Prosecutors in the Brian Walshe murder trial are trying to prove first-degree murder without a body, without a murder weapon, and without a definitive cause of death. Ana Walshe has never been found. What the Commonwealth does have is a digital trail that reads like a step-by-step guide to getting away with murder — and a defendant who stood to collect $2.7 million in life insurance if his wife died.

The internet searches are the backbone of the prosecution's case, and they are brutal. According to testimony from Massachusetts State Police Trooper Nicholas Guarino, the searches began at 4:52 a.m. on January 1, 2023 — just hours after the couple celebrated New Year's Eve with a friend. That first search: "Best way to dispose of a body." By 4:55 a.m., Walshe had moved on to "How long before a body starts to smell." Over the next several days, the searches continued: "How long does DNA last." "Hacksaw best tool for dismembering." "Can you be charged with murder without a body." "Can you identify a body with broken teeth." He even researched Patrick Kearney — a serial killer known as the "trash bag killer."

Prosecutors also have motive. Ana Walshe had taken out $2.7 million in life insurance policies naming her husband as the sole beneficiary. And according to the prosecution, Brian Walshe knew his wife was having an affair with William Fastow, a Washington D.C. real estate broker who sold Ana the townhouse she owned there. Prosecutors say Walshe's phone searched Fastow's name on Christmas Day — less than a week before Ana disappeared.

In this episode, former prosecutor Eric Faddis breaks down the strength of the Commonwealth's case. We discuss how prosecutors prove premeditation through circumstantial evidence, whether the internet searches are as damning as they appear, and what the defense can do to poke holes in the timeline. Eric also explains the challenges of no-body murder cases and what the conviction rates actually look like. The prosecution may not have Ana Walshe's remains, but they're betting they have enough to put her husband away for life.

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