Serialously with Annie Elise

Episode 343: Brian Walshe Trial – Secret Boyfriend, Diabolical Searches & an Explosive New Motive | Week 1 Trial Recap

Release Date: December 5, 2025
Host: Annie Elise

Episode Overview

In this special Friday episode, Annie Elise recaps the explosive first week of the Brian Walshe murder trial. The episode aims to catch both seasoned followers and newcomers up on key trial bombshells, offering background, context, and Annie's signature blend of detailed true crime analysis and candid commentary. Annie breaks down the trial's wildest developments, the prosecution and defense's surprising strategies, damning evidence—especially the diabolical internet searches—and the emergence of a secret boyfriend and complex motives.

Case Recap: Who Are Brian and Ana Walshe?

[02:30 - 09:45]

• Ana Walshe: Born in Serbia, came to the US in 2005. Successful hospitality and later real estate executive—eventually a general manager for a major company, splitting time between Massachusetts and Washington, D.C.
• Brian Walshe: Married Ana in 2016; described by Annie as “just a fucking loser” (06:20). Convicted in 2021 of art fraud (selling counterfeit Andy Warhol paintings) and placed on house arrest pending sentencing.
• Family: Three sons, aged 4, 6, and 8 at the time of Ana’s disappearance.
• Disappearance (New Year's 2022): Ana last seen at a quiet family dinner. Reported missing on January 4, 2023. Brian claimed Ana left early for a flight to D.C., but police found no ride share or flight bookings.
• Early Investigation: Security footage caught Brian buying $450 in cleaning supplies at Home Depot after Ana's alleged departure.
  • Annie’s quip: “$450 of cleaning supplies? I mean, that is freaking crazy. How many Clorox wipes do you need?” (08:50)

Lead-Up to Trial

[11:00 - 13:40]

• Brian’s Arrest: January 8, 2023 – initially for misleading police; later charged with Ana’s murder and improper handling of her body. He pleaded not guilty to murder, but admitted to the other two lesser charges just before trial commenced.
• Crucial Problem: Ana’s body has never been found. Annie addresses prosecution challenges and public speculation (“another ‘Gone Girl’ case”).
• Interconnected Players: Case tried in the same county and features some same investigators as the controversial Karen Read trial, notably State Trooper Michael Proctor, whose previous misconduct may become a defense tool.

Key Developments & Bombshell Evidence from Week One

[14:10 - 24:00]

Prosecution’s Opening

• Surveillance + Physical Evidence:

  • Footage of Brian at Home Depot immediately after Ana vanished, buying cleaning supplies, a hatchet, and a hacksaw.
  • Video of Brian disposing of trash bags near his mother’s residence.
  • In trash bags, police found Anna’s shoes, COVID-19 vaccination card, and weapons.

• Three-Pronged Motive:

  1. Financial: Ana had millions in life insurance—Brian sole beneficiary.
  2. Affair: Revelation of Ana’s alleged affair with the man who sold her D.C. townhouse.
  3. Divorce/Custody: Ana planning divorce, move to D.C. with sons to start a new life.

  “I think, honestly, if you look at all three of those separate motives... they all are strong enough to, you know, independently be enough for a motive for murder. But they also all layer over top one another... it is massive.” (Annie, 17:56)

Defense’s Opening

• Did not claim Ana ran away or blame police corruption.
• Bizarre Theory: Brian “nudged Ana so hard that she fell directly off the bed... and she, quote, succumbed to her injuries or, I'm sorry, a quote, sudden and unexplained death.” (19:15)
• Defense argues Brian panicked, disposed of the body to “protect their kids,” and lied to police out of fear.
• Annie’s reaction:

  “I've fallen off the bed by accident. My kids fall off the bed regularly... How on earth does somebody fall off of the bed, get injured so badly that it kills them?” (Elise, 22:27)

Notable Witness Testimony & Forensic Evidence

[24:10 - 38:25]

Key Witnesses and Their Testimony

• Sergeant Harrison Schmidt (Lead Investigator):

  • Brian insisted Ana flew to D.C. for a “work emergency.”
  • Gave details about Ana’s supposed attire on her departure—matched clothes later found in the trash.

• State Trooper Michael Proctor:

  • His past misconduct (in Karen Read case) referenced, but the defense did not claim police corruption here.

• Trooper Nick Guarino (Phone/Data Expert):

  • Clarified previously rumored “kids’ iPad” narrative—Google searches made on Brian’s computer, sync’d to iPads.

The Diabolical Google Searches

[27:00 - 33:00]
(Only key, most revealing ones listed—paraphrased to preserve tone)

January 1

• “10 ways to dispose of a dead body (if you really need to)”
• “How long before a body starts to smell?”
• “How long for someone to be missing to inherit?”
• “Is it possible to clean DNA off of a knife?”
• “Best ways to dispose of body parts after murder”
• “Want to get away with murder?”
• “Is it better to throw away crime scene clothes or wash them?”
• “Can the FBI tell when you accessed your phone?”

January 2

• “How long do stores keep security footage?”
• “How to dismember a body”
• “Hacksaw best tool to dismember a body”
• “Can you be charged with murder without a body?”
• “Can you identify a body with broken teeth?”
• “Disposing of a body in the trash”

January 3

• “Can baking soda make a dead body smell good?”
• “How long for a dismembered body to decompose?”
• “Cleaning up blood without leaving a trace.”

“These searches are literally the next best thing to having a body. They kind of just point this big neon flashing sign saying guilty murderer.” (Elise, 31:45)

Pre-disappearance (Dec 25-26)

• Adult sites: “cheating wife seduces another man to impregnate her”
• “Best state to divorce for a man”
• “Washington, D.C. divorce lawyers”

Annie speculates Brian may have been exploring strategic divorce options or preemptively searching to hinder Ana's ability to retain certain lawyers.

Defense Response:
Argued Brian’s searches a product of panic, and blamed search engine suggestions for the use of “murder” in queries—a rationale Annie ridicules as grasping at straws.

Physical & Forensic Evidence

[38:30 - 41:00]

• No Record of Rideshare: Uber/Lyft reps confirm Ana never called for a ride after Jan 1.
• Life Insurance Policies: Over $1 million, Brian as sole beneficiary. Brian tried to insure himself but was denied due to art fraud.
• Crime Scene Evidence:
  • Car: Red stains (positive for blood) on visors, controls, mats.
  • Found in Trash: Ana’s boots, jacket, handbag (matching Brian’s description), blood-stained towels, tape, gloves, robe, slippers, hammer, wire cutters, hatchet, hacksaw, tarp—plus hair, tissue, skin.

  “Basically an entire dismemberment starter kit.” (Elise, 40:30)

The Secret Boyfriend: William Fasto

[41:10 - 43:00]

• Fasto testified to a prolonged and intimate relationship with Ana, including overnight stays, holidays together, travel to Ireland.
• Ana was preparing her D.C. townhouse for her children, signaling intent to move and start a new life.
• Both Ana and William were still married at the time.
• Purpose of testimony: to affirm Brian’s potential motives—jealousy over affair and fear of being replaced.

Additional Digital Evidence

[43:20 - 44:20]

• Anna’s phone was last located at the Walsh home the night of Jan 1–2; never pinged in D.C.
• Brian’s phone tracked to his mother’s apartment, specifically by a trash compactor, and then to various hardware stores post-disappearance.
• Brian searched “William Fasto” and “Anna Walsh found dead” on December 25, six days before Ana vanished.

  “To me, it screams premeditation.” (Elise, 44:00)

Memorable Quotes & Candid Moments

• On Brian’s character:

  "You have this, like, loser on the other half of that. So fast forward to New Year's Eve..." (Annie, 05:45)

• On the defense’s ‘bed accident’ theory:

  “I feel like I’m rolling my eyes so hard that I can see my brain. It makes no sense.” (Elise, 22:27)

• On the Google searches:

  “This is basically a list of things not to Google, okay? If you don’t want people to ever suspect you of murder, definitely don’t Google these things.” (Elise, 32:55)

• On forensic evidence recovered:

  “Basically an entire dismemberment starter kit. And the worst of all... what appeared to be hair, human tissue and skin.” (Elise, 40:35)

Annie’s Final Thoughts & Jury Reflections

[44:25 - 49:00]

• Annie finds the Google searches the most damning and shocking.
• Skeptical of the defense’s sudden-death theory—no search queries for “what to do if your wife is unresponsive,” only for murder and dismemberment.
• Wonders aloud whether Brian will take the stand (“feels extremely ballsy”) and which motive the prosecution will emphasize most.
• Invites listener feedback:

  “Do any of you listening buy the entire unexplained medical death event story that the defense is trying to spin, or do you think that they’re just throwing whatever will stick...?” (Elise, 47:48)

Key Timestamps

• Case Recap & Background: 02:00 – 13:55
• Prosecution & Defense Openings: 14:10 – 22:30
• Google Searches & Phone Evidence: 26:45 – 34:00
• Forensic and Physical Evidence: 38:30 – 41:00
• Secret Boyfriend Testimony: 41:10 – 43:00
• Digital Evidence & Premeditation: 43:20 – 44:20
• Annie’s Closing Thoughts: 44:25 – 49:00

Tone & Style

Annie’s natural, conversational approach blends true crime expertise with sarcasm, pop-culture references (Vecna from Stranger Things), and passionate reactions. She is direct, often irreverent, and frequently addresses the listeners as “true crime besties,” emphasizing community and inclusion in her sleuthing.

Closing Note

The episode wraps with Annie promising continued weekly recaps if listeners want them and urging everyone, “be nice, don’t kill people. Just get a divorce. Don’t go to Home Depot for cleaning supplies and definitely stay the heck off Google.” (48:55)