken before her death, lying on a rug in the family’s living room that appears to be similar to the blood-stained pieces of rug recovered from the dumpster search.

State witnesses who processed the scene at the Walshe home after his arrest on January 8, 2023, noted the rug in the photo is different than the rug they found in the same location in the living room during the search.

The Walshes’ landlord testified it was the only rug in the partially furnished house.

Prosecutors on Tuesday afternoon showed the jury surveillance footage and receipts from a local HomeGoods store they say shows Brian Walshe purchasing items including candles, new rugs and new bath towels on January 2 and 4 using store credit from his wife’s previous store returns.

The jury is expected to hear from the last known person to see Ana Walshe alive other than her husband

Trial evidence has shown Ana Walshe traveled to Massachusetts on December 30, 2022, from Washington DC, where she worked during the week, to spend the New Year’s holiday with her family.

Ana and Brian Walshe, with their three young sons, hosted her former boss, Gem Mutlu, for dinner on New Year’s Eve.

Walshe and Mutlu have told investigators he arrived around 8 p.m. and left the home around 1:30 a.m. after ringing in the New Year.

Mutlu told investigators after Ana’s disappearance the couple seemed happy.

Mutlu also connected Ana Walshe to real estate broker William Fastow, with whom she developed an extramarital romantic relationship, after Fastow helped her buy a townhome in Washington.

Fastow testified earlier at trial he doesn’t believe he told Mutlu about his romantic relationship with Ana Walshe until after she disappeared.

Ana Walshe’s employer reported her missing January 4. Brian Walshe initially told investigators he had last seen her on New Year’s Day, when he said she left their home early in the morning to return to Washington for a work emergency. He was arrested four days later for misleading police in connection to her disappearance and charged with first-degree murder later that month.

The jury won’t come into court until 10 a.m. Wednesday, per the judge’s orders. Before the jury arrives, the attorneys are expected to deal with other matters, including questioning Mutlu outside the presence of the jury ahead of his testimony later in the morning.

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