A Massachusetts judge presiding over the murder trial of Brian Walshe decided on Monday that prosecutors can present a still image from a video of his missing wife playing with their children on a rug in the Cohasset family home. Defense attorneys had argued that showing the entire video would be too provocative for the jury.

Prosecutors initially sought to display the full video to demonstrate a link between the victim and the rug. In court, they noted that the rug in the video matches one found 40 miles away in a dumpster near the residence of Brian Walshe’s mother, Diana. This discovery was accompanied by a saw and a “bone fragment.”

The 50-year-old Brian Walshe, previously convicted of fraud, stands accused of murdering his wife Ana after discovering her affair. Prosecutors contend that he thought he could evade federal prison for his art fraud conviction by becoming the sole guardian of their three children.

During his final pretrial hearing on Monday, November 17, 2025, Brian Walshe listened to proceedings. He faces charges of killing and dismembering his wife, Ana Walshe, whose body has yet to be found. (Pool)

Prosecutors assert that Ana Walshe intended to relocate to Washington, D.C. with the children, where she was employed and reportedly involved in an extramarital relationship. Her alleged partner is listed as a witness and is expected to offer testimony, as noted by defense attorneys.

Her alleged paramour is on the witness list, according to defense attorneys, and he is expected to testify.

He declined to answer questions about the case when approached Sunday.

Ana Walshe wears a Washington Capitals jersey in a December 2022 post. (Ana Walshe/Instagram)

Brian Walshe was the beneficiary of his wife’s $2.7 million life insurance policy and owed nearly $500,000 in restitution in his federal case, court records show.

He entered court around 9:05 a.m. Monday, carrying a stack of paperwork and wearing a navy blue suit and green tie. A court officer unlocked his handcuffs once he reached the defense table.

Judge Diane Freniere took up a number of motions in limine at the final pretrial hearing before jury selection is expected to begin Tuesday.

Brian and Ana Walshe raise a toast on their wedding day in the lounge of L’Espalier in Boston, Massachusetts on Monday, December 21, 2015. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)

She said the trial would stream over Zoom. She warned the defense that anything Walshe’s lawyers planned to use in their opening statement should be shared with the court and prosecution before it is displayed to jurors. She agreed to the defense’s request to add questions to the juror questionnaire, including one about whether prospective jurors would agree not to use social media or watch the news during trial.

She also allowed prosecutors to introduce some evidence of Brian Walshe’s federal conviction in order to show their alleged motive, but she said she would not allow some location data investigators obtained through his monitoring bracelet, which she said had “little evidentiary value.”

Ana Walshe pictured in a December 2022 Instagram post. (Ana Walshe/Instagram)

The judge also said she would likely allow statements from Ana Walshe’s friend, Melissa Kirby, surrounding a discussion the two had on Dec. 29, just three days before Ana Walshe was last seen alive. They discussed Ana Walshe giving her husband an “ultimatum” and an argument on Christmas.

The judge ruled this conversation is evidence of both a motive and of Ana Walshe’s state of mind shortly before she vanished.

Brian Walshe appears in Massachusetts court for arraignment after being charged for the murder of his wife, Ana. (Pool)

Her remains have not been found, but prosecutors allege Brian Walshe killed her, dismembered her and hid the evidence. The defendant has pleaded not guilty.

Investigators say they found digital evidence showing Walshe allegedly searched Google more than a dozen times for instructions on how to dispose of human remains. Then they say they found video of him at Home Depot, buying mops, goggles and a knife.

Former Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor, who was a detective on the case, lost his job in connection with his handling of the investigation into Karen Read in the death of her boyfriend, John O’Keefe.

Read was acquitted of all homicide-related charges in that case earlier this year.