Sam (2:40)

And I'm your host Daphne.

Heath (2:42)

And you're listening to Going West.

Sam (2:44)

Hello everybody. Hope you're doing well today. Today's case probably looks familiar if you've been listening to the show for a while. We covered this case three whole years ago when it happened, like right after it broke in the news. But the trial just finally occurred with a ton of new information coming out. So we asked you guys on socials if we should redo it and of course update the episode. And it was a resounding yes.

Heath (3:10)

So that's exactly why we are here today. We have completely re researched and included all the info because so much has come out in that trial and we want to keep you guys updated.

Sam (3:21)

And it was pushed so many times, like I have in my calendar, like so many different weeks on a Walsh trial because it was supposed to happen and it kept getting pushed. So finally we have some answers.

Heath (3:34)

And also it is a New Year's case, so it kind of was weirdly lining up for us to cover it this week.

Sam (3:40)

Yeah, like the perfect time. So Happy New Year, everybody buckle up. And without further ado.

Heath (3:45)

Alright guys, this is episode 568 of Going West. So let's get into it.

Sam (4:12)

Sam. In January of 2023, a wife, mother and real estate executive vanished from suburban Boston while heading to the airport to tend to a work emergency. What unfolded in the aftermath of her disappearance revealed a tangled web of depraved Google searches, her killer's lengthy criminal history, and at the center, an affair and a life insurance payout. This is the murder of Anna Walsh. Anna Lubic was born on April 12, 1983 in Belgrade, which is the capital of what is now Serbia. Though at the time Anna was born, it was technically the socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Anna was raised by her parents alongside a sister named Alexandra, and they remained very close throughout their lives. Ana graduated from the University of Belgrade with a degree in French Language and Literature and then made the move to the States in her early 20s with dreams of working in a hospitality industry. And she, she very much followed those dreams. Things were going very well with her move to the US because she was accepted into Cornell University to pursue a degree in hospitality management. But before her enrollment in Cornell, Anna worked in a number of hospitality positions, including one in the Berkshires, which many of you know is a picturesque mountain range in Massachusetts that draws in a ton of tourists. I think the la. I actually think when we cover this, this is something that haunts me. It's not a big deal, but I think I said Berkshire's.

Heath (6:38)

Berkshire's.

Sam (6:39)

Like, why did like, you know how sometimes you're talking and you say something wrong and you're just like your brain doesn't clock it?

Heath (6:44)

Oh, absolutely. Especially if you're not like from that area. Either. It's so easy to mess up a specific word.

Sam (6:51)

But I think that's what I said and I think I remember like a bunch of people. I know I did it at some point, but I feel like it was this case and so many people were like, it's Berkshire is you idiot. So I just want everybody to know.

Heath (7:02)

Shout out to me. Shout out to everybody who corrects us on our pronunciations of places.

Sam (7:09)

Yeah, seriously. We do usually look it up. I just want everybody to know. But sometimes things slip through. So like I said, it's very touristy just because it's so fricking gorgeous. And one of the tourists that was visiting was Anna's future husband, Brian Walsh.

Heath (7:26)

Big piece of shit.

Sam (7:28)

Yeah. But at the time he was like this seemingly independently wealthy businessman nearly 10 years her senior. And I say seemingly independently wealthy because we're going to talk a lot about his financial situation and his schemes. I'll say. In 2008, while living in the Berkshires and working at the Michelin rated Wheatley Hotel, 25 year old ANA met and was quickly enamored with Brian, who was successful, smooth talking and charming.

Heath (7:57)

Or at least he seemed to be.

Sam (7:59)

Yeah, seemed to be. So they started dating, Their relationship blossomed and he became Ana's best friend and partner. They spent the next seven years dating while building their careers. And Ana's career really flourished as she worked in Washington D.C. new York and Virginia in 2015. So again seven years later, they got married in Ana's home country of Serbia. And within two years they had their first son and then two more kids would follow. Anna continued to work in hospitality until 2020 when she pivoted to real estate and began working for Tishman Spire, which is a global real estate firm. Just to give you an idea of how big they are, their properties include both the Chrysler Building and Rockefeller center, both in New York City, of course. So Anna was working there as the co head of their property management group. So this is a pretty, pretty good job for her.

Heath (8:53)

Yeah, it's a big gig.

Sam (8:54)

Absolutely. But despite her lucrative new position in dc, Ana, Brian and the boys maintain their residence in Cohasset, Massachusetts, which is about 45 minutes southeast of Boston, near the coast of Massachusetts Bay. For anybody who doesn't know the geography and can't picture like where Boston is in Comparison to Washington D.C. it's not close. It's like almost, it's like a seven hour drive. It's multiple states away. So you're probably wondering how did she make that work? Well, Anna purchased A townhouse in the Friendship Heights neighborhood of Washington, D.C. and kept her Volkswagen Taos there so that she could fly in and out for work as needed. So she was able to work from home. You know, obviously this case is happening, if you don't already know. 2022, 2023, a lot of people were remote. After Covid or other people's schedules kind of switched to more hybrid, and it seemed like that was what she was doing. When she needed to be in D.C. she could be. But from Boston to D.C. it's like a two hour flight. So it's, you know, she has to travel quite a bit. She has to drive 45 minutes to Boston, take a two hour flight, and then she'll be in D.C. yeah.

Heath (10:07)

So that is a lot of back and forth.

Sam (10:10)

Yes, it's a lot of travel. Her job is already very demanding. Her work life is booming. But still, she managed to center her family in her life. Because at the time, moving to D.C. permanently was not an option for Brian, because obviously that would make sense to be like, hey, my job's in D.C. let's.

Heath (10:31)

Why don't we just move there together?

Sam (10:33)

Yeah. But it's because Brian is a criminal and he's on house arrest for wire fraud.

Heath (10:40)

Now, even to his friends, no one seemed to be able to pin down how Brian was earning his money, despite his, you know, consistent boasting about how well he was doing and his constant flaunting of wealth. And by the accounts of his friends, he was always quite vague about his role and responsibilities, which obviously was a bit sketchy. Like, at one point, he claimed to be an art dealer, which ironically, was the cause for his subsequent arrest for fraud. Another time, he claimed to have sold an airline ticketing Service for around $200 million. He also claimed to have made money from oil in Papua New Guinea. But however he was getting the money, he loved spending it. He was always throwing lavish parties for his friends and acquaintances and treating them to meals at Boston's finest restaurants. Of course, he loves to flaunt that big money. He even once took friends out to dinner in Chicago and treated them to a $25,000 bottle of wine.

Sam (11:39)

I just don't understand. That's like four glasses.

Heath (11:42)

Yeah, you're an idiot, bro. But to some, this Persona seemed falsely inflated. According to one fellow restaurateur, Brian once racked up a tab for $6,000 and then his card declined. But he was able to pay the tab in cash the next day and threw in an extra $2,000 for the inconvenience this is all just so interesting.

Sam (12:08)

And this is why all of his friends are like, how are you able to do this? Like, what is going on behind the scenes?

Heath (12:14)

Yeah, he just wants to appear to be very, very wealthy. So it was no surprise that the wire fraud charge wasn't his first brush with the law. In 2014, before he and Anna were married, she lodged a complaint with the local police that Brian had threatened to kill her and her friends. Though the police report doesn't detail who made the threat, Ana claimed that it had been her boyfriend who was living in Massachusetts at the time, which would match up with Brian, as they had been together for six years at that point. And this was actually just the year before they got married. But Anna never followed up on pressing charges, so the complaint was closed. But let's go into his family for a second, because although Brian and his mom, Diana, maintained a very nice relationship, he and his dad had a pretty bad falling out over money. In the years preceding his dad's 2018 death, a former friend of Brian's reported anonymously to Boston Magazine that Brian craved attention by any means necessary, which was something that Brian claimed was a kind of a byproduct of his upbringing.

Sam (13:25)

That's such good insight that he needed attention by any means necessary.

Heath (13:30)

Yes. Well, Brian told friends that he was subject to both psychological and physical abuse at the hands of his neurosurgeon father, Thomas Walsh. His former friend relayed that Thomas was particularly abusive, beating the shit out of him and telling him he was a loser. Ana even later affirmed these claims during the court proceedings for his wire fraud charges because she was just trying to show her support for her husband. Brian's friend even alleged that the tumultuous nature of his relationship with his father once landed him in a psychiatric hospital in the Berkshires. Around the time that he met Ana there, Brian was diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder and was found to have sociopathic tendencies. His friend recalled being accepted by others was survival for Brian, adding that Brian brandishing his wealth for others was merely a way to ingratiate himself with them, saying, quote, it was all pay to play for him.

Sam (14:35)

Yeah, this is kind of a way he can impress people, force people to like him.

Heath (14:41)

Yeah, yeah, he's got to. He's got to spend money on people so that they know. So that they'll want to be friends.

Sam (14:47)

With him, which is not a way to gather true people in your life, as we know. Of course.

Heath (14:52)

Not at all. Because they're just going to take advantage of you. Of course.

Sam (14:55)

Yeah. But it doesn't seem like maybe that bothered him that much. He really just wants to be accepted and he wants to be seen as important and above other people.

Heath (15:05)

Sure. Which I get. I mean, if your father spent your whole life calling you a loser, you'd probably have a complex and you would want to be very successful and accomplish a lot.

Sam (15:16)

Absolutely. Well, when Dr. Thomas Walsh passed away in September of 2018, Brian was appalled to find that his dad, Thomas, had written him out of the will completely. And this is pretty harsh. This is what his dad wrote. Quote, I hereby bequeath to Brian R.

Heath (15:34)

Walsh my loser son.

Sam (15:36)

Oh, my God, could you imagine? No, he didn't say that. He said, I hereby bequeath to Brian R. Walsh my best wishes, but nothing else from my estate.

Heath (15:46)

Damn.

Sam (15:47)

So he's like, best wishes, son, but you get nothing.

Heath (15:51)

Yeah.

Sam (15:51)

Which is like, low key. Worse than just not even writing anything about him at all.

Heath (15:56)

Yeah. You could have just said nothing and it would have been better, but this.

Sam (15:58)

Was like a slap in the face. And the reason for this seems to be because prior to his death, Brian and his dad had a big falling out, like Heath just hinted at that rendered them no contact after Thomas accused Brian of stealing nearly $1 million from him through a fraudulent real estate deal. Which we wouldn't have a hard time believing is true.

Heath (16:21)

Yeah, this seems like right there in Brian's nature, 100%.

Sam (16:25)

So after Thomas's passing, Brian actually attempted to contest the will with the executor, so his cousin, Andrew Walsh, and even alleged that the signature had been falsified. He is, like, not willing to accept this. He wants his dad's money. He is not happy. He's trying to fix it. Andrew later explained, quote, Thomas had a severe falling out with his son. Brian had run off with a significant amount of his money. He had had almost zero contact with Brian R. Walsh over the last 10 plus years. So, yeah, of course his dad's not gonna give him anything if he knows that Brian stole almost a million dollars from him, which is incredibly significant.

Heath (17:06)

And on top of that, they haven't really spoken to each other in a decade.

Sam (17:10)

Yeah. So he's like, I don't want you to get anything. And I think we also can understand Thomas's character just based on the fact that he abused his son at all. He doesn't seem like a very nice or flexible guy.

Heath (17:21)

I mean, yeah, they're both bad people.

Sam (17:23)

Well, just one month later, while still in a bitter legal battle over his late father's, estate. Brian was indicted on federal charges after being accused of stealing two priceless original Andy Warhol paintings from a friend of his. Because this guy is a thief. So back in November of 2018, obviously this is a couple years before his dad passed away. Brian traveled to Los Angeles in hopes of selling the Andy warhol paintings to LA's Revolver Gallery. After they had spotted Brian's advertisement which read, quote, we are selling two Andy Warhol paintings from our private collection only because we need the money for renovations to our house. Our loss is your gain. Now though, the paintings had supposedly been purchased for as much as $180,000, at least by Brian's account, he was asking just $100,000, which is half the price. It's a big cut and that's kind of a red flag, of course.

Heath (18:24)

Yeah. But you know, obviously he's thinking that the gallery is going to be like, wow, that's a really good deal.

Sam (18:30)

Yeah, how can I turn that down? But obviously Brian didn't spend a penny on them is good for him. But the gallery eagerly purchased them for $80,000, and Brian cashed out the cashier's check immediately. According to the gallery assistant who examined the paintings in her meeting with Brian at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, he gave off such a stellar impression that anybody would have believed the paintings were authentic. We know this about Brian. He's a charming guy. He knows how to schmooze people. So basically, he pulled out the paintings. They were like matted and framed. He pulled them out of a designer handbag and offered up verification of his home address, which was valued at $6.6 million. So he's got this nice ass house, he's got a nice bag. The, the paintings look real, they're framed and matted. They look amazing. It seems like this guy is legit, right? Though she couldn't examine the paintings further because of how tightly the frames were fastened, the assistant was certain that they were authentic, if from nothing else, just the impression that Brian gave off. But the next day, when the gallery owner removed the frames, the authentication tag was missing and the canvas had clearly been cut recently with loose strings hanging from their backs. The gallery owner, Ron Rivlin, called and texted Brian 16 times over the next few days, but all of his communication was ignored.

Heath (20:06)

Of course, Brian is now trying to get away with it. He's not going to answer your phone calls.

Sam (20:10)

He's already taken the cash. He's got nothing to. Nothing to say. And Brian had been spending that money ferociously. He had already thrown $25,000 toward his mounting credit card debt. And these paintings were fake Andy Warhol paintings, But he actually had previously had the real ones in his possession and then used the real paintings to leverage the fake ones that he had peddled to various art dealers, which is a scam that he had already completed multiple times.

Heath (20:44)

So, basically, Brian had stolen the pieces from the family of a college friend while visiting them in South Korea in 2011. In total, he had about two Keith Haring portraits, three Andy Warhol paintings, and a culturally significant Chinese artifact, all with the promise of selling them when he got back to the States. But when he returned home, he hired an artist to make exact copies of the pieces in order to pass them off, of course, as the originals, so that he had more to sell. And here's exactly how he did it. He would meet with art dealers and gallery owners, showing them the authentication paperwork and the original portrait, and then he would swap out the original for the fake one when it was time to deliver the artwork. When Ron, who was the owner of Revolver Gallery in la, was finally able to make contact with Brian after trying him over a dozen times, Brian blamed the sale of the fake portrait on a misunderstanding and promised to pay back the entire $80,000 sum. But when Ron was met with a stream of baseless excuses and received only $30,000 in return, he contacted the FBI and lodged a formal complaint. In May of 2018, the home Brian shared with Ana was raided. And as a result of their findings, he was arrested and indicted on charges of wire fraud.

Sam (22:10)

So that's why we told this entire story, because that. It says a lot about his character. It shows the kind of guy that Brian is. It's all extremely relevant, and it's just crazy that he thought he was going to get away with that. Like, the guy has your address, they have your name, they have your bank information. Like, how do you think you can get away with stealing $80,000?

Heath (22:34)

Well, at the conclusion of the FBI's investigation, authorities actually found that he had stolen over a quarter of a million dollars from people on two different continents. Not to mention the fact that the art itself was stolen from its rightful owners, who were back in South Korea.

Sam (22:49)

So now he has just brought so much more trouble on himself.

Heath (22:53)

Exactly. He dug himself a hole. And though Anna was not charged in connection with the crime, the authorities noted that Ana's ebay account had been used to post the paintings back in November of 2016. So whether she was, like, a willing participant in the scam, or, more likely, he was using her account or asking for help and she didn't know that they were stolen. We can't really be sure. Brian entered a plea of not guilty and was forced to wear an ankle monitor while he awaited charges of wire fraud, also unlawful monetary transaction, possession of converted goods, and interstate transportation for a scheme to defraud.

Sam (23:36)

And that is why they couldn't move to D.C. yep.

Heath (23:39)

So that explains all of that. Now, after a protracted legal battle, Brian pleaded guilty to three of the four charges that were stacked against him in April of 2021. And he remained on supervised house arrest at this time, though he was allowed to leave the Walsh residence. He was required to ask for permission first, so he couldn't just up and leave whenever he wanted.

Sam (24:04)

Well, as his legal battle continued, and maybe because of it, Ana and Brian's marriage was steadily going downhill. Anna's dream of relocating her family to Washington D.C. for her budding real estate career was of course thwarted by Brian's court appointed requirement to stay local to await his trial. Like we said. So of course this is very much affecting her life and she's like, what the hell, husband?

Heath (24:31)

Yeah, you're supposed to be a stand up guy and you're a fucking fraud.

Sam (24:35)

Being accused of all these things. And by this point, of course, they are already married and with child. According to multiple of Ana's friends and co workers, they had been struggling under the weight of their long distance relationship. But her position allowed her to be the breadwinner, which was especially important given Brian's impending court case. They needed income. By now the couple had three sons. Of course, this is in 2021 now, a few years after the charges were mounted, whom Anna missed terribly while she was in D.C. but for the time being, Brian assumed the role of primary caregiver when she was out of town for work. In part due to the frustration of this upcoming trial, Ana actually had an affair with the man who sold her her townhouse in D.C. a man named William, toward the end of 2022. Remember, they are both in the real estate business and William was actually also a parent who was very empathetic to the situation that Ana was facing in light of her husband's criminal history. So because of that, they fell for each other quickly. William was kind of an escape for Ana. She even spent Thanksgiving overseas with him in Dublin and Christmas Eve with him and his friends in Annapolis, Maryland. But to Brian's frustration, Ana's flight home for Christmas Day was canceled. So she missed what would have been her last Christmas home with their young kids, which allegedly resulted in a fight between them. Later that day, just a week before she disappeared, Ana texted her mom, asking her to come to Cohasset to visit as soon as possible. Remember, her mom is all the way in Serbia, even hoping that she could come as early as the next day. But with the upcoming holiday, of course, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, and the cost of travel, Anna's mom couldn't make that quick turnaround. And we don't know exactly why she wanted her mom to visit so suddenly, but it seems likely that it was connected to her subsequent disappearance. Like, it feels like it shows her fear or maybe her need for help.

Narrator/Ad Host (26:45)

Maybe.

Heath (26:45)

Yeah, possibly she just needed some support, right?

Sam (26:49)

But her mom couldn't come. So after Christmas, Anna returned to Washington, D.C. again for work. And on December 28, 2022, Ana had dinner with a friend who recalled that she broke down in tears about Brian's impending federal case and that she feared that Brian was going to be headed to prison. Ana also revealed that her plan in that case would be to take the boys to D.C. with her to start over. And this plan would include leaving Brian for William. On Friday, December 30, 2022, Ana flew back home to Cohasset to be with her family for New Year's, planning to return to D.C. for work on January 3rd. So just remember, she's not supposed to go back to work until January 3rd. She gets the holiday off.

Heath (27:41)

Well, the following day, New Year's eve, heading into 2023, Ana and Brian invited a friend, who also happened to be Ana's former employee, Jem Mutloo, over for dinner. And the three had a pretty uneventful evening. Jem left around 1am and according to Brian, he and Ana headed to bed shortly after that. But just a few hours later, he claimed that she was awoken with a work emergency when and was summoned back to D.C. immediately. Around 6am on January 1, 2023, Ana allegedly kissed him goodbye and told him to go back to bed. She called an Uber or a Lyft and headed to the airport bound for.

Sam (28:23)

D.C. which is really weird that so early in the morning, around 6am on a federal holiday, you're getting a call from work to go in when you are not scheduled to go back for two more days.

Heath (28:36)

Right. Already suspicious on its head. Well, after that, neither of her kids nor her husband heard from her ever again. Brian and the boys spent a quiet morning at home alone until around 3pm When a babysitter came by to watch them so that Brian could go run a few errands. So Brian later explained that he headed to his mom's apartment in Swamscott, which is about an hour up the coast from Cohasset. And strangely, he claimed that he had misplaced his cell phone and had gotten lost on the way there, which justified why the drive took longer than it should have. Now, obviously this raises red flags for all of us, so just remember this part. After visiting with his mom for only about 15 minutes, Brian later explained that he headed to CVS, the drugstore, and then to Whole Foods to pick up a few things for her. And then he returned home around 8pm however, the actual story was much, much more damning. Police later combed the surveillance footage at the Swampscott locations of the CVS and the Whole Foods, and guess what? Brian was nowhere to be seen on either of them because he didn't actually visit those stores. And according to location data, Brian's cell phone had been plugged in and left in the vicinity of he and Anna's Cohasset home. Because he didn't even bring it with him.

Sam (30:02)

Yeah, and he's saying that he misplaced it, but really he just left it at home. And what did he take with him instead?

Heath (30:08)

Yeah, so instead he took his 6 year old's cell phone with him to run these errands, thinking that this wouldn't be tracked. But guess what? It was. And because police were able to track his whereabouts, what was even more damning was the surveillance footage of Brian stopping by the dumpster of a liquor store to drop off a large black trash bag.

Sam (30:48)

When you finally take a break from diving into some of these intense cases, there's nothing better than relaxing with a glass of wine that you can count on. That's why we want to share Riva de la Rosa, an Italian white wine brand that's elegant, refreshing, and easy to enjoy.

Heath (31:07)

Each glass of Riva de la Rosa feels like being transported to Italy. Bright, refreshing, and completely effortless.

Sam (31:15)

They have two standout wines that we think think you guys will love. Vermentino, which is crisp, vibrant, and smooth, and Gavi, which is bright, kind of flirty, and just the right touch of elegance.

Heath (31:29)

And the best part is that every bottle has a screw cap, so it's easy to open anywhere, anytime, no corkscrew required.

Sam (31:38)

Enjoy quality wine that pairs perfectly with a quiet dinner this fall or winter time with friends or simply winding down after a long day. Which is exactly what Heath and I did this weekend with a bottle of Vermentino we made this beautiful fall fettuccine. It paired so well. It was so delicious. We had the whole bottle over dinner and we had just great conversation. You guys would love this wine.

Heath (32:01)

Bring a little taste of Italy to your next wine night. Check out rivadellarosawine.com to find a bottle near you.

Sam (32:08)

Disclaimer must be 21 + please. Dr.

Heath (32:12)

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Sam (37:31)

After making his first stop at a dumpster on the morning, Anna disappeared. On Sunday, January 1, 2023, Brian traveled to his mother's apartment complex in Swampscott, where he disposed of another large trash bag. Despite his claim that he only visited a CVS and a Whole Foods, his son's phone was traced to a Lowe's hardware store, where Brian purchased nearly 50 washcloths, 200 cleaning rags, five buckets, a hazmat suit, cleaning products, and trash bags. Which is like, so, like, why do you need 200 cleaning rags and a hazmat suit? Like, this is a lot of shit.

Heath (38:15)

Yeah. What are you cleaning up, like hazardous waste?

Sam (38:18)

Well, yeah, exactly. So the total came to nearly $500, and he paid in cash. His next stop actually was a CVS drugstore, where he bought 13 bottles of hydrogen peroxide. The following day, Monday, January 2, 2023, the babysitter returned to the home to watch two of the kids while Brian took one of the others out for ice cream. And on this trip, he also stopped at Home Goods, purchasing three rugs. He then headed to a Home Depot wearing a face mask and gloves and bought even more cleaning supplies, including mops, tarps, goggles, and a hatchet. This is painting such a grim picture. The following day, Tuesday, January 3rd, this is the day that Ana was supposed to return to work. Brian again headed to the dumpster of an apartment building, this time in Abington, Massachusetts, which is 30 minutes southwest of Cohasset. So, I mean, as we know, there's no reason to drive 30 minutes away to throw something in a garbage.

Heath (39:25)

Yeah, of course.

Sam (39:26)

He then drove to two more apartment buildings in the area to dispose of more bags, one in Abington and one in brockton. On Wednesday, January 4th, which was the day that 39 year old Ana Walsh was finally reported missing, Brian made another stop at Home Goods and another one at TJ Maxx for towels and bath mats. He then stopped at another Lowe's to purchase a trash can and a squeegee.

Heath (39:53)

This is crazy. I mean, how, like, it's just such a weird. Like, you're purchasing so many things, so many cleaning supplies, so many rugs and cloths and towels and buckets.

Sam (40:05)

It's crazy, but all of this, like, it really does paint the scene that he is dismembering his wife's body in a bathtub. Like, that's what you see from all these purchases. It's like there's no other reason to Buy all of these things, starting the day your wife goes missing 100%. Like, there's this. There's no way around it. So that morning, Brian contacted Tishman Speier, of course, that is Ana's employer, to report that he hadn't heard from his wife since her alleged and abrupt departure three days earlier, when she suddenly had to leave in the early morning to go away for work on holiday. So Brian called into her office asking after her, and Human resources was alerted. But here's the thing. Teresa Marchese from Tishman Spires HR department called Brian back to ask for more information, because Ana's office was very confused when they heard Brian's story and informed him that Ana had not been summoned with some emergency on the morning of New Year's Day.

Heath (41:05)

Yeah, they're like, what the. We didn't do that. Like, she has that day off.

Sam (41:08)

But Brian told them that he hadn't seen or heard from her since she supposedly left for D.C. early on that morning of the 1st, after she had explained that she did have to go to work. So Brian's saying, no, that's what she told me, and I haven't seen her since. So that has to be the truth. And they're like, it's not. But obviously multiple days have passed. This is his wife. Even though she's out of town, it's. It's kind of weird that it took you this long to report her missing. Haven't you been worried about her? Well, to account for why he had waited, he said that the last time she disappeared, she was annoyed when Brian came looking for her too soon. She's like, well, something like this has happened before, and she got mad at me.

Heath (41:50)

What a. What a lame excuse, truly. Well, Teresa asked candidly if the couple had been having problems, and Brian claimed that he had just had a happy and very wonderful holiday together.

Sam (42:01)

Yeah, because people at her office aren't immediately thinking, oh, my God, she. You did something to her. They're thinking, oh, maybe she was lying to him and this was her cover.

Heath (42:12)

Right. Is there problems going on within the home that could account for this? Well, Teresa even stopped by Ana's townhouse, but found, of course, no sign of her there. Packages of hers had been left outside for days, proving that she never went there either. And Brian was apparently so desperate for answers that he had even reached out to Anna's lover, William, meaning that he knew about William, to see if he had heard from her. But their last contact had been just after midnight on New Year's Day when Anna wished William a happy New Year. So clearly she did not run off with him, because since then, William's calls and texts to her had gone unanswered.

Sam (42:53)

So nobody has heard from her since just after midnight on New Year's Eve, or at least after her friend left.

Heath (43:01)

At 1am well, when asked what he had been up to for the past few days, Brian maintained that he had only left the house one time to get ice cream with one of his sons. Which we know isn't true, because all of the other stores that he visited for all those suspicious items, and if.

Sam (43:17)

Those purchases had real explanations that didn't include cleaning up a crime scene and disposing of his wife, surely he would have mentioned them.

Heath (43:25)

Of course. Yeah. It's like there's no reason to lie about that.

Sam (43:29)

The only reason, I would think, is because he's on supervision and he needs permission to leave, that maybe he didn't want to get caught. But you still know. You still wouldn't tell them about it because it's suspicious as hell.

Heath (43:41)

Yeah, of course. While missing persons reports were filed by both Brian Walsh and Tishman speyer on Wednesday, January 4, 2023, and police also stopped by their Cohass at home that day to speak with Brian, but he concluded that he didn't know anything. However, police happened to notice that the seats in Brian's Volvo were pushed down as if transporting something very large, and that there was a plastic liner covering part of the interior of that vehicle. The next day, when they visited the home again, the liner, of course, had been removed and the car had been freshly vacuumed.

Sam (44:21)

Would you look at that? That's not weird at all.

Heath (44:24)

Well, on Friday, January 6, 2023, one week since Ana was last seen, police mounted a massive campaign that canine scent dogs centered in the wooded areas around their Cohasset home. But unfortunately, they didn't find any sign of her there. The following day, the Cohasset Police Department jointly announced with the Massachusetts State Police that the search for Anna Walsh was concluding, despite the fact that they hadn't found her yet. And it seems that they did this because after finding that surveillance footage of Brian, they felt strongly that they knew what happened to her and that she had been disposed of in the various garbage bins. So GPS data of Brian's phone, as well as the phone belonging to his eldest son, which Brian had likely been using to avoid suspicion, was compared with surveillance footage at multiple apartment complexes in which Brian could be seen lugging large black trash bags into dumpsters. Unfortunately, many of these dumpsters had been cleared already, but one near his mother's complex. Police were able to remove a bag that was still intact and the contents were damning. Inside of it, investigators recovered a hacksaw, multiple bloody towels, a bloody carpet, Ana's necklace, purse, and boots, and also her Covid vaccination card and all those things.

Sam (45:51)

Disposing of all of that, especially with the hacksaw, which is a manual saw, this continues to paint the picture that you dismembered, you murdered and dismembered her.

Heath (46:02)

Of course. I mean, it doesn't paint any other picture. Well, despite Brian maintaining that Anna had left early on the morning of January 1st, Ana's phone pinged near their Cohasset home on both January 1st and also.

Sam (46:15)

January 2nd, proving that she didn't leave on January 8th. So a week after she went missing, 46 year old Brian was arrested for the murder of his wife, Anna Walsh, as well as charges of improper conveyance of a body and misleading a police investigation. Probably because he lied. From the beginning, Brian's arrogance was on full display and has been a focal point throughout the investigation and the trial. Because despite his sloppiness at every turn, he seemed to truly believe that he was, like, too slick to be caught. Just like with his art fraud charges years earlier, Even with the glaring amount of evidence stacked against him, Brian pleaded not guilty to the murder of his wife. And the prosecution had their work cut out for them because they didn't have a body. We have all this circumstantial evidence, but we don't have a body. Sadly, it seems that she was taken off to a dump where they were not able to locate any part of her. The prosecution felt that the motive was likely twofold. One, revenge for her affair, and then two, a desire for a life insurance payout which would have netted him $2.7 million. And we know Brian needs and wants that money. Brian's trial was set to begin in early December of 2025. Before that, it was set for October of 2025. Like I said in the intro of this episode, it kept getting pushed. Actually, on November 18, 2025, Brian surprised the prosecution, pleading guilty to improper disposal of a body and misleading investigators. Because get this, Brian and his team alleged that Brian found Anna deceased in bed early on the morning of New Year's day, and that he panicked and decided to dispose of her body.

Heath (48:17)

Yeah, because that's a normal thing to do. Usually we just call the police and say, hey, you know, this tragic thing happened. My wife died while she was asleep. And can you please come to the house? But no, he's got to dispose of her body, even though apparently he didn't do anything wrong.

Sam (48:33)

Nobody would ever do that. But they're saying this because they know that they have nothing else. There's nothing else they can possibly say. So they went with this, despite how utterly stupid it was, because they know that there is evidence of him disposing of her body. So at least if he can get the murder charge away, he'll be better off. But it's ridiculous.

Heath (48:55)

And I get this. This is what the defense does. This is their job to come up with these strange scenarios that are not even believable.

Sam (49:03)

But truly, absolutely. But this is one of the silliest we've heard. Now, the surveillance footage and all those damn cleaning supplies was obviously huge. And again, it just painted such a grim image of Brian potentially dismembering his wife's body and going to great lengths to clean up the scene and dispose of her around the area. But one of the other more shocking revelations discussed in the courtroom was the announcement of the Google searches conducted by Brian himself. Himself, in the days after Ana's disappearance. When we originally covered this episode, we did not have all of this, but there is a lot. Buckle up. On the very day that she vanished and most likely was murdered, Brian Googled how long before a body starts to smell? Is a hacksaw the best tool to dismember a body? Can you be charged with murder without a body? Dismemberment? And the best ways to dispose of a body. How to stop a body from decomposing. How to embalm a body. Luminole to test blood. How to clean blood from wooden floor. 10 Ways to Dispose of a dead body if you really need to. How long does DNA last? How long for someone to be missing to inherit? Can you throw away body parts? What does formaldehyde do? Can identification be made on partial remains? Dismemberment. And the best ways to dispose of a body. What happens when you put body parts in ammonia? And is it better to throw crime scene parts away or wash them?

Heath (50:51)

Jesus. It's like this guy is looking up the dummy's guide to disposing of a body. Like that is crazy.

Sam (50:59)

I don't think we've ever seen that many and that many obvious ones. Like, what the hell?

Heath (51:04)

You gotta be, like, really, really stupid to do something like this. To, like, Google all of these things.

Sam (51:10)

Well, you know what else Brian even specifically searched for? How to dispose of a 115 pound body which was the exact weight of his missing wife.

Heath (51:22)

Oh, my God. Idiot. Well, these searches continued between around 5am to about 2pm on the day that Ana disappeared, presumably around his sons after they woke up that morning wondering where the hell their mom was.

Sam (51:36)

And we know that he said around 6am is when Anna left for the airport. So if his Googling began at 5am, he must have killed her just before that, you know, within the time frame, because, remember, the friend left at 1am so we can imagine maybe a fight broke out between Ana and Brian after that, and then he killed her and was up Googling all this nonsense.

Heath (51:58)

Yeah. In the middle of the night. And then the following day he searched. Can you identify a body with broken teeth? Is a hacksaw the best tool to dismember a body? And the day after that, the search continued with what happens to hair on a dead body? And what is the rate of decomposition found in a plastic bag compared to on the surface in the woods?

Sam (52:21)

It's just all also connects to everything he did. Like disposing of evidence, the hacksaw, like, it all connects.

Heath (52:28)

Yeah, you're literally through Google telling us exactly what you did.

Sam (52:32)

Yes.

Heath (52:34)

While some of his searches dated back to before Ana even went missing, including one four days earlier, on December 27, 2022, which read, quote, what's the best date to divorce for a man? Now, as these searches were read aloud in court, Brian could be seen shaking his head dismissively as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing, even though he was the one who searched them.

Sam (52:58)

Yeah, it's like he's saying, oh, this is bullshit. Come on.

Heath (53:02)

Yeah, you did that. But even more disturbing was the fact that he made these searches on his son's iPad. And for anybody wondering if his son could have been involved, their kids were only 6, 4, and 2 when Anna was killed. But just like how Brian took his son's phone with him, you know, that day instead of his own, it seems like he thought, you know, if police searched anything, they wouldn't look at the.

Sam (53:27)

Kids items, which of course they're gonna search everything. And they found it. You're not slick like you think you are. Well, Ana's boyfriend William testified on her behalf, telling the court that she really was struggling with being so far away from her kids, but she felt too tied to her position due to the financial security that it brought her family. Of course, as we know, Brian wasn't bringing in any money, so she felt like she needed to keep this job and be away from her Family. Most recently, you know, up to the date that Anna went missing and was killed. Brian's sentencing had been delayed back in July of 2022, and it became the primary sticking point in their relationship. William explained to the court, quote, the biggest stressor was his inability to resolve his criminal case and the fact that because of that, she couldn't be with her kids and bring them back to Washington, D.C. it felt like it was holding up her life. William was also able to enlighten the courtroom on Ana's final days, most of which, as we know, were spent with him and not with Brian, which just increased that burgeoning tension between Anna and Brian.

Heath (54:41)

Yeah, because, remember, her flight was canceled, so she missed Christmas. And if Brian found out that that's because she was, you know, deciding to spend Christmas Eve with her lover instead of her family, I mean, surely he would have been upset.

Sam (54:55)

Yeah. And we know that he was livid because Ana also missed Thanksgiving with the family because she was covertly with William that day. And I just want to mention something like, Anna, of course, didn't grow up with Thanksgiving. She grew up in Serbia. So it probably wasn't a really important holiday to her, like many people who immigrate to the US So for anybody wondering why she wouldn't want to be with her kids, maybe they didn't really celebrate it like that. That's kind of what I'm thinking.

Heath (55:22)

It's definitely possible that it meant more to Brian than it did to her.

Sam (55:26)

Yeah, exactly. We don't know, though. Well, according to the defense, Brian had no knowledge of the affair prior to Ana's disappearance. However, as we know, this could easily be disproven by the fact that he had reached out to William to see if he knew where Ana was. And maybe he could say that he didn't know they were having an affair, but knew that William and Anna were friends. But Brian's search history came in once again here, because on Christmas Day, so obviously, a week before she was killed, Brian searched William's full name, which we're leaving out just for his sake, and then two days later, searched about divorce. So it does seem like he knew.

Heath (56:09)

It's pretty clear he knew.

Sam (56:10)

Brian again searched William's name on January 4, which was around when he contacted him looking for Ana. Norfolk County Assistant District Attorney Greg Connor also maintained, quote, he was routinely visiting the Instagram page of one of her male friends. And on December 26, his mother, with his input and direction, obtained and hired a private investigator to surveil Anna Walsh in Washington D.C. so clearly this was.

Heath (56:41)

Really, really upsetting him. It was affecting him. He was very jealous over this. I mean, to the point where he's like, hey, mom, can you help me figure out how to get a private investigator to follow Anna?

Sam (56:53)

Yeah. Days before she went missing. So that feels like he caught her in an affair and wanted to make sure. And then they had a conversation about it on the morning of New Year's Day, and it escalated. Well, to honest knowledge, Brian, at least as far as we know, you know, before she was killed, Brian didn't know about the relationship. They had never talked about it. And she had wanted to be the one to break the news to him out of compassion for her husband. She did plan to tell him. William explained in his testimony, quote, ana felt it was really important that when Bryan was to find out about the relationship that he would hear it from her. She had expressed a great concern, and I think she felt it would be a strike against her integrity if he found out a different way.

Heath (57:44)

Well, to the frustration of Ana's family and loved ones, Brian has never bothered to offer any clarity as to what really happened to her. In her victim impact statement, her sister Alexandra explained the impact that the loss had on their mother, who, of course, still lives back in Serbia and now struggles with depression and chronic fatigue. Brian's mom, Diana Walsh, also wrote a letter, but she hoped to convince the judge of leniency for her son before his sentencing. Bryan's defense attorney, Kelly Porges, also attempted to reason with the jury, saying, quote, he is a human, he's a father, he's a son, and he has been a friend to many. The life sentence is mandatory, but to do consecutive sentences, I think is inappropriate and inhumane.

Sam (58:35)

I think what's inappropriate and inhumane is murdering and dismembering your wife and trying to get away with it.

Heath (58:40)

Yeah, but.

Sam (58:41)

Okay.

Heath (58:42)

However, Judge Diane Freenor Frenier. I think it's Frenier. Diane Frenier told the court, quote, your criminal history shows a long and well documented history of deceitful and manipulative behavior.

Sam (58:57)

Yes.

Heath (58:58)

I considered your character, or lack thereof, your behavior and your background. Although I consider the letter of Diana Walsh, I simply cannot reconcile the person Diana Walsh describes in her letter with the person who stands before me for sentence. Mr. Walsh, you will live with the guilt and burden of Anna Walsh's death for the rest of your life. On December 15, 2025, Brian was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the first degree murder of Anna Walsh. For the charge of lying to police in connection with a felony or the life felony. Brian was sentenced to no less than 19 and no more than 20 years to be served consecutively. And for improper disposal of a body, he was sentenced to an additional three years. There has not been a public confirmation of who has gained custody of the children, but rumors have circulated that it was Brian's mom, Ana's sister, or even that they were taken into state custody. And sadly, to this very day, Anna's body has never been recovered.

Sam (60:21)

Thank you so much, everybody for listening to this episode of Going West.

Heath (60:25)

Yes, thank you guys so much for listening to this update episode. I mean, we've already posted photos from this case on our socials, but we will post a few more, some more update photos and so you guys can see, you know, some photos from the trial as well.

Sam (60:40)

Yes. Especially for anybody who did not hear our original coverage of this case. But thank you guys so much for listening to it again or listening to it for a first time or for the first time since we did that almost exactly three years ago, we have been waiting for the day that we could give an update. Update. So here we are. Glad that he was found guilty and that justice was served. But hopefully one day he'll actually give answers and explain what happened because he's not taking any responsibility. This guy is a coward.

Heath (61:11)

Of course. Of course he's a coward. Of course he's not going to tell her loved ones and her friends about what he did. Exactly.

Sam (61:19)

Even though it feels so clear. Like you said, he basically used Google searches, I mean, to say what he did, but it's like, it's like, so we know, so just say it. So just admit to it and take responsibility. But that's not.

Heath (61:32)

His personality just isn't. Yeah, that's just not who Brian Walsh is.

Sam (61:35)

But happy New Year, everybody. We will see you on Friday because we will be here on the holiday with an all new episode for you guys. Please stay safe. I think Keith and I are just going to have a nice family dinner and rock relaxed.

Heath (61:49)

We're just chilling, you know, opening that, that bottle of sparkling grape juice. Let's go.

Sam (61:55)

You're just going right into dry January a little early and getting a nice healthy start to the year. So thank you guys again. We love you and we'll see you on Friday in the new year.

Heath (62:06)

All right, guys. So for everybody out there in the.

Sam (62:09)

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